The Briefing

Since Peter Dutton’s announcement on the Liberal party’s intention to go nuclear, there has been fierce debate on if it will work and if the Australian public should commit to it. But what are the plain and simple facts on nuclear? On this episode, we help you out with Sacha Barbour Gatt and Bension Siebert providing a quick explainer about nuclear energy - using fact-checked info without the poli...

“With a heavy heart but a clear conscience, I announce my resignation from the Australian Labor Party. I have informed the Prime Minister that, effective immediately, I will sit on the crossbench to represent Western Australia”. That’s the statement from Western Australian Senator Fatima Payman, announcing today at a press conference at Parliament House that she has made the decision to leave the...

NASA have announced that the International Space Station is doomed to de-orbit by 2031, and SpaceX are going to help take it down with a contract worth $1.26 billion (AUD). It’s the end of an era – the ISS was for many years a beacon of international cooperation in the final frontier of space. So why is the ISS being decommissioned, will a new station be replacing it, and what does this mean for i...

One of the world’s biggest live entertainment companies, Live Nation, has been hit with a double whammy. It’s being sued by the US Department of Justice following its subsidiary Ticketmaster being targeted by a notorious hacker group affecting 560 million customers worldwide.   As a follow-up to our investigation into Australia’s ticket industry, Tessa Randello from the LiSTNR Newsroom joins Sacha...

This week, campaigners for animal rights won a years-long battle to ban the live export of sheep, with the practice to end by 2028 after it was passed in parliament. According to Animals Australia, three million animals have died in live export from Australia ... and that's not to mention what happens to them once they arrive at their destination. On the flipside of that though is the farming comm...

For the first time ever, the American Supreme Court has ruled that former presidents are protected from criminal prosecution for some of what they do in office. Donald Trump is currently facing three criminal cases – and will next week face sentencing for a fourth surrounding the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels. What does this ruling mean for him, and for future and past presiden...

You love where you live and locals are worried the suburb’s about to be ‘gentrified’. It can be a good thing and a bad thing. Great news if you own your home, but not good news if you rent and rents are about to skyrocket. You’ll be forced to move to a suburb further away from your friends, work and social network. In this episode of the Briefing we’re joined by William Thackway, who has worked on...

Have you heard of Aussie Bro Squad? The four brothers from regional NSW have made a bit of a name for themselves on TikTok after filming and uploading themselves performing high-energy dance routines.  They’re known to “go live” multiple times a day, all filmed by their mum, Beverley, who keeps up a steady stream of commentary from viewers as her sons perform.  While it appears innocent, internet...

Today, microphones across Triple M’s 49 radio stations will switch off for the network’s annual No Talk Day, with a goal to create space for listeners to check-in with themselves and their mates. That’s because every day, nine Australians take their own life – and according to Lifeline, on average, seven of those are men. Partnering with Lifeline, Triple M’s goal is to build awareness and encourag...

Jenny Tian admits she is committed to two things in life – making comedy and sleeping.\ When she started to go virial on social media for her comedy skits and stand up shows she never looked back and is now on the big screen. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Jenny reveals some of the weirdest things she’s doing on this season of Australia’s Taskmaster and how she’s preparing for the Edinburgh...

US President Joe Biden and wannabe second term president Donald Trump faced off in the first presidential debate earlier today, with many expecting it to be a defining moment in the election campaign. We watched as Joe Biden appeared unsure and hesitant, while still landing blows on Trump. We saw Trump continue to attack Biden’s family and legacy. It was gloves off from the outset and at times thr...

Last year popular online platforms were also threatened with government regulation unless they improve safety for users, following a spike in reports of threats of violence and abuse. The federal government gave industry until the middle of 2024 to develop and implement a voluntary code of practice to improve standards. But has anything actually moved on the issue since? In this episode of The Bri...

