The Briefing

Tuesday Headlines:  Australia Day and Invasion Day events marred by bomb threat and antisemitism, heatwave hits large parts of southeastern Australia, Trump says his administration is ‘reviewing everything’ after ICE shooting of Alex Pretti, calls to tradie mental health hotline soar, and the quarter finals of the AO get underway! Deep Dive: Hackers are promising to release tens o...

Monday Headlines:  Australian of the Year named, dingoes involved in Canadian backpacker’s death euthanised. calls for a full investigation after second fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis, heatwave to hit millions of Australians this week, and Alex De Minaur is through to the AO quarter finals. Deep Dive: Patriotism in Australia is shifting, with once‑common symbols of national pride now...

The Beckham family feud has reignited after Brooklyn Peltz Beckham posted a damning statement addressing his fractured relationship with his parents.  In this bonus episode of The Briefing, Alexandria Funnell breaks down the timeline of events and the swirl of rumours, unpacking how one of the world’s most famous families went from picture-perfect to fractured. From public absences to w...

Wil Anderson (not to be confused with Adam Hills) is one of Australia’s most enduring and influential comedians - with a career that spans radio, television, podcasting across generations. You might remember him from Triple J Breakfast, hosting Gruen or more recently from one of his hugely popular podcasts which reach hundreds of thousands of listeners.  In this chat with Sacha Barbour...

It’s the multi-billion-dollar industry that’s preying on the insecurities of young men with dangerous consequences. The MANOSPHERE is fuelled by social media and is now playing out in the real world, with major impacts on mental health, behaviour, and relationships.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by extremism researcher Vivian Gerrard to explain what...

Friday Headlines:  PM apologises to Jewish community at Day of Mourning service, regional NSW town in lockdown after three people shot and killed, Victorians told to brace for another heatwave, the Special K's crash out of the AO doubles, and the 2026 Oscars nominations have been revealed Deep Dive: The Beckham family feud has dominated headlines all week, after Brooklyn Peltz Beckham&nb...

Prince Harry is back in court, giving emotional testimony as part of a High Court lawsuit against the publishers of The Daily Mail. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Journalism Professor Andrew Dodd, who explains this latest court case and what it means for Harry’s ongoing war with the media.  Headlines : Speculation is rife once again that Sussan Lee’...

Thursday Headlines:  Coalition’s future in doubt after mass shadow cabinet walkout, Australia to mark National Day of Mourning for Bondi victims today, Trump rules out using force to acquire Greenland, Gen X overtake Baby Boomers as richest landholders by generation, and Alex De Minaur becomes the first Aussie through to round three of the AO. Deep Dive: The ACT government has reopened...

The Coalition is again in crisis, as three Nationals MPs quit after opposing the Coalition’s stance on hate crime laws. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by 7News Political Editor Mark Riley, to unpack today’s unprecedented developments and what it means for Sussan Ley and the future of the Coalition.  Headlines : Leaders of both France and Canada have ta...

Wednesday Headlines:  Hate speech and gun laws pass parliament, new restrictions on MP travel expenses, tributes flow for Midnight Oil drummer, shock as Maya Joint knocked out of AO, and David Beckham 'responds' to son's explosive family feud reveal. Deep Dive: Sydney has been rocked by three shark attacks in a little over 24 hours this week, plus a fourth in Northern NSW, sparking beach clos...

A new landmark report has found there is no link between pregnant women taking paracetamol and a child developing autism and/or ADHD. The Lancet study contradicts the US administration’s advice last year when they warned women to stop taking paracetamol because of risks to their unborn child.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling, is joined by leading child disability exper...

Tuesday Headlines:  Labor’s Bondi bills set to pass today, Sydney beaches closed after three shark attacks in 24 hours, Police ‘traumatised’ after 19-year-old found dead on Queensland beach, Donald Trump declines to rule out seizing Greenland by force and Aussies advance through at the Aus Open in day two action. Deep Dive: Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is polling higher...

