The Briefing

A shortage of opportunity and an excess of crime - artists ONEFOUR have risen from troubled beginnings to become Australia’s first drill rap stars, winning international success and recognition for their distinctive music.  This is not, however, a simple rags-to-riches story.  A new documentary ONEFOUR: Against All Odds follows the group as they try to capitalise on the viral success of their musi...

Researchers have discovered a link between the advent of social media platforms and spikes in eating disorders. Over the last 20 years, people being hospitalised for eating disorders have jumped 400% with the biggest spike following the rise of TikTok. In this episode of The Briefing, Dr Veya Seekis from Griffith University breaks down the numbers with Katrina Blowers.   Headlines: Israel takes re...

Victoria has become the first Australian jurisdiction to announce compensation for mothers impacted by the country's brutal historical forced adoption policies. Under the $138 million scheme, mothers affected by historical forced adoption practices before 1990 can apply for $30,000 in financial compensation, alongside counselling, psychological support and individual apologies. But what does the a...

There’s now a morning after pill for men who have sex with men. Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, known as "doxy- PEP" can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex and is effective at preventing syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. Around 40 of Australia’s leading sexual health physicians have now agreed that doxy-PEP, should be considered for the prevention of some STIs among men who sle...

As sitcom show Friends goes from strength to strength finding new audiences 20 years after winding up, one of its brightest stars Matthew Perry has died aged 54. Himself saying no one would be surprised if he died early, he battled a lifetime of addictions to both drugs and alcohol. In this extra episode of the Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Katrina Blowers to discuss Perry’s career, hi...

An extreme movement of Australians who reject the authority of our government and believe they’re exempt from laws, taxes and the values of mainstream society has snowballed over the past five years. Known as “sovereign citizens”, they’re most visible at anti-government protests and came under the glare of national spotlight during the COVID pandemic. While some sympathise with the notion the gove...

You've probably come across ASMR content in your TikTok feed recently - content in which you can hear in highly detailed sound of other people eating, brushing their hair or whispering a bedtime story.  Earlier this week The Briefing brought you an episode about ASMR and the science behind it - but what is it actually like being someone who creates this content, an 'ASMRtist'? In this bonus episod...

Trent Dalton is one of Australia’s best known and loved modern authors. Unsure if it would sell, Trent went from book club to book club speaking about his semi-auto-biographical novel, Boy Swallows Universe. Now a national and international bestseller and Netflix series on the way, Trent is out with a new novel Lola in the Mirror. In this chat with Jamila Rizvi, Trent breaks down his character wri...

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a social media phenomenon. From videos of people tapping on objects, to whispering bedtime stories, or even eating within millimetres of a microphone, many posts have hundreds of thousands of views. But is it just a TikTok trend, or can it actually help people relax? Many describe ASMR as giving them a warm, tingly feeling when watching or listening t...

Melbourne Fashion Week is coming to close, after a week marked with controversy following a dozen Black Australian models boycotting the event to highlight the fashion industry’s mistreatment of people of colour. Making headlines across the country and overseas, the public boycott sparked further action across the week, with additional models choosing to snub the event. In a statement to the Brief...

In Australia men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women, a statistic that has lead to countless mental health campaigns aimed at blokes across the country - but how much of an impact do they have on that statistic?  In a survey of almost 1,300 Aussie men, the Sax Institute’s Public Health Research and Practice journal found most rank their mental health as their number one preven...

Cryptocurrencies are set to be be regulated – with the government announcing plans to bring crypto exchanges under the control of the financial regulator ASIC. Exchanges holding more the $5m worth of assets will soon have to apply for a licence from ASIC. Tom Tilley is joined by Stephen Jones the Minister for Financial Services who’s leading the charge.  Headlines: Australia and the US deepen ties...

Have we seen the end of an era of large-scale festivals in Australia? For a long time music festivals have been a key part of an Australian summer - but following the Covid pandemic they are facing a range of challenges, including increasing costs and changes in ticket purchasing behaviour due to the cost of living and weather events. In this extra episode of The Briefing, Dark Mofo’s new Artistic...

