Secrets We Keep
LiSTNR
Each season, Secrets We Keep investigates a different Australian secret.
Secrets We Keep: Uncovered (Season 9): takes you inside some of the most important investigations of our time, with our expanding network of journalists and sources from around Australia and beyond. Every week, Uncovered pulls back the curtain on the stories powerful people hoped would stay buried, by speaking directly to those who lived and breathed them.
Jailbreak (Season 8): Journalist Tim Elliott details the extraordinary story of Darko Desic, a fugitive who lived for 30 years on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.
Lone Actor (Season 7): Joey Watson traces the radicalisation trajectory of the Christchurch terrorist, asking the question - did he really act alone?
By Any Means (Season 6): An investigation into the modern fertility landscape, confronting complex questions about consent, identity and human rights.
Should I Spit? (Season 5): The origin story of the multibillion dollar consumer DNA industry. From police hoping to solve cold murder cases, to one of the most powerful churches in the world, everyone seems to want a piece of what makes you, you.
Pray Harder (Season 4): investigative journalist Richard Baker uncovers the unbelievable and compelling true story of Australia’s oldest and most hard line Pentecostal Church, the Geelong Revival Centre.
Baghdad Nights (Season 3): Richard Baker takes you inside Australia's biggest corruption scandal, finding out how Australia funded a dictator in the lead up to the Iraq War.
Nest of Traitors (Season 2): Joey Watson is pulled into the world of espionage, attempting to track down an Australian spy who turned to work for the enemy during the Cold War.
Shame Lies & Family (Season 1): A mystery photo of Amelia Oberhardt’s mum exposes the practice of shotgun marriages, forced adoption, and quiet abortions carried out in Australia until the 1980s.
Secrets We Keep: Uncovered (Season 9): takes you inside some of the most important investigations of our time, with our expanding network of journalists and sources from around Australia and beyond. Every week, Uncovered pulls back the curtain on the stories powerful people hoped would stay buried, by speaking directly to those who lived and breathed them.
Jailbreak (Season 8): Journalist Tim Elliott details the extraordinary story of Darko Desic, a fugitive who lived for 30 years on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.
Lone Actor (Season 7): Joey Watson traces the radicalisation trajectory of the Christchurch terrorist, asking the question - did he really act alone?
By Any Means (Season 6): An investigation into the modern fertility landscape, confronting complex questions about consent, identity and human rights.
Should I Spit? (Season 5): The origin story of the multibillion dollar consumer DNA industry. From police hoping to solve cold murder cases, to one of the most powerful churches in the world, everyone seems to want a piece of what makes you, you.
Pray Harder (Season 4): investigative journalist Richard Baker uncovers the unbelievable and compelling true story of Australia’s oldest and most hard line Pentecostal Church, the Geelong Revival Centre.
Baghdad Nights (Season 3): Richard Baker takes you inside Australia's biggest corruption scandal, finding out how Australia funded a dictator in the lead up to the Iraq War.
Nest of Traitors (Season 2): Joey Watson is pulled into the world of espionage, attempting to track down an Australian spy who turned to work for the enemy during the Cold War.
Shame Lies & Family (Season 1): A mystery photo of Amelia Oberhardt’s mum exposes the practice of shotgun marriages, forced adoption, and quiet abortions carried out in Australia until the 1980s.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 28, 2023 • 38min
Shame, Lies & Family - In the child’s best interest
At its peak in the early 1970s, almost 200 babies per week were adopted in Australia. It’s impossible to know how many of these adoptions involved coercion, but we do know that it was a time many believed single women were incapable of looking after their children. In this episode, Amelia Oberhardt looks at how this system was allowed to operate, and what lead to forced adoption ending. If you would like to share your story, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13 Featured: Patricia Farrar - Mother, PhD Shurlee Swain - Emeritus Professor, Australian Catholic University See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 21, 2023 • 32min
Shame, Lies & Family - Moral danger
Young, pregnant, unwed. What happened next is one of the most shameful periods in Australian history. Amelia Oberhardt speaks to two women who experienced a forced adoption – a broad term used to describe the various ways women were coerced into giving up their baby. Di Sheehan and Lily Arthur explain how stigma and a flawed system altered the course of their lives. If you would like to share your story, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 14, 2023 • 25min
Shame, Lies & Family - Welcome to Cairns
Amelia Oberhardt flies to Cairns to meet the man in the photo, hoping to finally get the answer to a question that has haunted her for over a decade. Who is the baby in the photo? Knowing what happened to her mum, Amelia feels more resolve than ever to tell the stories of other women from her mother’s generation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 7, 2023 • 24min
Shame, Lies & Family - Finding Michael
In the aftermath of seeing the photo at the wake, Amelia Oberhardt is on a search to find the man in the photo. Her pursuit leads her down a rabbit hole, into the world of 1960s and 1970s Australia, and the realities of how women were treated in this era. And then, a new avenue provides new clues in the search for Michael.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 7, 2023 • 31min
Shame, Lies & Family - The wake
Standing at her mother’s wake, journalist Amelia Oberhardt is confronted with a photo she’s never seen before - her mum Cecelia as a teenager wearing a wedding ring, accompanied by an unknown husband and cradling an unfamiliar baby. Immediately, Amelia begins to ask questions. Who is this man? Who is this baby? And does this photo explain Ceceila’s untimely death? Credits: Creator and Host - Amelia Oberhardt Producer - Jake Morcom Fact check - Bension Siebert Sound design and mix - Nial Fernandes Executive Producer - Ellen Leabeater With assistance from Clair Weaver, Joey Watson, Jessica Lukjanow, Tara Cassidy and James Royce Natasha Jobson is our Head of News Ops, and Melanie Withnall is Head of News and Information See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
4 snips
Jul 12, 2023 • 3min
Introducing Shame, Lies & Family
A journalist uncovers a hidden photo of her mother, igniting a journey into the secrets of women's lives in mid-20th century Australia. The discussion highlights societal pressures like shotgun marriages, hushed abortions, and forced adoptions. It emphasizes how these buried stories shape maternal identity and the fight for justice today. Listeners are taken on an emotional exploration of the past that resonates with contemporary struggles.