The collapse of key parts of the federal government’s legislation on hate speech is now raising serious questions about the Prime Minister’s leadership. Concerns have already been raised about key aspects of the proposed overhaul, with the Greens and Coalition stating they will not support it.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Crikey’s...

Monday Headlines:  Politicians return to Canberra today ahead of contentious vote on hate speech laws, boy critical after Sydney shark attack, Anthony Albanese asked to join Gaza ‘Board of Peace,' Trump threatens tariffs on Europe over Greenland bid, and round one of the Aus Open is underway! Deep Dive: In the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack, questions are being raised about how fa...

Donald Trump has been eyeing off a Nobel Peace Prize, after scoring nominations from countries including Israel and Pakistan - and it looks like he’s finally gotten one. The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has “presented” her gold Nobel peace prize medal to the US President in a meeting at the White House - nearly a fortnight after he ordered the arrest o...

In 2020, at just 22 years old Hannah Ferguson launched Cheek Media Co - an independent news platform designed to break down big, complex issues and speak to people who feel alienated by traditional media. Since then, she’s built a media empire: publishing two books, launching a hit podcast, speaking at the National Press Club, interviewing the Prime Minister and even designing a vibrator - a...

20% of Aussies with depression don't respond positively to antidepressant medication.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Co-Director of Health and Policy at The University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Centre, Professor Ian Hickie, who explains why antidepressants work well for many people — and fail badly for others. Drawing on new Australian research, involvi...

Friday Headlines:  Cars, caravans and tents swept out to sea as flash flooding hits Victoria, millions of accounts deactivated after world-first social media ban, British band agrees to play Adelaide Festival after apology to Randa Abdel-Fattah, astronauts splash down to earth after first medical evacuation in the International Space Station’s history and Australia’s first Trump T...

Australia’s largest Neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Network, has announced its disbanding ahead of the proposed overhaul of hate speech laws by the federal government. But there are concerns that this latest move will not see the extremists disappear, with some experts warning it will only fuel further hate and unify more dedicated followers.  In this episode of The Briefing, Nat...

Thursday Headlines:  Coalition set to vote against new hate speech laws, Iran fast-tracks trials and possible executions, JD Vance meets with foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland, Victorian schools students’ details leaked in major hack, and Aussie amateur wins $1 million at Australian Open ‘One Point Slam’. Deep Dive: Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is under renewed...

Victoria Premier, Jacinta Allan, is under increasing pressure over a funding crisis for firefighters. Firefighters and volunteers say they’ve been calling for more money for years, with their trucks and equipment out of date - putting lives and property at risk.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Peter Marshall from the United Firefighters Union, who claims...

Wednesday Headlines:  New hate speech laws trigger the disbanding of neo-Nazi group, Trump says killers of protesters in Iran will ‘pay a big price,'  acclaimed Australian author charged with child exploitation material offences, threatened habitats approved for land clearing in Australia hit 15-year high, and the creators of Stranger Things have been accused of using ChatGPT to wr...

Former PM Kevin Rudd has resigned as US ambassador a year early. His reign has been filled with plenty of controversy, including critical comments about US President Donald Trump. So, why did Mr Rudd leave early, who are the frontrunners to replace him, and what does this latest move mean for our fragile alliance with the US, in very uncertain international times? In this episode of The Brief...

Tuesday Headlines:  Labor facing pushback against Bondi terror law reforms, man killed in Victorian bushfires named, Jacinda Ardern pulls out of Adelaide writers’ week, Grok blocked in Malaysia and Indonesia, and Australia’s women’s cricket captain is retiring.  Deep Dive: Protests in Iran’s capital which started over rising inflation have turned into a nationwide...

ICE agents are under the spotlight in the US after the shooting death of a mother of three in her car in Minneapolis. Concerns and protests are growing over their actions, with a concerning lack of transparency. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Associate Professor David Smith from the US Studies Centre, who explains what ICE is, who controls it, and the training they...