The Briefing

It used to just be endurance athletes who trained at altitude, but now gyms are popping up everywhere with the promise you can burn double the calories by doing the same workout. But does it work and should you do it?  Altitude training gyms are popping up around the country with some people evening installing altitude rooms in their houses. Gyms are claiming that altitude training can make you bu...

Dami Im is good at competitions. In 2013 she won X-Factor Australia and in 2016 placed second in the Eurovision Song Contest, becoming the highest scoring Aussie. Today, the university trained singer songwriter is a new mother and continues to make music that’s loved all over the world, with her new EP In Between coming out on July 7.  In this chat with Jamila Rizvi, Dami reflects on hearing a rec...

Regulations for cosmetic surgery and injectables are about to change from July one. With GP referrals, psychological assessments, cooling off periods and even how procedures are advertised all part of the new requirements. Dr David Morgan a specialist plastic surgeon from the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons to explains the changes.   Headlines: Berejiklian considers legal challenge after co...

Taylor Swift's Eras tour has taken over the globe and getting your hands on a ticket has become a hot commodity, with general sale tickets being released in Australia on Friday. The pop superstar has become the second richest self-made woman in music after Rihanna and this week the Victorian Government announced that they are giving the Taylor Swift concert major events status. Shameless podcast h...

Last month Ben Roberts-Smith lost one of the biggest defamation trials in Australian history and was found to be a war criminal to a civil standard. The judge ruled that the stories Nick McKenzie had published in Nine Newspapers in 2017 and 2018 about the Victoria Cross winning SAS soldier were substantially true. Nick McKenzie joins us to talk about it all, his new book is called Crossing the Lin...

The psychedelic drugs psilocybin and MDMA, commonly known as magic mushrooms and ecstasy, are being downgraded from prohibited to controlled drugs in Australia from July 1. This means approved psychiatrists will be able to prescribe psilocybin for depression and MDMA for PTSD. It’s a landmark moment in the regulation of psychedelic drugs for treating entrenched mental illness, Rodney Cocks, CEO of...

Over the weekend a former friend and head of a private Russian military wing pulled his troops from the Ukrainian frontline to confront the Russian government, leaving President Vladimir Putin’s power in question. Putin called it a stab in the back in a televised speech as the war in Ukraine continues. Monica Attard Co-Director, Centre For Media Transition at University of Technology, Sydney and f...

It’s been eight and a half years since Maz Compton’s last drink and yet drinking is probably what she talks about most. You’ll likely recognise Maz from her MTV days interviewing the world’s best loved music makers, or the hit NSW Breakfast Show, Maz and Matty.  In this chat with Jamila Rizvi, Maz explains why the term alcoholic isn’t helpful and how she is helping people find and embrace their so...

It turns out so-called ‘study drugs’ like Adderall (which is sold in Australia as “Vyvanse”) and Ritalin could be making you less productive if you don’t have ADHD. A new study blows apart the belief stimulant drugs can boost focus or productivity no matter if you have ADHD or not. We speak with one of the authors of the study Dr Elizabeth Bowman from the University of Melbourne about just what th...

Rescue teams are continuing to frantically search for a missing Titanic tourist submersible with oxygen expected to run out today. The missing sub lost contact one hour and 45 minutes into the dive, with five people onboard. Chris White from the Australian Maritime College joins us to explain what it could be like for those onboard right now, and what might have gone wrong.   Headlines: NSW cops u...

The Federal parliament has voted on the legislation for the Voice Referendum which has to happen within six months. While this is a national Voice, Victoria has just voted in their own body quite similar to the voice called the First People’s Assembly of Victoria. Rueben Berg from the First People’s Assembly of Victoria joins us to explain the importance of state based bodies and Voice v Treaty.  ...

26 organisations across Australasia have been trialling the four day work week and the results are in. The idea is employees get 100% of the pay for working 80% of their previous hours in exchange for a commitment to maintain 100% productivity. We'll find out how you practically implement the four day work week with Wendy Green from Momentum Mental Health, a business in southern Queensland, as wel...

