The Briefing

Monday Headlines: Anti-mass immigration rallies condemned as hateful and racist, wife of alleged gunman Dezi Freeman urges him to surrender, Greta Thunberg is sailing to Gaza again, house prices have officially risen again, and your sushi might taste different in South Australia today. Deep Dive: Australia’s rising gun ownership is in the national spotlight, as a manhunt continues for Dezi F...

For the first time in Australia, a long-overdue inquiry into abuse and coercive control within cults and religious groups has been launched. The Victorian inquiry was initiated after reports of coercive behaviour at the Geelong Revival Centre, many of which were revealed by Richard Baker in the LiSTNR podcast Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder.   In the series, Rich described the GRC, under th...

Randa Abdel-Fattah is a lawyer, author, and academic who wrote her first novel at 12, and since then has published 11 books, including her latest Discipline . Randa has also been at the centre of the recent Bendigo Writers Festival controversy. After a coalition of pro-Israel academics pushed for restrictions, with a memo going out to speakers essentially warning them not to criticise Israel. Rand...

Popular drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro are back in the headlines this week after former tennis star Serena Williams signed on as an ambassador for a major weight loss company in the US. It comes as Australian health experts warn we still don’t know the long-term consequences of these popular medications, now pushing for all users to also get access to qualified dieticians.  In this epi...

Tesla has announced Australia and New Zealand will become the first global right-hand drive markets to activate their Full Self-Driving Supervised technology. The semi-autonomous feature is set to roll out on Tesla's Model 3 and Y vehicles first, and is capable of completing a door-to-door journey including navigating traffic and other road conditions without the driver touching pedals or the stee...

Headlines: Authorities have offered sovereign citizen gunman a surrender plan, Russia strikes EU delegation in Kyiv killing 19, California Governor says Trump seeking third term, Queensland passes bill allowing on-the-spot DV orders, and runners from across the globe will be charging across the iconic Harbour Bridge this weekend for the Sydney Marathon. Deep Dive: It’s National Scam Week. Fo...

He stabbed his parents and sister to death but now Sef Gonzales has won the right to appeal his life sentence. More than 20 years after he was sent to jail, new evidence is being presented that Sef lives with PTSD after allegedly being abused as a child.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by criminal psychologist, Tim Watson-Munro, to unpack the latest developments a...

Thursday Headlines:  Two children dead in US school shooting in Minnesota, Manhunt continues for sovereign citizen gunman Dezi Freeman, US government tightening visas for students and journalists, AI data centres soaking up massive amounts of drinking water, and Parliament’s annual midwinter ball happened in Canberra. Deep Dive: A Silicon Valley start-up is changing the future of fertil...

Australia Post has this week suspended deliveries to the United States as the fallout continues over Donald Trump’s tariffs. While it’s a temporary measure as delivery services around the world try and navigate the new fees and charges, it’s another major hit for thousands of small Australian businesses.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by small b...

A manhunt is underway for a sovereign citizen gunman, who shot dead two police officers and seriously injured a third in rural Victoria, sparking renewed interested in the alternative movement.  Sovereign citizens are Australians who reject the authority of the government and believe they’re exempt from laws, taxes and the values of mainstream society.  In this bonus episode of The...

Wednesday Headlines: Manhunt continues for cop murderer in Victoria, Iran vows ‘reciprocal action’ against Australia after expulsion of ambassador, House calls for Epstein’s 50th birthday book to be handed over, Allergies costing the nation billions, and Tay Tay and Trav engaged! Deep Dive: The world’s richest man is suing two of the world’s biggest tech companies.&nb...

For the first time since World War II, Australia has expelled an ambassador after the Prime Minister confirmed the Iranian Government directed at least two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil. ASIO Director General, Mike Burgess, said Iran was responsible for extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression, in an attempt to undermine social cohesion.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natars...

