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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
A listener production. Hello, happy Monday. Welcome to The Briefing. Sasha Barber-Gatt with you. Last week, the government launched its biggest lawsuit ever, accusing a massive US company of leaving a trail of toxic forever chemicals right across the country. But experts say this legal action doesn't go far enough.
$2 billion is an enormous sum of money. I don't think it's going to get close to cleaning up this problem, no.
A look into Australia's mammoth case against 3M and what we know about the chemicals at the heart of it is coming up in the second half of this episode. First, it is time for the headlines with Chris Spirou on Monday 1 June.
Chapter 2: Why is One Nation the most popular political party in Australia?
Morning, Sash, and a pinch and a punch for the first day of the month. Now, look, we're going to start with politics this morning. And a new poll has One Nation as the most popular political party in Australia. Support for Pauline Hanson's party up four points to 31%. Now ahead of Labor's primary vote by three points, according to a Red Ridge poll that surveyed just over a thousand people.
While Anthony Albanese remains the preferred Prime Minister with a six-point lead, Hanson is close behind on 25% and a safe distance away from Angus Taylor on 14%.
Now, in explaining the poll results, Redbridge director Tony Barry pointed to the budget, saying it's pushed more voters into anti-establishment territory and towards One Nation. The poll comes after Hanson told Sky News yesterday she would not rule out running for a seat in the House of Reps at the next election and potentially leading the country.
Do I want to be Prime Minister? Well, I tell you what, I won't knock the job because I believe that I have the ability to do it. I'm not going to underestimate myself or say, no, I can't do it. Have a look at what we've got now. Really? Honestly? And that's why we're in a mess.
Speaking to her party's growing popularity, the One Nation leader pointed to the historic win in the recent Farah Bai election, saying... It's not just about coalition, it's about Labor, it's about the Greens, it's about everyone.
There's such an undercurrent that's happening in this country that people are fed up and they want change.
Yeah, so more of the same from Pauline Hanson. We've had this kind of discussion before about whether she could potentially lead. We actually deep-dived it, oh, God, I want to say towards the start of the year when the polling was first really starting to build in favour and we asked the question, could Pauline Hanson be Prime Minister?
Yeah, technically, and especially if she ran for a House of Rep seats. By convention, the Prime Ministership goes to someone who does sit in the House of Rep, so she might change up where she's running and potentially go for one of those spots.
Yeah, I think the interesting thing from all of this, especially over the weekend and with this new poll, is that we're no longer focusing in and honing in on the coalition as being the reason for the rise in One Nation's popularity. Long we've been talking about the fact that, you know, the coalition hasn't been able to get their act together.
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Chapter 3: What are the implications of Australia's $2 billion lawsuit against 3M?
Because it's not just the coalition. Interestingly, Gen X voters do represent One Nation's strongest backers in this poll. They say that she's resonating her message and her party's message is very much resonating with that generation.
you know i'm i'm curious to hear from our listeners on this one if you are a one nation supporter i would love to hear from you if you could reach out to us in the dms we will keep you anonymous we know that there's you know a certain um reputation and thing that comes with with being a one nation supporter but get in touch with us because because we do want to know what it is about her party that you like
Sticking with politics and Australia will not be getting any new submarines in a shake-up to the AUKUS pact. Under the initial deal, which was announced way back in 2021, Australia was supposed to receive three Virginia-class subs, two used and one brand new. Now they'll all be second-hand in a move Defence Minister Richard Miles says will save taxpayers money.
In the context of a very complicated endeavour, we need to place a premium on simplicity.
He hasn't said exactly how much cheaper it'll be, but that it wouldn't substantially change the underlying cost of the AUKUS pact. Miles was in Singapore over the weekend with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and the UK's Defence Secretary John Healey. to discuss the deal as well as plans for new weapons systems, including underwater drones.
It's part of efforts to protect undersea cables which carry telecommunications, an area which has become hotly contested and susceptible to attacks.
Yeah, interesting to see that particular development come out of this meeting with the AUKUS leaders. You know, we don't really talk much about the underwater cables and what goes on. I think we might have to deep dive it because it's really interesting. And the fact they are putting this focus on how to protect them and keep an eye on them, that's also quite an interesting development.
Look, in terms of the submarines, there is this kind of idea or this question that Australia's hand has been forced. We wanted one of those submarines to be built brand new, but the US just can't keep up with production. Its shipyards aren't putting out enough of these Virginia-class subs in order to supply Australia with one.
Right now, they're producing around 1.1 to 1.2 of these submarines each year. I know it's a weird technical number, but that's about how far they're getting in the process every 12 months. The target yearly rate is 2.33, so they're the idea that Australia just wanted to save money? Analysts don't think so. They think that we were forced into this.
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Chapter 4: What are PFAS chemicals and why are they controversial?
And when it comes to actual prices, that means the median price of a house in Sydney is now sitting at $1.58 million, down from $1.6 million in February, $958,000 in Melbourne, and just over a million in Canberra. As to why, well, Cotality says incomes are struggling to keep up with price growth, while high interest rates and investor tax changes are putting pressure on an already soft market.
