The Briefing

Have you ever been sent a marketing email that didn’t have an unsubscribe button? Or maybe you’ve received a message from a company you’re sure you’ve already unsubscribed from? More and more businesses are getting caught out for breaching Australia’s spam laws- including Kmart, Ticketek and Uber just in the last few weeks. Today on this extra episode of The Briefing, we speak to Andrew Williams,...

An eighth Covid wave is gripping the country, coming in right before Christmas again! Thousands of people are still getting sick, with this strain being one of the nastier ones. Now now the vast majority of us are vaccinated, how concerned should we be? Should we consider getting a booster and masking up again? In this episode of The Briefing Antoinette Lattouf asks Professor Paul Griffin all the...

Taylor Swift is arguably the biggest pop star in the world at the moment, breaking all sorts of records with her new music and re-recorded albums. But why is one of the highest-selling musicians of all time releasing new versions of her old work? And what does it mean for the industry going forward? On this extra episode of The Briefing, we break down music copyright to explain how Taylor Swift is...

Last week the High Court ruled that 92 asylum seekers being held in detention indefinitely was unlawful, leading to their immediate release. Since, concerns have been raised about the safety of the community, with many of those who were kept in detention failing character tests, including a Malaysian hitman and a stateless Rohingya man who had previously served time in jail for child sex offences....

Do you know what's happening right now at Gaza's biggest hospital?  The Dar al-Shifa hospital is currently on its third day without power, fuel, water or food after a number of bombardments, while Hamas militants and Israeli troops clash outside its doors. It’s created a humanitarian crisis inside the hospital’s walls as doctors desperately try to save the sick and dying. On this extra episode of...

For 650 days Sean Turnell was held in Myanmar’s terrifying Insein Prison on the trumped-up charge of being a spy. In An Unlikely Prisoner he recounts how an impossibly cheerful professor of economics ended up in one of the most notorious prisons in South-East Asia. Tom Tilley sits down with Sean to unpack how he survived.   Headlines: Optus reveals the cause of nationwide outage Eighty asylum seek...

We expect safeguards for advertisers to provide fact-based information that isn't deceptive or misleading. Sadly, when it comes to political advertising, the same cannot be said. So why is it that our politicians are allowed to be less than truthful when it comes to political advertising? And isn't it time that we rectify this issue? On this extra episode of The Briefing, we speak with Independent...

What happens when breast implants go wrong? In this episode, we find out about every type of issue from pain and illness to “double bubble” and “waterfall” deformities. Katrina Blowers speaks with Professor Anand Deva about what we need to know if we’re considering going under the knife.   Headlines: Penny Wong calls for ceasefire in Gaza Thousands of Aussies rally in pro-Palestine protests Latest...

Benjamin Netanyahu is the Prime Minister of Israel; he's the country's longest-serving and most controversial leader. Currently he is responsible for the invasion of Gaza, which began in retaliation against Hamas' attacks on October 7. In this bonus episode of the Briefing, Antoinette Lattouf speaks with Guy Ziv, an associate professor at the American University about who Benjamin Netanyahu really...

In September 2010, with a handful of clothes to sell and a Facebook page for promotion, Jane Lu founded Show Pony in her parents garage. Fast Forward thirteen years, and ShowPo is a global fashion force, shipping to 120 countries and is rumoured to bring in upwards of $100 million annual revenue. In this chat with Jamila Rizvi, Jane Lu breaks down the highs and lows of becoming a fashion business...

Australia is entering an eighth wave of COVID, with cases growing by 23.6% in the last reporting period.  Most of us are getting on with life, but did you know there are still young Aussies who are choosing to live COVID-cautiously? Many of them are skipping out on events, wearing masks everywhere and rolling up their sleeves to get vaccinated with each new booster. As a result, many are finding t...

Pharmaceuticals in wastewater has been changing the behaviour of fish. Studies have found some fish are even becoming more aggressive and have a lower sex drive from exposure to traces of anti-depressants and ibuprofen. Katrina Blowers is joined by Ian Wright an Associate professor in Environmental Science to explain what’s happening in out wastewater.   Headlines: Optus offering free data in comp...