The term ‘enshittification’ was coined by British-Canadian blogger Cory Doctorow at the start of 2023 to describe the decline of social media platforms.  It captures the idea that something which was once great eventually becomes crappy overtime due to excessive profit-chasing.  The term has broken into the cultural zeitgeist and is now being used to describe everything from major events to clothe...

Julian Assange is a free man after pleading guilty to one charge of espionage in a federal United States court as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, bringing to end an international saga surrounding war, access to information, freedom of speech and the role of journalism in the digital age.   Facing a judge in a US federal court in the remote Northern Mariana Islands, Assange told the court tha...

You might not have heard of MrBeast, but chances are the Gen Z’er you share a house, office or gym with has. The 26-year-old content creator from Wichita, Kansas has amassed hundreds of millions of followers and is the most- subscribed-to page on YouTube. He’s best known for putting on his own version of Squid Game – before Netflix did – and sharing hundreds of thousands of dollars in random givea...

Pills, powders and liquids that might be harbouring deadly substances will be able to be legally tested across Victoria, following a major policy change announced by Premier Jacinta Allan this week. Pill testing will become permanent after an 18-month trial starting this summer, with a mobile service to attend up to 10 music festivals. In Victoria, paramedics responded to more drug overdoses at fe...

The Albanese government has announced sweeping new changes to Australia’s vaping laws, which will see the products continue to be sold – but only in pharmacies. To secure the support of the Greens in the Senate, Labor has agreed to backtrack on its prescription-only model. It means vapes will be made available at pharmacies across the country – but they will be regulated and subject to plain packa...

Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, has agreed to plead guilty to a single felony count in relation to charges over disseminating national security material.  The plea deal was in exchange for his release from a British prison, clearing the way for him to return to Australia, and avoiding the need to face charges in the United States.  It brings to an end the 14-year ordeal that saw him spen...

Bird flu – or Avian flu – has been detected at a number of chicken farms in Victoria and NSW. The discovery comes in the wake of an outbreak in the US and tests that found humans had symptoms associated with bird flu. How safe is Australia’s poultry industry, and how safe are our chickens and eggs to eat? In this episode of The Briefing, we’re joined by Enzo Palombo, Professor of Microbiology at S...

Weaponised incompetence is a term that's gaining some traction at the moment. It's a passive-aggressive pattern of behaviour where someone in a relationship, whether it be professional or intimate, either deliberately performs a task poorly or pretends not to know how to do a task in order to avoid responsibility. Imagine the dynamic of person A is able to iron shirts/stack dishwashers/ do spreads...

Tax time is right around the corner and this year the ATO are cracking down on working from home expenses. Last year more than 8 million Australians claimed work- related deductions in their tax return, with working from home expenses making up more than half of those claims. In this episode of the Briefing Ashley Debenham from Etax Accountants joins Katrina Blowers to unpack everything you need t...

What’s the difference between style and Fashion? Well Victoria Latu can answer that. She was born in a region now considered Ukraine, interviewed all the stars on the red carpet in LA and along the way became a fashion expert. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Victoria unpacks her Kylie Minogue like accent and how she navigated the Australian media landscape a women of colour. WEEKEND LIST TO...

Women’s basketball would be lucky to rate a mention in America, let alone Australia. Yet that has all changed since Caitlin Clark came along. The 22-year-old is one of the most promising female basketball players in the US, making the transition from college ball to being signed as the number one draft pick for the Indiana Fever this year. However, her popularity hasn’t been without controversy, f...

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years has resulted in the signing of a partnership agreement for mutual aid if either nation is attacked. Apparently encompassing a whole range of areas, including medical education and scientific pursuits, particular emphasis has been placed on military cooperation with speculation that Russia is in dire need of munitions to cont...

This week saw a Labor MP’s office vandalized in Victoria in protest of the party’s inaction surrounding the war in Gaza. The protest has sparked outrage from current and former members of government, who say aggressive protest action is taking things too far. Should protest action be more peaceful, to be more effective? Or is loud and aggressive protest the only way to get wider Australian society...