The Briefing

The world is trying to come to grips with the Omicron variant of Covid-19.  It’s spreading like wildfire across the globe. Governments are scrambling to close borders and scientists are rushing to determine just how potent the new strain is.   But could it be a blessing in disguise.  Could Omicron end the pandemic?  Dr Deborah Cromer leads the Infection Epidemiology and P...

In 2013 on a night out in Kings Cross a devastating encounter in a laneway changed the course of Saxon Mullins’ life.      It led to a rape case that went for five years... there were two trials, two appeals and ultimately it was determined that the accused was acquitted after arguing he had reasonable grounds to believe she was consenting.      Now ei...

The world has a new variant of the Covid-19 virus to contend with.  Omicron was first detected in Botswana and has already been detected in the UK, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic and Australia. States and countries are locking borders to try to contain the spread.      Dr Norman Swan is host of the ABC’s Health Report and the&nb...

Western Australia will stay closed for Christmas with its border not reopening until at least late January. WA premier Mark McGowan says waiting to lift restrictions until the state achieves 90% vaccination coverage of people aged 12 and above will save lives.   We asked our listeners what they thought, and we received a mixed response.  Many believe McGowan is a hero keeping West Austra...

You might know Matt Okine as the funny guy who makes up one half of Matt and Alex’s All Day Breakfast. He is also an author, actor and former Triple J presenter. In this chat with Jamila Rizvi, Matt shows more of his thoughtful and sensitive side, speaking about everything from his experience of racism, growing up without his mum and challenges of becoming a parent. Plus he tells Jamila an a...

31 people drowned when a boatload of asylum seekers capsized in the English Channel this week.  The international community all of a sudden became aware of a crisis on the beaches near Calais in France.  People smugglers are loading migrants, looking for a better life, onto inflatable dinghies and sending them to Britain.   Steve Cannane is the ABC’s European correspondent.&nb...

The debate over vaccine mandates has erupted in a war of words.  Thousands of protestors marched in Australian capital cities last weekend claiming the mandates are overreach and a breach of civil liberties.    So where does the truth lie?  Brad Hudson is from the Nurses Professional Association of Australia providing support for nurses who do...

Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?   The question of who is behind that pseudonym has been one of the biggest mysteries of the financial world for over a decade.  Whoever Nakamoto is, whether it’s an individual or a group, holds the key to a fortune worth billions of dollars and the boasting rights to being the creator of Bitcoin.    A trial is unfolding in the US over who is behin...

Thousands of migrants are trapped on the Belarus/Poland border.  The asylum seekers from the Middle East have clashed with border police as even more arrive desperate to be let into the European Union.   But is the crisis being manufactured by Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko?  His critics say he’s created the problem to make life difficult for EU nations who say he...

Nats What I Reckon started posting review videos on YouTube 15 years ago.  He has also always loved to cook.  So when we went into lockdown, he decided to combine the two, and his profile exploded. He’s now a bona fide social media superstar with 1.6 million Facebook followers; 383,000 subscribers on YouTube (he’s had more than 20 million views); and 450,000 followers on Inst...

How did Brisbane boy Shane Jenek become Courtney Act, Australia’s most beloved drag queen?  In this chat with Jamila Rizvi we get to know the man behind the drag, who has shot to international fame in recent years with appearances on Ru Paul’s Drag Race and Celebrity Big Brother UK. Shane explains why he wants to hug his childhood self, what it was like writing his new memoir Caug...

Today’s story starts back on October 2, 2020, when Qatari authorities grounded planes at Hamad International Airport in Doha after a baby was found abandoned in a bathroom.   The baby had been dumped in a bin.   Following the discovery of the infant, more than 18 women from 10 different flights, including 13 Australians aboard a Sydney-bound Qatar Airways plane, were escorted...

Five million people in Melbourne emerged from lockdown in late October after spending a world record 262 days in lockdown.  The Victorian Parliament is expected to pass strict new laws this week to deal with future pandemics.   Victoria's Health Minister, Martin Foley, insists the legislation "cements this Victorian Parliament and this public health response as the most accountable, tran...

