The Briefing

Wednesday Headlines: PM evacuated from The Lodge for hours over bomb scare, more than half of Aussies say they’d consider voting for One Nation, more flu deaths recorded in 2025 than any other year this century, Guthrie family offers $1 million USD reward for info in mother’s disappearance and there are calls for Aussie kids to be banned from e-bikes and scooters. Deep DIve: For decade...

The Victorian Premier has announced she will refer serious allegations about surgical misconduct with endometriosis patients by leading gynecologist Dr Simon Gordon to police.   It follows a damning investigation by Four Corners on the ABC, which alleges that countless women had been misdiagnosed and had undergone unnecessary, expensive surgery. In a statement to Four Corners, Simon Gord...

Tuesday Headlines: Albo backs removal of Andrew from royal line of succession, Coalition’s ISIS brides proposal slammed, Australia’s first bullet train could be “shovel ready” in two years, Trump Tower greenlit for the Gold Coast and punch the monkey soft toy sells out. Deep Dive: Australians are about to see a major shift in how they access pornography online, with new age...

New research surveying 16,000 Australian teachers over five years has revealed that mid-career teachers are the most likely to quit before retirement. These aren’t new grads struggling through their first years - they’re the mentors, subject leaders, and backbone of our schools. So why are they walking away? In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by research author...

Monday Headlines: Coalition to propose new ‘ISIS brides’ law, armed man shot and killed trying to enter Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, Australia looking at ‘all options’ to avoid new 15% US tariffs, Bondi hero reveals what he said to gunman when he took his gun, and the Winter Olympics wraps up. Deep Dive: Private health insurance is sold as peace of mind - faster surgery, money...

When Emily Maitlis sat down to question then-Prince Andrew about his links to Jeffrey Epstein in 2019, few could have predicted she would walk away with the scoop of the century. The interview on the BBC’s Newsnight became one of the most explosive moments in modern media and a masterclass in calm, forensic questioning that reshaped the global conversation around power and accountability. In...

When James Summerhayes got the call from Special Olympics Australia, he’d finished fourth at nationals and thought his Olympic dream was over. But a shock withdrawal changed everything — and suddenly he was pulling on the green and gold. In this inspiring conversation, James takes Natarsha Belling inside his journey to becoming a dual silver medallist at the Special Olympics World Game...

Friday Headlines: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested, first meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, Greg Lynn applies for bail, Aussies drop $17bn at Bunnings and Kmart, and YouTube’s first-ever video deemed museum-worthy. Deep DIve: Dinosaur bones and fossils are a highly sought-after market - snapped up by private investors, celebrities, researchers, museums, and increasingly, sol...

The NSW Government has announced a review after two men escaped from a mental health facility at a major Sydney hospital, and then allegedly went on to cause three deaths in separate incidents. Premier Chris Minns has admitted something has   gone “badly wrong”, with many saying the mental health system is broken after decades of neglect from both sides of government.  In thi...

Thursday Headlines: Australian citizen with ISIS links in Syria temporarily banned from returning, MPs admit to accepting free sport tickets from gambling companies, Supermarkets in hot water over item pricing, Shark attacks rise sharply in 2025, And we’ve picked up another medal at the Winter Olympics! Deep Dive: Jane Hume is the new deputy leader of the Liberal party after helping to roll...

Police have announced a new taskforce just a day after former NRL star Matt Utai was gunned down outside his Sydney home. Since then another two other houses that are allegedly linked to his son have been targeted - one firebombed and the other peppered with bullets by masked gunmen. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by 7NEWS Reporter Liam Tapper to unpack these latest de...

Wednesday Headlines: Identity of man accused of attempted Invasion Day bombing revealed, Angus Taylor unveils his front bench, landmark report finds 70% of Australian university students and staff have experienced racism, private health insurance costs to increase by biggest margin in ten years, American civil rights legend Jesse Jackson dies and Aussie pubs thriving as cafes call it quits. Deep D...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he has no sympathy for the latest group of so-called ISIS brides wanting to return to Australia. The PM also refused to provide assistance or repatriation.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Peta Lowe, who is a Countering Violent Extremism expert. Peta explains what threat these women and children pose and w...

