Alysia Thomas-Sam

Dec 18, 2024 | abc.net.au | David Estcourt |Mike Lorigan |Alysia Thomas-Sam

Former soap star Damien Richardson has been charged by Victoria Police over performing a Nazi salute at a Melbourne event in September, where far-right activists were present. Police allege the 54-year-old gave the gesture, banned in 2022 by the Victorian government, at a restaurant in McKinnon, in Melbourne's south-east. Video footage showed the former actor giving a speech to a meeting of the National Workers Alliance, a group which stands "for the preservation of Western culture and identity".

Dec 16, 2024 | abc.net.au | Alysia Thomas-Sam |Norman Hermant

Syria's Sednaya prison is where the extreme brutality of the Assad regime over the last 13 years was at its worst. Inside the facility's concrete cells, tens of thousands of prisoners were subjected to extreme torture, mass hangings and 'salt rooms'. "The salt room is used to torture people, to put dead bodies in that place in order to preserve it. They collect 20 dead bodies, and then they take them out of the prison," said Ammar al Salmofrom Syrian civil defence group, the White Helmets.

Dec 13, 2024 | abc.net.au | Alysia Thomas-Sam

In regional areas, many doctors at GP clinics and hospitals say it's a challenge to entice farmers into coming to see them for a regular check-up. "The farming community generally avoid any kind of medical professionals, and it's not because they don't really like them, it's because they're too busy on their farms," Sarah Austin told 7.30.

Dec 10, 2024 | abc.net.au | Alysia Thomas-Sam

The number of people hiding in motels fleeing family and domestic violence is on the rise with family violence support service Safe Steps bracing for a jump in calls to its hotline over Christmas. "Our services are flat out. So, between grand final day and Australia Day weekend, our services go up 30 per cent," Safe Steps CEO Dr Chelsea Tobin told 7.30.

Dec 2, 2024 | abc.net.au | Mike Lorigan |Alysia Thomas-Sam

Within the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), there is a red sign on a door on the first level of the building, warning of the confronting material on the other side. Warning: This story contains distressing content. The door takes you into the Australian Federal Police's Child Protection Triage Unit (CPTU). 7.30 has been given a rare glimpse inside the AFP's specialist unit, the first program to be given this level of access to investigators.