On Sunday Indigenous leaders sent an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after a week of silence was observed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples following the defeat of the Voice referendum. Thomas Mayo is one of the indigenous leaders who helped write the public letter and was a key campaigner for the Yes camp. Thomas joins Tom Tilley to breakdown the letter.   Headlines:...

Britney Spears has been in the headlines since she was 16; from global pop princess, to very public breakdown, to a battle in court to free her from a conservatorship she says she never needed or wanted. Tomorrow her tell-all memoir The Woman in Me will hit bookshops across the world, promising to reveal her journey in her own words for the very first time. So, what have we learnt already from lea...

With the recent escalation in the Israel-Hamas conflict, both sides of the war have been calling out the other for enacting war crimes. In this episode of The Briefing we look at what both sides allege, what a war crime is and how international law gets enforced with Professor Ben Saul from the University of Sydney.   Headlines: Microsoft to invest $5 billion in Australia Israel has escalated thei...

Every day those who represent some of the country’s largest organisations meet with our politicians and public servants to try and influence government decisions. Lobbyists represent a range of interests - from mining to environmental causes, and everything in between - and while it’s completely legal, nearly 40% of federally registered lobbyists are actually former government representatives. Tod...

NSW Police are trialling technology allowing them to remotely access Triple Zero callers' phones so they can see what’s happening on the ground in an emergency. The GoodSAM app enables police dispatchers to turn on a caller’s camera and start livestreaming video, as well as pinpointing their location, direction of travel and speed. Privacy experts have said while the app looks to be an effective t...

Monique Conti has taken the sporting world by storm playing for both Richmond in AFLW and the Melbourne Boomers in basketball. But this is something she had to fight for. In this chat with Jamila Rizvi, Monique explains how the Matilda’s have helped put the spotlight on women’s sport and what’s next for her AFLW career. AFLW 2023 season tickets here Weekend List I'm Glad My Mom Died BY Jennette Mc...

The Sydney Opera House, an iconic building synonymous with Australia, turns 50 today.  Iva Davies is the founder and frontman for Icehouse, one of the most significant and successful bands in Australia; he also played in an orchestra at the first performances at the then-new building back in 1973. In this extra episode of The Briefing, we take a look at how the Opera House has shaped our national...

More than a dozen Black Australian models are boycotting Melbourne Fashion Week (MFW) to highlight the fashion industry’s mistreatment of people of colour. From being paid significantly less than white models, the N-word being used by photographers, and hairdressers suggesting a “buzzcut” because “Afros are too hard to style’. Antoinette Lattouf is joined by model Nyaluak Leth to explain why 13 Bl...

Guards armed with guns are an unusual sight in Australian public life - but not if you go to a Jewish school, synagogue or some other faith-based institutions. The additional measures are allowed because of special rules as a result of terror threats linked to conflicts in the Middle East, and white supremacist groups. And now the measures are taxpayer-funded under the Federal Governments' new $50...

In Australia there’s no requirement for regular testing to confirm what’s inside your protein powder. The protein powder market is mostly unregulated and in some cases undeclared poisons have been found within the mix. Including heavy metals, pesticides and other potentially toxic contaminants Katrina Blowers is joined by sports dietitian Bethanie Allanson to break down why the ingredients list mi...

Fewer women in Australia are trained and confident to administer first aid than men, according to an alarming survey by St. John Ambulance. Even worse, women are less likely to receive CPR in a life-threatening situation compared to men. So why do fewer women have first aid training than men, why do people feel less confident to administer CPR on women, and should this crucial life-saving skill be...

Misinformation and disinformation about the Israel-Gaza conflict is currently flooding social media platforms. Changes in the verification process for some big platforms has let doctored images, mislabelled content, fake videos and images of graphic violence spread rapidly. Katrina Blowers is joined by the Editorial Director of NewsGuard, Eric Effron, to explain how you can spot the fakes.   Headl...