The Briefing

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell says The Melbourne Cup represents the worst parts of our society, from animal cruelty to gambling harm and rising family violence rates. Calling the racing industry the ‘most visible display of animal cruelty’ pointing to the deaths of 175 racehorses linked to the sport.  The Victorian p...

In bad news for millions of mortgage holders, the RBA has today left the official cash rate on hold at 3.6%. The RBA governor warning there are turbulent times ahead for the Australian economy, admitting the Board is keeping a very close eye on inflation and unemployment data.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by financial expert Sally Tindall, who unpacks today&rsq...

Tuesday Headlines: Convicted triple murderer Erin Patterson formally lodges appeal, charges laid after UK train mass stabbing, US judge ends Justin Baldoni lawsuit against Blake Lively, millions of Aussies set to get three hours of free power a day, and Ash Barty visits a western Sydney school. Deep Dive: It’s the race that stops the nation - but in 2025, the Melbourne Cup is also the race c...

New CCTV has been released of an alleged daylight kidnapping in suburban Sydney. The man was returned unharmed this morning, after allegations of a million-dollar ransom and a police investigation. But the kidnappers are still on the run.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Sydney Morning Herald crime reporter Riley Walter, who unpacks why there’s been an esc...

Monday Headlines: Sussan Ley under pressure after Nationals formally scrap Net Zero, mass UK train stabbing ‘not a terror attack’ police say, former Prince, Andrew, to be stripped of final military title, Optus 000 failure senate inquiry begins today, and security to ramp up for Rugby Ashes final after serial pitch invader joins anthem.  Deep Dive: Private security guards on...

British pop icon Lily Allen's explosive new album West End Girl set the internet alight this week. Raw and confessional, the record was written in the aftermath of her split from Stranger Things star David Harbour and seemingly offers personal insights that have resonated with people around the world.  In today's bonus episode, The Hot Hits host Nic Kelly joins Natarsha Belling to unpack why...

Dr Richard Harris is best known as one of the extraordinary people behind the rescue of a Thai soccer team from a cave back in 2018. It was a feat that stunned the world that also earned him the title of Australian of the Year. Now, the self-proclaimed introvert is plunging back into the depths - this time in Deeper, a breathtaking new documentary that explores one of the most remote underwater ca...

It’s the greatest crisis that has rocked the British Royal Family since King Edward was forced to abdicate in 1936. As the fallout continues over Jeffrey Epstein, King Charles has now stripped his brother of a number of Royal titles, including his birthright of Prince. Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, and has also been kicked out of the Royal Cottage along with...

Friday Headlines: Fresh search for missing four-year-old Gus Lamont, prison guards ordered to return to work after snap strike over violent assaults, ARIA-Award-winning musician Dean Lewis issues apology to fans for ‘inappropriate behaviour’, five new suspects arrested over Louvre crown jewel heist, and dictionary.com confirms “word of the year”.  Deep Dive: Witches ha...

Oasis were the soundtrack to a generation - two brothers from Manchester who turned Britpop into a global phenomenon. But behind the swagger and sing-alongs, Liam and Noel Gallagher’s relationship was as volatile as it was iconic. From drunken brawls and backstage walkouts to public insults that played out across decades, the Oasis feud became one of rock’s most infamous sibling rivalr...

Infectious disease experts are raising the alarm over a concerning increase in antibiotic resistance, with rates increasing by more than 40% in just seven years. But the over-prescription of antibiotics is only a small part of the problem...   In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by infectious diseases expert Sanjaya Senanayake, who explains why antibiotics ar...

Thursday Headlines: Albo praised by Trump alongside world leaders in South Korea, thousands of child abuse allegations in Aus childcare centres, Hurricane Melissa leaves trail of destruction across Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti, safety questions sparked after woman dies being left behind by cruise, and two Louvre heist suspects admit involvement. Deep Dive: 'Awareness ads' for drugs are being calle...