It's almost the end of the financial year and that means lodging a tax return. But before you do, Jan Fran takes us through five tax hacks with her accountant sister Helen- helping you minimise the tax you pay and maximise the return you get back. Headlines: David Van facing down calls to leave parliament  The Voice referendum debated in the Senate US top diplomat in China for first time in five y...

Jessica Alyssa Cerro was born and raised in the Hills District in Sydney. The child of an Argentinian, professional football-playing father and a Filipino, music loving mother, they were always going to march to the beat of their own drum. Today, you’re more likely to know them as Montaigne, the Aria award winning artist twice selected to represent Australia at Eurovision and subject of this year’...

Ezra Miller's appearance on the red carpet of The Flash has caused controversy, with everyone continuing to ask why someone with such a chequered history has been allowed to headline such a massive film. The Flash is also expected to finish off this iteration of the DC Extended Universe which has so far failed to compete with the massive success of Marvel. We speak with Listnr's Justin Hill who ho...

Drag storytime events have been targeted by far-right groups with violent threats and protests forcing over ten events in the past six months to be cancelled in Australia or move online. Drag queen Frock Hudson joins us to talk about their experience with several of their story time events being cancelled and what’s being done about it.   Headlines: Senator David Van removed from parliament Unempl...

Have you wondered how we're getting access to all these personal text messages, recordings and detail from the Brittany Higgins and Bruce Lehrmann case. The Briefing has the answer and it involves the incredible Israeli spy technology Cellebrite, that sucks all the information out of your phone and most of us have no idea our police and government are using it. Author Antony Loewenstein of The Pal...

Botox is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures on the planet, but did you know it contains the most toxic compound on earth? If it's so dangerous, why is it safe to use?  In this bonus episode courtesy of the Science Briefing, Dr Sophie Calabretto is joined by Cosmos magazine journalist Jacinta Bowler to talk about the science behind botox, the risks associated with it and the research that...

On Sunday night a horror bus crash in the Hunter Valley took the lives of ten people with 25 more being transported to hospital. The community is in shock as the coach was taking home guests from a wedding. The driver has been charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, driving in a dangerous manner and negligent driving occasioning death. Local resident Gerard McMillan and LiST...

Orcas have been sinking ships off the coast of Portugal and Spain—with at least three attacks happening in the last month. Scientists believe it could just be a game or fad, although one theory is a bit more outlandish: a female orca may have been traumatised by being hit by a rudder and is now taking ‘revenge.’ Either way, it’s believed she’s the originator of the practice and has taught the rest...

Maria Thattil has always felt like an outsider looking in, despite being very much immersed in the world of modelling, television, writing and influencing. Maria is a queer, South-Asian woman, the daughter of migrant parents and a former Miss Universe Australia - who stands a petite five foot three in a world of 6 foot something beauty pageant contestants. In this chat with Jamila Rizvi, Maria exp...

Since the dawn of the space age in the 1950s, we have launched thousands of rockets and sent even more satellites into orbit, with many still circling our planet. This has created an ever-increasing risk of collision as we continue to launch more, leaving us wondering if space junk could crash on earth. Dr Matt Agnew, astrophysicist and author of Dr Matt’s guide to life in space, joins us to expla...

Brad Guy fell 15,000 feet and somehow survived. As he navigated a brutal recovery, he initially shut his whole family out of his life, until he realised the hold PTSD was having on him. In this incredible interview he explains how trauma works and he overcame it to live a fulfilling life. For crisis support - Lifeline 13 11 14 Headlines: Scott White sentenced over 80s manslaughter Assange close to...

There’s been a worrying rise in police killing and injuring people in the line of duty. Including the recent tasering of 95-year-old great grandmother Clare Nowland. Hearing about such cases on the news is a nightmare for Leesa Topic, whose 22-year-old daughter was shot dead by NSW police outside a Hungry Jacks in 2015, in a response condemned as “entirely inappropriate” by a coroner. Leesa and Te...

Porn addiction isn’t a clinical diagnosis, but psychologists are seeing more and more people whose lives are dictated by when they can get their next dopamine hit from porn.   You’ll hear from a man we called “Julian” and how porn addiction took over his life. He was so desperate to get help that he turned up to an alcoholics anonymous meeting for support. We also...