A petition calling for Australia’s Miss Universe contestant to stand down, is gathering steam.  Moraya Wilson, who is the current Miss Universe Australia, is the daughter of two bankrupt property developers whose companies owe more than $45 million to creditors.  News.com.au has cited Australian Securities and Investments Commission reports that found companies run by Wilson’s parents, Anton and M...

Australia is rapidly becoming a cashless society. Last year only 16% of transactions in Australia used cash, while notes are increasingly getting taken out of circulation. But one country has already essentially gone cashless: Sweden- with cash business transactions down to only 8% last year. In this episode of The Briefing, Katrina sits down with Dr Claire Ingram Bogusz from the Stockholm School...

Have you been among the millions of Australians unable to make a call, get on the internet, travel into work or operate your business today? The Optus outage has highlighted a glaring issue in Australia; our reliance on three telcos to operate and maintain our entire communications network. So is it time for a rethink? And what risks does this expose us to? On today’s extra episode of The Briefing...

As the death toll in Gaza pushes past 10,000 this week, what will it take to end the conflict? Western powers have been advocating for a two-state solution; Israel for the Jewish people and Palestine for the Palestinian people. In this episode of The Briefing, Tom Tilley is joined by Bob Bowker, a former Australian diplomat who was stationed in the Middle East for four decades, to break down what...

The Reserve Bank has today once again lifted the cash rate by 25 basis points, up to 4.35%.  It’s the 13th rate rise since last year, with many Australian homeowners struggling more than ever to afford their growing mortgage. Despite this, house prices are soaring to record levels across the country.  Today in this extra episode of The Briefing, we speak with two young Australians - one who is buy...

AI today is often about faking human intelligence, but this fakery isn’t a modern phenomenon. It can be traced back to the very beginning of the field. It is one of AI’s original sins! Professor Toby Walsh joins Tom Tilley to explain the fundamentals at the heart of AI, drawing back the curtain to reveal the reality behind all this artificiality in his new book.   Headlines: China’s President Xi J...

The Melbourne Cup has long been known as the race that stops the nation. But over the years, crowd numbers at the iconic event have been declining as support for phasing out horse racing grows. Today on this extra episode of The Briefing, we look at the history of the cup and ask whether the Melbourne Cup does have a future on Australia’s sporting calendar. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

We live on the driest inhabited continent on earth, so it’s no surprise water security is listed as one of the biggest challenges we’ll face in the next few decades. Cheap drinking water is a key factor in this conversation - but do we have the stomach for what achieving that will require? Katrina Blowers is joined by water policy expert Will Fargher to discuss the stigma of recycled water.   Head...

Rarriwuy Hick is one of Australia’s leading young actors, she can speak seven languages and she’s part of the Home and Away family Rarriwuy is back with an exciting new project Erotic Stories on SBS in a role like she’s never played before In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Rarriwuy explains the significance of the role and reveals something she hasn’t even told her parents Weekend list  Maybel...

Over the last few years there has been an explosion in the number of e-bikes and e-scooters across the country. But amidst a chain of recent fires linked to malfunctioning lithium batteries, what are the risks? And do we need restrictions on the sale of e-bike or e-scooter batteries until we know more about them?  On today’s extra episode of The Briefing, we’re joined by Professor Matthew Burke fr...

The brutal murder of Lilie James at a Sydney high school shocked the country when it made headlines last month - but her killing was just one case among seven women who suffered violent deaths in October. In this episode of The Briefing, Tom Tilley speaks with the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher about what the government believes should be done to stop it. 1800RESPECT Lifeline 13 11 14   Headli...

It once dominated headlines, but almost two years on, media coverage of the war in Ukraine has significantly dropped off. And despite a waning interest in the Western world, the war continues - so what’s the latest?  On today’s extra episode of The Briefing, we’re joined by foreign affairs expert Dr Keith Suter to find out the latest on the war in Ukraine. Is there an end in sight? See omnystudio....

More than 200 people were taken hostage by Hamas militants when the group staged a surprise attack on Israel on October 7th. Those taken hostage included Israeli civilians and soldiers, as well as foreigners caught in the attack. Five of those being held captive have been freed since the attack, following calls from Israel, human rights groups and the United Nations for their immediate release. Bu...