Tuesday Headlines: AUKUS has come under further US scrutiny, Israeli strike kills at least 20 people, including five journalists and health officials in Gaza, The Wiggles are headed for court, Third person charged in Pheobe Bishop case, Australia’s youngest senator makes maiden speech. Deep Dive: The federal government has fast tracked the expansion of the First Homebuyer Guarantee, allowing...

The sole survivor of the deadly mushroom lunch has given compelling evidence in court, saying he forgives killer Erin Patterson. Ian Wilkinson also revealed that he would pray for Erin to become a better person and said he is no longer a victim, instead, Erin is a victim of his kindness.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by criminologist Xanthe Mallett to unpack the...

Monday Headlines: Thousands of Australians have protested across the country against the war on Gaza, Erin Patterson is back in court today, Queensland urged to use TikTok and ‘trusted influencers’ to combat misinformation during natural disasters, Trump preparing to send National Guard into Chicago, and Venus Williams is returning to the US Open aged 45. Deep Dive: A first of its kind...

Kathleen Folbigg was once branded Australia’s worst female serial killer, convicted of murdering her four children and locked away for 20 years. But she was innocent. In 2023, a breakthrough in genetics and the work of 90 leading scientists finally cleared Kathleen’s name and set her free. But her fight for justice isn’t over. The NSW government has now offered just $2 million in...

Natalie Kyriacou is the environmentalist saving the planet one snake clit and fish STD at a time. Before she turned 30, she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her contributions to wildlife conservation and education. Creating World of the Wild, a app that’s been dubbed the environmentalist’s Angry Birds. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Natalie explain how she went from s...

The construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates in the Australia, with employees twice as likely to die compared to other male workers. An often-toxic workplace environment and poor mental health are major contributing factors with experts calling for urgent action.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Health and Wellbeing expert Tony LaMontagne to ex...

Friday Headlines: Australia post is suspending transit shipping to the US, Trump had a multi-million-dollar win overnight, Three-day productivity summit wrapped late yesterday, Anthony Albanese’s reputation is “forever tarnished” according to Benjamin Netanyahu, Federal government will today push for a national register of childcare workers, and a Freaky Friday story to end the w...

Homophobia in the AFL is back in the spotlight, with star Crows forward Izak Rankine banned for four games for using a homophobic slur against a Collingwood opponent. But Rankine could still play in the AFL grand final if the Adelaide Crows make it. But Rankine is the sixth AFL player to be suspended for a homophobic remark aimed at an opponent in the past 16 months alone, so do bans even work? In...

Thursday Headlines: A former SAS soldier will be the first in Australia to ever face trial for a war crime, pedestrian deaths are up by almost 50 per cent, Monash IVF is under pressure to publicly release a review into two separate IVF bungles, the larger the house the less people living in it, and a year one teacher has gone viral for an informative private parts song. Deep Dive: Amazon have just...

In a bombshell announcement, the Federal Health Minister has announced a major overhaul of the troubled NDIS. Mark Butler claims the NDIS was not fit for large numbers of children with autism and developmental delays, promising the changes will ensure the scheme is sustainable. But will those who need the support the most be unfairly targeted?  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Bellin...

Wednesday Headlines: Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case returns to court, Anthony Albanese has been called a “weak politician" by the Israeli PM, majority of land in NSW sold to developers instead of used as public housing, seven in 10 Australian’s who've signed up to the NDIS in the past year have autism, and a UK woman tries to take her annoying 20 and 30yo colleagues to court for soci...

There were numerous promises made during today’s historic peace talks between the Ukrainian and US presidents regarding Russia, with key European leaders standing by. President Donald Trump claims he’s negotiated talks between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, with both wanted lasting peace. But many are now asking at what cost?  In this episode of The Briefing Natarsha Belli...

Tuesday Headlines: Major investigation launched after infant found dead in storm drain, Israel’s Foreign Minister revokes Australian visas, Matt Wright's being counter sued over death of mate, AFL launches investigation into alleged homophobic incident, and what do 'delulu', 'skibidi' and 'forever chemicals' all have in common? Deep Dive: It’s an often-polarizing debate: should you go...