The Briefing

Salman Rushdie has been stabbed at a New York lecture and could lose sight in one eye. The motivation behind the attack may be more than 30 years old. In 1989 the Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini condemned Rushdie to death via Fatwah due to the ‘blasphemous’ nature of his book: The Satanic Verses.   We’re joined by Vijay Mishra, Emeritus Professor of English and Comparative Lit...

The Science Briefing is a new podcast from LiSTNR and The Royal Institution of Australia about the science of everything and your new go-to podcast for your snapshot of science news. In this episode, Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Jacinta Bowler about how potent methane is as a greenhouse gas and the concerns major coal companies could be underreporting their methane emis...

This year’s FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup is only a month away and Ezi Magbegor is more than ready. A self-described ‘quiet person’ Ezi says she has tried to stay grounded during her meteoric rise in the sport. A remarkable feat given that she’s currently playing in the WNBA and was part of the Seattle Storm’s championship winning team in her rookie season.   In this conversation Jamila Rizvi...

Native Americans have been teaching Indigenous Australians how to strengthen their languages at a conference in Alice Springs. The Master-Apprentice method was developed by small Indigenous language communities in California and has proven to be the most effective method for endangered language communities with few resources. We’re joined by Dr Richard Grounds - Executive Director of the Yuchi Lan...

The nation has been stunned by revelations in Simon Benson’s new book Plagued, where we learned former Prime Minister Scott Morrison assigned ministerial portfolios to himself. His colleagues in the parliament had no idea. It’s seriously damaged Morrison’s legacy, just months after the May election. Simon, who covers politics for Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, takes us behind the scenes as he compiled...

Not all disrespect towards women ends in violence, but all violence against women starts with disrespectful behaviour.  We want to set good examples for the young people we influence in our lives.   Stop It At The Start has practical resources so together, we can work to stop violence against women.     Tom is joined by TV and radio host and journalist Carrie Bickmore and together they interview P...

We’re joined by leading investigative journalist Nick McKenzie to take a deep dive into Australia's neo-Nazi movement. McKenzie has gained footage from inside secret meetings, bush camps, gym sessions and even uncovered the way they use encrypted messaging apps like Telegram to organise their movement and share their racism.  In this briefing Nick McKenzie shares what he’s learnt about this moveme...

It’s estimated 140,000 people have medical issues misdiagnosed in Australia every year, and as many as 4000 end in death. We’re joined by Mary Dahm from the ANU’s Institute for Communication in Healthcare, and Jen M, a person who has been misdiagnosed. A new study has looked into how and why misdiagnosis happen; we speak with the researchers to find out what to do if you suspect you’re being misdi...

US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been ordered to pay $A70 million in damages after falsely claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax.  Jones – host of Infowars, and a renowned conspiracy theorist - has repeatedly argued that the shooting was a hoax orchestrated by the government to strip Americans of gun rights, and that the parents of the dead children were "crisis actors."  We...

The Science Briefing is a new podcast from LiSTNR and The Royal Institution of Australia about the science of everything and your new go-to podcast for your snapshot of science news. In this episode, host Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Matthew Agius about a new independent review stressing the Murray-Darling Basin is likely to meet a major environmental target for South A...

Indira Naidoo is an Australian author, journalist, television and radio presenter. She has had a colourful life, full of travel and unique experiences.   Indira is the eldest in her family, she is one of three sisters. In 2020, Indira’s whole world changed when she lost her vivacious, intelligent, younger sister.   In this conversation Jamila Rizvi and Indira Naidoo, discuss loss, grief and the in...

Do you constantly underestimate how much time something takes? Do you agree to things, put them in your calendar only to get closer and regret it? Does trying to delineate between work and life leave you confused? Well, you’re not alone. We’re joined by Dr Amantha Imber - an organisational psychologist, host of the How I Work podcast and author of the book ‘Time Wise’ to learn how to make better u...

