2,800 Missing Australians, A Cambridge Tragedy & NSW's New Gun Laws episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 17, 2026 · 2H 26M

2,800 Missing Australians, A Cambridge Tragedy & NSW's New Gun Laws

from Bonafide with Luke Bona · host Luke Bona

Every year, 49,000 Australians are reported missing — most are found within weeks. 2,800 are not. True-crime author and Australian Missing Persons Register founder Nicole Morris sits down with Luke Bona to tell the stories behind the numbers: a crossbow murder on Sydney's northern beaches, the still-unsolved 2001 disappearance of Janine Vaughan, the 1978 case of Trudy Adams that stopped a generation of girls hitchhiking, and the hundreds of unidentified bodies still sitting in Australian morgues today.Channel Seven's UK bureau chief Ben Downie joins live from London to unpack the tragic academic scandal dominating British headlines — a Cambridge professor's resignation, and his death days later, and the very real question of who's to blame. Former National Party leader David Littleproud breaks down NSW's sweeping new gun laws in the wake of the Bondi attack, and weighs in on Pauline Hanson's latest Mardi Gras comments.Then it's Truckie Tuesday with Rod Hanafi: a national truckers' apprenticeship push, the extraordinary story of driver-advocate Sharon Horne, and a live legal fight with Hughes Law over a trucking company shut down overnight.Guests: Nicole Morris (author, Australian Missing Persons Register) · Ben Downie (Channel Seven, UK) · David Littleproud MP · Rod Hannifey (Truckie Tuesday) · Sharon Horne · Belinda Hughes (Hughes Law)⚠ Content warning: this episode discusses real missing-persons cases, murder and abduction (non-graphic, historical), a recent death by suicide, and gun violence in a policy context. Listener discretion advised.00:00:00 Welcome to episode 13400:01:43 Luke's off to Vietnam00:05:09 Coming up this episode00:11:49 Pauline Hanson wants to scrap compulsory super00:16:20 Sam Pang wins the Gold Logie00:17:13 NSW's gun buyback begins00:18:33 Listener mail00:24:23 Ben Downie live from London00:44:28 Nicole Morris — Australia's missing00:45:06 49,000 go missing a year. 2,800 stay missing00:45:33 Peter Rolfe and the murder of Stephen Dempsey00:51:22 Janine Vaughan — missing since 200100:55:49 Trudy Adams — the disappearance that ended a generation's hitchhiking01:00:59 Hundreds of unidentified bodies in Australian morgues01:04:24 Christopher "Mr Rentokil" Flannery and Australia's hitmen01:17:58 David Littleproud on NSW's new gun laws01:28:44 Pauline Hanson on Mardi Gras01:37:39 Truckie Tuesday begins01:45:20 An angry driver's voicemail01:50:06 Sharon Horne — trucking's mental health advocate01:51:12 The crash that changed everything02:15:08 Belinda Hughes — a trucking company shut down overnight02:23:19 Rod's rant of the week02:26:02 Sign-off🫶 Join The Bonafide FamilyGet Your Bonafide Merch here: https://bonafidepod.com/en-audFollow Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LukeBonaThatRadioGuy/Catch Up On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukey.bona/Subscribe to us on YouTube to stay updated with LIVE SHOWS:🎙️ Get InvolvedLeave us a digital voicemail here: https://www.speakpipe.com/BonafideCall the Bonafide Hotline to leave a voicemail: (02) 9128 9311Want to be a guest or suggest a topic? Reach out at: [email protected]❤️ Cheers to GME for making Truckie Tuesday possible!Outfit your rig with the very best, Australian-made communication technology here: https://www.gme.net.au/au/Support: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7) · 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 (24/7, pending Decision 6)

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 17, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

2,800 Missing Australians, A Cambridge Tragedy & NSW's New Gun Laws

0:00 2:26:57

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Bonafide with Luke Bona?

This episode is 2 hours and 26 minutes long.

When was this Bonafide with Luke Bona episode published?

This episode was published on August 17, 2026.

Can I download this Bonafide with Luke Bona episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!