Natarsha Belling

a listener production.

Hi, Natasha Belling with you and welcome to the afternoon edition of The Briefing.

Coming up in our deep dive, the government's move to change the way women can access the contraceptive pill.

We'll find out exactly what this announcement means for millions of women and why some GPs are flagging concerns.

But first, let's check the afternoon headlines this Wednesday, the 15th of April.

a major court loss for mining billionaire Gina Reinhart.

After a decades-long legal battle, Justice Jennifer Smith has ruled Miss Reinhart's mining company must share the proceeds from a lucrative mining project in WA with the family of iron ore pioneer Peter Wright.

Mr Wright was Gina's late father Lang's business partner.

Now Mr Wright's descendants are entitled to half of past and future royalties from the Hopedowns mines in the Pilbara.

But Justice Smith did dismiss the Wright family's claim for part ownership of another major mining project.

Gina Reinhart is Australia's wealthiest person and was said to be worth more than $40 billion in this year's rich list in The Australian.

Our airlines are taking a major hit as the fallout continues over the oil crisis in the Middle East.

Virgin is now cutting flights and increasing fares just a day after Qantas made a similar announcement.

Virgin has released a statement saying the price of jet fuel has been extremely volatile and more than doubled since the end of February 2026, which impacts fuel costs for the June 2026 quarter.

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Meantime, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is off to Asia again today, this time to Brunei and Malaysia, to help shore up relationships with the countries that supply Australia's fuel.

Also heading overseas is Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who is travelling to Washington DC to attend the G20 Finance Minister's meeting, as well as meeting with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

Before boarding his flight this morning, the Treasurer admitted there are tough times ahead.

It comes as the IMF warned the energy crisis caused by the war in the Middle East could trigger a global recession.

Pressure is mounting on our federal treasurer to deliver a measured budget next month that provides much-needed cost of living relief but doesn't fuel further inflationary pressures.