Why was the DC spin-off movie Batgirl canned, when it was almost finished? Warner Brothers has cancelled Batgirl despite spending $113 million on it. It’s understood the film starring In the Heights actor Leslie Grace, Michael Keaton and Brendan Fraser was so badly received by test audiences the studio decided to get rid of it. We’re joined by Rolling Stone magazine’s Tatiana Siegel to get the ful...

Three big hunks of space junk have been found in the Snowy Mountains. They’ve been confirmed as pieces of one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rockets. The latest piece, discovered by sheep farmer Mick Miners, stands nearly 10 feet tall and is firmly embedded in a paddock by one end. Dr Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Notre Dame College of Science, joins us to explain what you can and can’t do with spa...

On July 23, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus declared the monkeypox outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” – the highest global alert level for a disease outbreak. Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly followed by declaring monkeypox as a “communicable disease incident of national significance.” We’re joined by Dr Paul Griffin, Infectious...

Why would China want to spark World War Three over Taiwan?    US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan has stoked fears the island could become the flash point for World War Three. China claims the island as a renegade province, despite Taiwan functionally acting as an independent nation for 70 years. We’re joined by Jennifer Hsu, a researcher at the Lowy Institute who was born in Taiwan.  ...

The Science Briefing is a brand new podcast from LiSTNR and The Royal Institution of Australia about the science of everything and your new go-to podcast for your snapshot of science news. In the first episode of The Science Briefing, host Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Evrim Yazgin about the first images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and how the race is on to ma...

Samuel Jonathan McMillan was editing the United Nations Youth Australia newsletter and studying law at Melbourne University when he realised that he was more interested in telling jokes than studying. Fast forward 20 years and Sammy J is a household name. He hosts ABC Melbourne’s breakfast show, and his satirical videos are a fan favourite on ABC television. He’s an award-winning stand-up comedian...

Would you accept a billion dollars to play golf? A new competition funded by Saudi Arabia called LIV Golf is turning the usually staid and boring game of on its head. Saudi money is funding a new golf tournament around the world, and it’s ruffling feathers in the established corridors of the sport like the USPGA and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club. The new tournament LIV is offering hundreds of mi...

How do workers take advantage of the record unemployment rate? Unemployment is at its lowest level in 50 years at just 3.5%. We take a look at how you can take advantage of the jobs boom; be it a promotion, better flexibility, study leave or even a gym membership. Ruth Beran is a career advisor with Blue Sky. She says forget the Great Resignation, these days it’s all about Quiet Quitting, even Lin...

In a major new reform, Aussies using online betting accounts will receive a monthly statement detailing their losses. It means people with gambling issues will be able to take stock of their decisions with complete transparency. Advocates like Lauren Levin, Director of Policy and Campaigns with Financial Counselling Australia, hope the statement will also open the conversation up about what a resp...

The cruise industry was thrust into the headlines when the Ruby Princess docked in Sydney at the peak of the pandemic. 28 deaths were linked to the ship. It looked for a while like cruising would never return to its former glory.  So where is the industry now? David Jones, Corporate Communications Manager for Carnival Cruises tells us people are returning to cruising and this summer looks like it...

The global wellness industry is worth more than four trillion dollars. It includes mindfulness, a type of meditation where you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment. Associate Professor Nicholas T. Van Dam from the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne has been studying the metrics and says the number of apps has skyrocketed since...

Sarah Davidson describes herself as a fun trepreneur and an overenthusiastic life lover, who is interested in too many things. Sarah was adopted as a baby from South Korea and grew up in Australia. She was a high achieving student who started her professional life as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer, until she got sick. One of the things that helped her during that dark and difficult time, eventu...

Interest rate rises, fuel prices, fruit and vegetables, gas and electricity, groceries, childcare costs - that's the list of items getting more expensive every day. So, how do you ‘adult’ your way through the looming crisis? Melissa Browne is author of un-F your finances and Budgets Don’t Work. Melissa says you need to think smarter about how you manage your finances, and that small steps can make...