Gareth Hales,multimillionaire son of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church leader,Bruce Hales,spotted wearing a blue campaign T-shirt at the Bennelong polling booth on April 30.

Exclusive Brethren chief’s son spotted on hustings supporting Liberal Party

The appearance of the high-ranking member of the sect came as a Melbourne candidate’s wife said their campaign owed much to the support of “so many” of the church’s people.

  • Michael Bachelard,Kieran Rooney andMax Maddison

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Who’s behind the mystery billboards urging voters to ‘make Australia happy’

Signs with “Make Australia happy. Put Labor last” have been popping up across crucial electorates,echoing a message by a separatist Christian sect.

  • Olivia Ireland andMichael Bachelard
Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members at a polling booth in Reid.

Exclusive Brethren don’t vote but are secretly campaigning for the Coalition

Members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church believe the world defiles them and don’t vote. The sect is sending hundreds of people to campaign for conservative candidates.

  • Michael Bachelard,Kieran Rooney andSumeyya Ilanbey
Michael Bachelard before (left) and after doing the Fast 800 diet.

Beefy to buff in just 10 weeks:What it’s really like to do the Fast 800 diet

Following a strict weight-loss program,Michael Bachelard endured twitchy legs,the fear of bad breath and constant cravings to shift his lard baby.

  • Michael Bachelard
Robert Farquharson in 2009.

Robert Farquharson’s life behind bars:15 years of chores and lost hope

Not much is known about the convicted child killer’s days inside prison,aside from what his inner circle has told the Trial By Water podcast in a new episode.

  • Michael Bachelard andRuby Schwartz
Businessman and pro-Palestinian activist Hash Tayeh,of the Burgertory chain,at a protest in Melbourne.

Insults and arson:How one man’s chants could define free speech

A fight over a restaurant owner’s “insulting” chant in the streets could go all the way to the High Court.

  • Michael Bachelard
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Dr Shanta Barley,Chief Climate Scientist,Fortescue,at the Climate Integrity Summit.

Australians are being misled by ‘dodgy’ offsets,say Fortescue

The iron ore giant says the public is being misled into believing that low-quality carbon offset schemes will lead to net zero,despite evidence that only reducing fossil fuels will work.

  • Michael Bachelard
Steve Blore was the pin-up boy for Climate Friendly. Until the rules changed.

‘Parasites’,‘cowboys’:The carbon companies dividing rural Australia

Carbon developers descended on rural Australia 10 years ago promising big money and an easy fix to complex problems. Today,farmers are crying foul.

  • Charlotte Grieve andMichael Bachelard
Using mulga forests to save carbon is under fresh scrutiny.

Dust and dead trees:The reality of Australia’s biggest carbon saver

The nation has made a multibillion-dollar bet that carbon locked in desert scrub will offset emissions elsewhere,but doubters - from scientists in the city to the farmers on the land - are growing.

  • Michael Bachelard,Charlotte Grieve andThe Visual Stories Team
Ben Roberts-Smith.

Court quashes federal police bid to keep Ben Roberts-Smith corruption probe secret

The Federal Court has brushed aside the AFP’s attempts to keep secret the details of an anti-corruption investigation that reached the top levels of the peak policing body.

  • Michael Bachelard andNick McKenzie