Nine’s masthead publications The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and WAToday will launch Virginia, a four-part investigative podcast, on Saturday, 11 July.
The series examines the final months of Epstein whistleblower Virginia Giuffre’s life in Perth, Western Australia, and the domestic violence and justice system failures that preceded her death by suicide in April 2025.
Diaries, court files and last interviews
The series is reported by Melissa Fyfe, a Good Weekend senior writer and Walkley Award winner, and Carla Hildebrandt, a WAToday journalist.
It draws on Giuffre’s diaries, court documents, and personal texts to friends and family, as well as interviews with people who were with her until the end.
Weekly episodes will be available on all major podcast platforms from launch.
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Examining a system that failed her
The podcast examines the violence Giuffre and her husband, Robbie Giuffre, reported against each other, the interim restraining order filed against her, the removal of her children by a magistrate, and what the producers describe as a protective system that ultimately let her down.
“The series raises questions about how police and the courts treat domestic violence victims and how far we have to go. It explores the systemic failures that preceded her death and asks what must change to prevent similar tragedies,” said Hildebrandt.
“What began as a look into the battle for Virginia’s estate soon turned into a much bigger story – if this could happen to Virginia who had a high profile and financial means, could it happen to women across Australia?” said Fyfe.
From Thailand to Perth
The first episode traces Giuffre’s childhood, her time in Epstein’s orbit and her meeting with Robbie Giuffre in Thailand in October 2002, when she was 19.
The pair married within 10 days and spent almost all of their 22 years of married life in Australia.
The second episode covers the first signs of abuse noticed by Giuffre’s family while she was living in the United States, including an incident in Colorado that had lasting consequences for Robbie Giuffre and led the family back to Australia.
The third episode focuses on the final four months of Giuffre’s life, including the Western Australian police response to a violent incident between the couple, and the six months during which Giuffre lost access to her two youngest children.
The fourth and final episode details Giuffre’s increasing isolation and the circumstances around a social media post that drew global attention before her death.
“By the end of her life, Virginia was a wealthy woman. And a famous campaigner for justice. Despite this, she still fell through the gaps of our justice and police systems,” said Fyfe.
“One of the most confronting parts of investigating this story was realising that after years of reforms and growing awareness around domestic violence, victims are still too often misunderstood, disbelieved and left to navigate systems that fail them,” said Hildebrandt.
If this story has raised issues for you, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) supports people impacted by sexual assault and domestic or family violence. Lifeline is on 13 11 14.