The BOM is being slammed over its brand-new, taxpayer-funded multimillion-dollar website makeover. Meteorologists say the changes make it almost impossible to read the vital radar and weather information.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by 7News meteorologist, Tony Auden, who says automation is partly to blame and explains why the major changes are incredibly dang...

Wednesday Headline: Israel strikes Gaza as Hamas postpones hostage handover, new AFP taskforce cracking down on ‘crimefluencers’ targeting young girls, neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell found not guilty, Queensland’s Health Minister reintroduces puberty blocker ban, and eight Aus state high schools have taught their year 12 students the wrong stimulus.  Deep Dive: The next two w...

Artificial intelligence has gone from science fiction to rapidly infiltrating our everyday lives, with experts now predicting AI could surpass human intelligence within the next three decades.  From Siri to chatbots, self-driving cars and robotic surgeons, we can't live without it. But as AI starts replacing human jobs, generating art and even making 'moral decisions' - leading tech experts h...

Young Aussies are being screwed over and are facing a tougher reality than their parents and grandparents, according to new research. Education, home ownership, psychological distress, loneliness and delayed adulthood are the five key factors impacting young people the most. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Intifar Chowdhury, a youth researcher and lecturer in governm...

Tuesday Headlines: Trump says he ‘would love’ to run for a third term, pre-sentence hearing for Hannah McGuire’s killer resumes today, neo-Nazi leader Tom Sewell faces court in Victoria, Aussies can claim share of $50m Cambridge Analytica payout and the BOM’s new website bombs.    Deep Dive: From athlete doping to criminal syndicate match fixing, for as long as th...

Shock allegations of sexual abuse within Australia’s childcare system have been uncovered by a new ABC Four Corners investigation. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by investigative journalist Adele Ferguson, who admits she was shocked by the level of abuse and the dangerous loopholes that allow childcare centres to be a hunting ground for alleged pedophiles. This e...

Monday Headlines: Two Louvre heist suspects arrested, Albanese and Trump in Malaysia for ASEAN Summit, wild weather lashes east coast, no big tech exemptions to train AI, and Microsoft Teams set to dob on Aussies that WFH.  Deep Dive: Alligator Alcatraz has existed for less than four months and has already become one of America's most notorious immigration detention centres.  With detain...

In the mid-1980s, Australia was forced to confront an uncomfortable truth - hundreds of suspected Nazi war criminals had quietly made this country their home. They’d slipped in after World War II, living unremarkable lives in the suburbs, hiding in plain sight. Leading the effort to uncover them was the Special Investigations Unit, a team tasked with tracking down those who th...

Matthew Reilly is one of Australia’s most prolific authors, selling more than 8 million books worldwide and even directing a Netflix film starring Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth. The Sydney-born author’s has written over 30 action thriller books that dominate airport bookshelves, with his latest novel, The Detective, continuing the streak. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Matthew...

Dating in your 40s isn’t anything like dating in your 20s, the baggage is heavier, the stakes are higher, and the apps are brutal. In this episode, writer Kerri Sackville joins Natarsha Belling to share the realities of finding love later in life, from red flags and emotional readiness to why some men just aren’t doing the work. Headlines : Thousands of female ADF members are set to jo...

Friday Headlines:  Around 44,000 Aussies overpaid their Centrelink debt, Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomes US sanctions on Russian oil, King Charles and Pope Leo XIV become first British monarch and pontiff to pray together in 500 years, eSafety Commission issues legal notices to four chatbot creators over sexual and suicidal content, and the annual migration of crabs has begun on Christmas Island...

A fierce internal battle for the highly-coveted number one driver status at McLaren has intensified rivalry between Formula One teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. With both young guns contracted long-term, this dramatic feud is spilling onto the track and could even jeapordize McLaren's bid to become F1 champions. In today's episode of The Beefing, Helen Smith unpacks how healthy competitio...

Sanae Takaichi has become Japan’s first female Prime Minister, but many experts say it’s not a win for women. The former TV host is a conservative with hardline views on marriage and family, and has promised to turn around a tanking economy and a cost-of-living crisis. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by ABC’s North Asia Correspondent, James Oaten, to u...