It's not a uniform story, though. Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin all recorded price growth last month, just at a slower pace than we've been used to seeing. The median for a house in Perth is now just shy of $1.1 million. In Brisbane, it's $1.23 million. Meantime, regional markets are also holding up better than the capitals.
Yeah, and if you're renting, there's not much relief on the horizon. Rents rose again in May and with the national rental vacancy rate sitting at just 1.5%. Experts say the pressure on renters isn't going away anytime soon. Now, they have flagged in this report the investment changes and the changes to negative year in capital gains tax, da-da-da-da-da.
But they're saying it's too soon to tell, like the month of May isn't really a good indicator of that, something that they're going to be keeping their eye on.
But economists have predicted that, you know, this slight fall in house prices generally that we've seen this year is something that they do expect will continue and could wipe, like we said at the top, as much as 10% off the value of a house or an apartment by the end of the year. And it's all over. Australia can't score from a corner to level it out, having conceded the only goal of the game.
Mexico 1, Australia 0.
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Chapter 5: How does PFAS contamination affect human health?
Yeah, disappointment for Aussie fans. Two weeks out from the FIFA World Cup, Socceroos have lost to Mexico 1-0 in a friendly in California. The team's efforts, Chris, have been described as frustrating and ineffectual. Not exactly the sort of words you want to be hearing 14 days out from their opening clash, which is against Turkey in Vancouver.
Yeah. Meantime, coach Tony Popovich will name his 26-man squad that will compete in the World Cup. The Aussies open their campaign on the 14th of June at 2pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.
I'm very impressed with the timings of our matches.
Chapter 6: What are the main arguments in the lawsuit against 3M?
They're all quite friendly.
Yes, that is very friendly to us at 2pm and not like a 3am or something like that. Works well for us, but not for the rest of those listening. So we do open on the 14th of June and then we take on the hosts USA a week later and then Paraguay on the 26th. Now, can I say as someone who recently travelled to the States... Don't ask me about it. I don't want to talk about it.
They are so excited to be hosting the World Cup. At least all the airports that I travel to, there's merch everywhere. There's things that you can buy. There's jumpers. There's hats. There's a lot of pride around hosting this World Cup. And I'm excited to see what they do. And Mexico's a co-host as well. So Mexico, Canada, the US, all three co-hosting. It's going to be good.
Yeah.
Yeah, it just doesn't feel like a good run-in for the Aussies. It always makes it harder for me to support. I'm not a huge soccer fan, so I need Aussie blood in the game for me to care.
You're not going to get it.
We are ranked third in our group, so we're with the home side, USA, Turkey and Paraguay. So we're third, so there's always a chance. But, yeah, I mean, last World Cup was our most successful. We reached the round of 16. We also had two clean sheets and two wins in the group stages. So I just don't feel like we're going to repeat that glory.
Yeah, no. All right. Well, that's it for headlines for today.
On that note. Sorry, everyone.
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Chapter 7: What are the environmental impacts of PFAS contamination?
It's the largest legal claim ever brought by the Australian government. A massive $2 billion lawsuit against US manufacturing giant 3M.
Chapter 8: What steps can individuals take if they are affected by PFAS?
Now, you know 3M. They're the company behind post-it notes, scotch tape and those adhesive strips that are probably holding up half the photo frames in your house right now. But they also used to make firefighting foam. And that's what's in the firing line. It's what Attorney-General Michelle Rowland actually wants them to pay up for.
Our position is that 3M withheld a range of information and misrepresented the effects of this substance.
The Commonwealth's alleging 3M spent decades hiding the toxic truth about its foams, saying it contained a dangerous type of chemical known as PFAS and left a trail of contamination across multiple defence bases and local communities across the country.
Now, the government's going after costs, trying to recoup what it spent in dealing with the cleanup, but critics like independent Senator Lydia Thorpe argue that's too narrow.
We need to be going at 3am for much more. The minister said today that this is only about environmental damage. We need to now look at the health impacts.
So how did we get here? How do you deal with a chemical that's designed to never break down? And why is the government suddenly doing the suing after spending years paying out millions to settle cases brought against them by angry local communities? Ian Wright is an expert in PFAS and an associate professor in water science at Western Sydney University and he joins me now.
Ian, welcome to the briefing. I want to start with the basics. For anyone who's unfamiliar, what is PFAS?
PFAS is an artificial man-made substance. It's... Basically, post-World War II, starting in the 1930s, 1940s, it's become a really useful building block for so many products in society, in our economy. It's a string of carbon chain. bonded to fluorine. And this is an incredible bond that is almost unbreakable and makes it really useful for building things like paints and cosmetics.
It resists heat, resists water. So useful in so many different things, but it also resists breaking down. And also it bioaccumulates in the environment, in animals, in plants, and in us. So has all kinds of uses in a million different products. but it has serious implications for human health and it is causing problems around the globe.
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