The Briefing

If you think Coronavirus is just an old person’s disease then think again. Older people might be more likely to die from COVID 19 but it’s actually people in their 20s who are the most likely to contract and spread the virus.   Today we hear the harrowing story of Marcus Tomoff, a 28-year-old from Florida who contracted Covid-19 in June and is still dealing with really seriou...

Whether you love or hate Donald Trump, you’ll need to know about the new player on the block that could take him down in November’s election. Last week Kamala Harris was announced as the Democrats' Vice Presidential candidate, who will stand with presidential candidate Joe Biden to try and defeat Trump.    So given Harris will be critical to taking on Trump, on todays episode...

You’ve heard of anti-vaxxers, the people who straight up refuse to vaccinate. But have you heard of ‘vaccine hesitancy’? The World Health organisation defines vaccine hesitancy as people who might be sitting on the fence, delaying acceptance that vaccines work, or those who refuse to get it when its freely available. Vaccine hesitaters are considered one of the top ten risks to g...

New Zealand has postponed their national election because of a COVID-19 cluster which highlights their different approach to the pandemic. They are going for elimination, while Australia is pursuing suppression.     Their elimination strategy had been working well. After a national stage four six week lock down, restrictions were lifted and life seemed to return to normal until last...

There appears to be a new kind of celebrity take down story emerging. One that could only exist in the current social media and cultural climate. Is it fair enough that people are finally calling out celebrities for their bad behaviour or do we just like seeing a really successful person brought down?    For decades Ellen has been one the most popular talk show hosts in the world, her br...

Last week’s deadly explosion in Beirut was one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in history. It also sent a massive political shockwave through the already struggling country with protestors calling on the government to resign.   We're going to brief you on why this explosion of ammonium nitrate has brought down the government, and what are the deeper problems causing so much despai...

Research shows sniffer dogs can be 100% accurate at detecting Covid! On today’s episode we find out how do they do it? Which breeds are best? And when could our furry friends could be used to save us from Covid?   We’re joined by both Dr Anne-Lise Chaberis and Dr Susan Hazel, from the School of Animal and Veterinary Science at Adelaide Uni who explain the science behind this and w...

It is one year since Jeffrey Epstein died in a New York prison and exposed a dark underbelly among some of the world's most powerful people. For many of us watching on, it was this mysterious death that first brought Epstein to our attention. On today's episode we go back and find out more about what happened up until that point.   We’ll also find out what’s happened since, i...

On todays episode we explore how COVID-19 has impacted our weddings. Classed as 'super spreading events’ Covid Marshals are now required as part of a safety plan at weddings. But does this actually stop the spread of the virus, or is it just as a visual deterrent? These ‘fun police’ are required to ensure safety guidelines are being met which includes no dancing, no mingling, no...

What are terrorists up to now during the pandemic? Are they more or less of a threat?   Whether it’s Islamic State or right-wing extremists some experts are warning that the pandemic is giving terrorists a unique opportunity to recruit new members online. In this episode we speak with Greg Barton, one of Australia’s leading experts on Islamic Terrorism who says there’s actua...

One of the biggest issues of the last year was climate change. So where is the climate debate now and how has the pandemic affected it?   Best known for his work with The Chaser, Craig Reucassel joins us to talk about his environmental quest. His new show Fight For Planet A raises the question: How much difference we can make as individuals?   In today's headlines: JobKeeper to be expand...

A number of countries have used curfews as part of their pandemic lockdown measures including France, Italy, Cyrus, parts of the US, Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa and now our very own city of Melbourne, but have they been proven to work? In this episode we explore the psychological impacts of a curfew, and also get the medical perspective on the impact it’s supposed to have.   We&rsq...

Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert is a 33 year old Australian academic convicted of spying, and sentenced to ten years in an Iranian prison. Kylie has always maintained her innocence. After serving two years, she was recently transferred to what’s been described as one of the world's worst women’s prisons, severely overcrowded and rife with coronavirus.   On todays episode we discover t...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly facts about Coronavirus you need to know. When the coronavirus pandemic first took hold in March one of the most prominent voices explaining what was happening was the ABC’s Dr Norman Swan. He’s a medical doctor and journalist and has become one of the most trusted voices in the country when it comes to the Coronavirus. Now that it’s almost five mon...

Has the pandemic pushed more people not to have kids? By 2030, the number of couples without children will overtake the number of couples with children. Despite initial talk of lockdown love and the ‘the makings of a baby boom’, history tells us that birth rates are likely to drop in the wake of Covid-19 and the recession.   For some people the pandemic, is the final straw, they &...

The label ‘Karen’ has become a new archetype of middle-class white privilege. ‘Karen’ has mostly been used in the U.S as a way of calling out entitled white women who are used to getting their way and who police the behaviour of others.    So today we find out what this label really means... by going back to where it started.   In today's news headlines:...

The mental health consequences of COVID-19 are being described as the next wave of the pandemic. The pain of this pandemic could last for years, even if the medical emergency ends soon.   Calls to Lifeline have increased and new research from Sydney University’s Brain and Mind Centre predicts that under a best case scenario rates of suicide will rise by 14 per cent over the next five ye...

One of the biggest threats of the pandemic is unfolding right now. The number of old people getting covid-19 in Victoria’s aged care facilities is frightening.    On today’s episode we look at the Covid crisis engulfing the aged care centres in Melbourne, and how this could be happening given the loss and devastation at Newmarch house in Sydney?   Nicholas Barboussas sha...

The Tokyo Olympics were scheduled to open last week before the pandemic pushed them back to next year. Australian Olympic Swimming champion Mack Horton would’ve been racing this week, defending his 400m Gold medal from Rio. It would also have been the first Olympics without a Sun Yang drug cloud hanging over it after the Chinese swimmer was banned for eight years after tampering with a drug...

Across Australia children as young as 10 can be arrested by police, charged with an offence, hauled before a court and locked away in youth prisons. We’re one of the only western countries that do that. Today Australian lawmakers will have a historic chance to change that. The Council of Attorneys-General will be looking at raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years in li...

Welcome to a special weekend edition of The Briefing with guest Julia Gillard.    In today’s episode, we catch up with Australia’s first and only female Prime Minister about her famous misogyny speech of 2012, how ultra macho leadership styles are letting us down during the pandemic, and her new book Women in Leadership.   In today's episode Julia Gillard speaks to us ab...

Today we take a deep dive on JobKeeper rorts and the bosses taking advantage during the pandemic. Common issues include workers being forced to change hours and duties to receive JobKeeper, and workers being pressured into accepting JobKeeper on the employer’s terms. Since the scheme began in March the Australian Tax office has received more than 6168 tip offs about JobKeeper payment issues,...

Shark attacks are at a ten year high in Australia. We’re only halfway through the year and we’ve already seen 18 attacks, 4 of those in the past 5 weeks. 5 of these attacks have been fatal, when the average is usually 1.8 deaths per year.   On today's episode we're joined by Dr Vanessa Pirotta: wildlife scientist, marine biologist and last week’s shark attack victim who love...

When Prime Minister Julia Gillard stood up in parliament and gave her misogyny speech in 2012 she had no idea it would become the defining moment of her career.  It went viral with 6 million people watching it on YouTube alone, and it made Julia a feminist hero. She was the Australia’s first and only female Prime Minister, coming to power controversially after the axing of Kevin Ru...

Last month our Prime Minister, side by side with the Defence Minister gave us a very strong warning about cyberattacks. Along with that warning here in Australia, there’s been a concerning development in the UK after they accused a Russian hacking group of trying to steal COVID-19 research.   On todays episode we find out what harm these attacks could actually do., and what we really ne...