How has Covid impacted the sex industry?  Everyone has had to make changes to cope with the pandemic, but what about when your income is derived from intimacy?   Samantha X is an escort and owner of Samantha’s Angels escort agency.  She tells us she was taking lots of calls during lockdown, from women looking to begin work in the industry.   Fiona Patten is a Member...

A court has finally freed Britney Spears from her conservatorship... where her father controlled almost every aspect of her life for 13 years.    This story, which maybe would have been filed under celebrity gossip became a lot more serious when the world found out how much this legal arrangement limited her life... even her fertility. Angela Bishop, Network Ten’s entertainmen...

On today’s episode of the Briefing …what about the children... do we really understand the impact of covid and lockdowns on children under 12.   Counselling services such as Kids Helpline say they’re hearing more from children during the pandemic - and primary school teachers are warning that kids might struggle as stages like NSW and Victoria open up and kids head bac...

Yumi Stynes is best known as the host of the award-winning podcast and new book Ladies We Need to Talk, where she dives headfirst into the tricky topics women often avoid talking about. Yumi invites her guests to share embarrassing and taboo aspects of their lives, and through that sharing to feel better. In this conversation with Jamila Rizvi, Yumi speaks candidly and courageously about everythin...

Why is everyone being bombarded with scam texts?  We’ve all received a message about a parcel, or a tax bill, a Nigerian prince, or Australian Border Force.   So, what’s with the explosion of phone-based scams? Ian from Clayfield in Brisbane received the DHL text and ended up losing $126 – and even worse, the scammers accessed his credit cards.  Others have lo...

'Let’s Go Brandon’ is being called the biggest political meme of the last decade.  The crowd at a NASCAR race in Alabama was chanting “F**k Joe Biden”.  An NBC reporter, during an interview with the race winner Brandon Brown, heard what the crowd was saying and told viewers – and Brandon – they were saying “Let’s Go Brandon”   It...

Eight people were killed at Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in the US state of Texas last Friday.  Scott’s history leaves you wondering if he could or should have done more to prevent the tragedy.  There is also a criminal investigation happening.  The investigation follows reports the local police chief visited Scott in his dressing room before the concert warn...

We love doing episodes suggested by our listeners!  Mel wrote to ask us to track down Sister Helen Prejean….a Catholic nun who has spent her life campaigning to scrap the death penalty.  Sister Helen’s the nun from the Hollywood film, Dead Man Walking.   It took us four months, but we finally had a chance to sit down to talk with this remarkable woman.  Sister Hele...

The nation breathed a collective sigh of relief last Wednesday when four-year-old Cleo Smith was found alive and well.    Detectives arrive in Carnarvon today to begin the lengthy investigation into exactly what occurred in the 18 days she was missing.   We’re joined by Seven’s Ben Downie, who has covered the case since day one; and Dr Celine Van Golde, a psychologi...

You might know Deni Todorovic from their instagram page stylebydeni, where they regularly don fun and playful outfits including colourful evening gowns and tutus. Deni has styled just about every Australian celebrity you can think of, from Delta Goodrem to Samantha Jade.  In this chat Deni joins Jamila Rizvi to discuss what it was like growing up without the words to describe their gender ide...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced last week the social media giant would now be known as Meta, to reflect his vision of dominating the “metaverse”   Jeremy Kaplan is Content Director at Future, the publisher of TechRader.  He says most of us wouldn’t trust Mark Zuckerberg to walk our dog, let alone rule the internet.   So, what IS the Metaverse?  What wil...

Young Aussie artist AViVA is a perfect example of someone you mightn’t have heard of in the mainstream, but who has had her emo/pop songs downloaded billions of times.  She’s had nearly 70 million views of her debut single Grrrls on YouTube.   AViVA’s story is remarkable because she’s managed to forge a career, and a very successful career, without going down the...