The Briefing

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...

A recent report forecasted that this financial year, toll operators will rake in $3.7 billion in toll revenue. What's scary is that over 80% of toll roads in Australia (all of which are located in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney) are operated by the same company - Transurban. And what about those rebates that some drivers are able to get back from toll payments? Well, the government foots that bill...

Could a Brisbane teenager have the solution to achieving net zero? 17-year-old Will Shackel launched the ‘Nuclear for Australia’ campaign a year ago, and has since launched a petition that’s received over 10,000 signatures and given evidence to a senate committee, advocating for a ban on nuclear power in Australia to be lifted. Will joins Katrina Blowers to explain what’s he thinks should be next...

Australia has voted on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, with the result being firm rejection of the proposal. All states and territories, excluding the ACT, voted no - but what happens when we look deeper into the numbers? How much did socio-economic factors, your proximity to the city, or your cultural heritage affect your vote? In this extra episode of the Briefing, Amelia Oberhardt is joined...

On Saturday the country voted in the first referendum since 1999 on a Voice to Parliament. The country voted with 39.4% saying ‘yes’ and 60.6.% saying ‘no’. The country has voted overwhelmingly to reject a Voice to Parliament. In this episode of The Briefing, we speak to one of the most prominent No advocates Nyunggai Warren Mundine about the result and what comes next.   Headlines: 'Yes' campaign...

Jelena Dokic has had an extraordinary tennis career and why she may have left the tennis court she hasn’t left public life. In this chat with Jamila Rizvi, Jelena explains how she felt lost after retiring at only 29, the impacts of being body shamed and how her first book and memoir Unbreakable changed her. Jelena’s new book Fearless - Finding the Power to Thrive reflects on everything that’s happ...

Sad news broke this week of the passing of beloved comedian Cal Wilson, after a short illness fighting an unexpected and aggressive cancer. Cal, who was only 53, had a long and colourful career in Australian entertainment. Over the last 20 years she was a core character across the Australian stand-up comedy circuit, as well as a feature on many iconic TV shows, such as the original Thank God Your...

Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians Senator Malarndirri McCarthy is a Yanyuwa woman from the Gulf country in the Northern Territory. Despite what the polls say she, and the Labor cohort, want you to vote yes in the referendum on Saturday. She joins Tom Tilley on the Briefing to take one last opportunity to explain why.   Headlines: Voting for the voice referendum is tomorrow ASIO boss wa...

How do you cope with catastrophic news? The world is reeling watching events unfold in Israel/Palestine. As the death toll climbs on both sides, and information is released including the deaths of families and babies, it becomes more and more difficult to process the news. It’s heartbreaking no matter which side you support – the Palestinians face a massive military onslaught, and the Israelis hav...

Peter Dutton’s opposition to the proposal for a Voice to parliament has been a crucial factor in its declining support over months of referendum campaigning. The leader of the Opposition joins Tom Tilley for an in-depth discussion on his final reasoning for a No vote before Saturday, what he thinks a No result will mean for the country, and what alternative policies he suggests will work to improv...

It has now been 15 years since the creation of Goop, the wellness giant established by actor Gwyneth Paltrow. But what exactly is wellness?  And why all of a sudden has it become such a big business?  Today we check in with the Therapeutics Goods Association and the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission to discuss the industry and the surrounding wellness scandals.  In this extra episode...