Tuesday Headlines: Libs’ hardline immigration policy leaked, ‘ISIS brides’ turned back after leaving Syrian camp for Australia, grandparent of Gus Lamont arrested, intermittent fasting makes “no difference” to weight loss, and Barack Obama clarifies his stance on aliens. Deep Dive: Allegations of mob-linked figures, intimidation and inflated costs on taxpayer-funded i...

It’s been called the “Case of the Century”, and it could change supermarket pricing forever.  The ACCC is taking Coles to the Federal Court, alleging it engaged in a planned campaign to mislead customers over price discounts. Coles is denying allegations, saying the prices were a result of global inflation.   In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha is joined by e...

Monday Headlines: New-look Libs get on the policy front foot following spill, Albanese shakes off AUKUS concerns with $3.9bn downpayment, Winter Olympics officially Australia’s best-ever, 52-year-old man to face court over Egyptian artefact theft, and millions of Aussies have scored an extra public holiday. Deep Dive: Peptides are being hyped online as miracle fixes for everything...

In a historic first, NSW police have used Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy, or FIGG, to identify and arrest a 77-year-old man over alleged sexual assaults dating back to 1991. It’s a watershed moment for Australian forensic science. But how exactly does it work? In this bonus episode of The Briefing, we're sharing the first part of Secrets We Keep: Should I Spit?. In the series,...

Ash London has interviewed Taylor Swift in Paris, hitched piggyback rides from Ed Sheeran and helped shape the sound of Australian radio for more than a decade - but in 2026, she’s entering a bold new era across the ditch. The former national radio host is back on the airwaves in New Zealand with a brand new show - after helming Ash London LIVE for five years, co-hosting 2Day FM’s powe...

Australia’s most dangerous killers...The new podcast series that investigates our country’s soaring rates of domestic violence and homicide.   In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling speaks with the host of “Kiss and Kill”, Alison Sandy, who explains the dangerous narcissistic traits these murderers display, the warning signs to look out for, and the urg...

Friday Headlines: We’ve won our first gold at the Winter Olympics, Liberal leadership spill today, Israeli President's visit to Australia wraps, ICE agents to pull out of Minnesota, Katie Holmes pays tribute to Dawson's Creek co-star James Van Der Beek and Kylie Minogue's been honoured with her very own Barbie collector doll. Deep Dive: Emily Brontë’s  Wuthering Heights &nbsp...

After months of speculation, Angus Taylor will finally challenge Sussan Ley for the Liberal Party leadership. So, who is Angus Taylor, and can he save a party heading into political oblivion?  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by political reporter Katina Curtis to unpack how the spill will unfold and the race to save the Liberal Party.  Headlines : Only 4 of th...

Thursday Headlines: Leadership spill imminent as Angus Taylor quits, Herzog cancels visit to firebombed Synagogue amid security concerns, just three Aussie millionaires have backed calls for more taxes on the super rich, police release audio of Austin Appelbee’s heroic 000 call, Jakara Anthony misses medal in moguls final, and Britney Spears sells rights to her music catalogue. Deep Dive: El...

“Globalise the Intifada” has been in the spotlight this week after Grace Tame used the contentious phrase at a pro-Palestinian rally. Calls are growing from both sides of politics for Grace to be stripped of her Australian of the Year Award, with the NSW Premier inferring the phrase means a violent uprising in Sydney streets.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is j...

Wednesday Headlines:  Albanese meets with the President of Israel, Liberal leadership challenge set to begin today, Australia calls in Lao ambassador over response to the methanol poisoning deaths of Melbourne teens, Aussie ruled out of Winter Olympics after neck fracture, and Robert Irwin has been reduced to a daggy white boy on the internet. Deep Dive: Convicted Christchurch terrorist Brent...

What began as a peaceful rally in Sydney’s Town Hall Square turned into scenes Abigail Boyd MP says she never thought she’d witness in New South Wales. In this episode of The Briefing, the NSW Greens MP joins Natarsha Belling to describe the moment she was knocked to the ground and allegedly punched by police while filming a protest, and what she says unfolded around her as officers mo...