The Briefing

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...

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...