The Briefing
Episodes
Keiynan Lonsdale: The Western Sydney kid who made it big in Hollywood
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Keiynan Lonsdale grew up in Sydney’s Western suburbs, with 11 siblings and a dream to make it in Hollywood. From the small screen with shows like AB...
Your guide to Eurovision 2024
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This year marks the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. Starting out as an expression of unity and goodwill after WWII and a technical experiment to create ...
How Cosmo plans to make the comeback of the century
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Once upon a time, women’s magazines had a place on every hairdresser’s bench top, family kitchen table and teenager’s bedside drawer. That all c...
Facing the consequences of our Baby Reindeer obsession
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some true crime content – like The Teacher’s Pet or Up and Vanished has helped lead detectives to suspects, even resulting in convictions on cold ...
Drake v Kendrick Lamar isn't just a war of words
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Popular rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar are currently embroiled in a very public spat. It’s a feud that has a long history, but things have really ...
Confronting the instigator of the same-sex book ban
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A local council in Sydney has voted to ban books about same-sex parents from its libraries. Six Cumberland City Councillors voted in favour of the ban...
Why Australia’s birth rate is lower than ever
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s birth rate has been in a relatively steady decline since a peak in the early 1960s. It’s rebounded a small amount after hitting a reco...
This is why Israel is about to invade Rafah
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Israeli tanks have reportedly been spotted just 200 metres from the edge of Rafah, less than a day after an estimated 100,000 Palestinian civilians we...
Why witch hunts are still happening in 2024
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Witch hunts aren’t just the stuff of colonial America; they’re happening right now all around the world. People are still being persecuted and oft...
How our youth are being radicalised, and how we can stop it
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over the weekend in Perth, a sixteen-year-old boy has been shot dead by police after allegedly wounding a man who was unknown to him with a knife. WA ...
Could Beijing be underwater in 100 years?
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cities in China are sinking and satellite imagery shows Beijing is among one of the fastest going under. According to a new study in the journal Scien...
Ziggy Ramo wants you to feel uncomfortable
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ziggy Ramo is a Wik man, powerful storyteller and rapper - but it took him fives years to release his first album because the world wasn't ready to em...
Why smut is the new porn
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Smut used to be the kind of genre you’d find hidden away in the back corner of bookstores. But not anymore. Now, smut series are being featured on t...
The Matildas effect: Is the soccer boom here to stay?
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since the Matildas world cup frenzy we’ve seen a rise in soccer participation numbers – not just for young girls – but also boys and older women...
Are nicotine pouches the new vapes?
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Snus is a small tobacco sachet placed between your gum and upper lip. But now there’s a new form of ‘snussing’, with products that take out the ...
Inside student camps for Palestine at Australian universities
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A movement is growing around the world protesting Israel’s offensive against Palestine in the Middle East. This time it feels different. More than 1...
Driverless cars. Would you climb into an autonomous vehicle?
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Experiments on driverless - or autonomous - cars began 100 years ago, but only in the last twenty years have they become a genuine reality. Elon Musk'...
Arman's dad killed his mum. Here's how he broke the cycle
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over the last few weeks, our national conversation has been heavily focused on the number of lives that have been taken by men because of domestic vio...
Ozempic has revolutionised weight loss. Can it help with addiction too?
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ozempic is the new wonder drug sweeping the world of weight loss. But now a new surprising side effect has potentially been uncovered. There's anecdot...
Does forcing mentally ill people into treatment work?
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine going to your doctor and having treatment forced upon you. This is called compulsory treatment and in Australia it’s legal. Compulsory menta...
Finland is ending homelessness, so could we do it here too?
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At least 120-thousand people are experiencing homelessness in any given night in Australia. And this isn't a problem that only we are facing, with ma...
"Playboy Rapist” survivor on how we can stop more women dying
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Huge crowds gathered at the weekend to protest laws that see high-risk offenders released on bail. As anger mounts over this year’s soaring domestic...
How Tim Duggan got out of a one million dollar tax bill
27 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you feel like you have a good work-life balance? It’s something that most people struggle with, particularly with current cost-of-living pressure...
Nina Oyama is an iPad kid who wants us to hire more lesbians
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nina Oyama wants people to hire more lesbians. She also has a fondness for iPads over mobiles. But most of all, Nina is funny. She’s a comedian, act...
Australia's space rocket industry is about to really take off
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A rocket is set to take off soon from North Queensland, becoming the first locally made orbital rocket to blast off from Australian soil. It will also...
Is Columbia University a defining moment in student protest?
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Columbia University in New York this week called in police to arrest pro-Palestinian protestors. Universities have always championed free speech. Is C...
The outback pub where two-up is legal all year round
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At pubs around the country, people are watching pairs of coins tossed in the air for the classic ANZAC Day tradition of playing two-up. In most part...
The rise and rise of ANZAC day
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this Anzac Day morning, we reflect on the rise and rise of Anzac Day and how only a generation ago, it was declining before a huge upsurge in inter...
Would tougher bail laws make women safer?
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At the beginning of this week, a woman was allegedly murdered by her former partner while he was out on bail. He’d been charged with her rape as wel...
More parents are choosing to keep their kids off socials
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Social media has become entrenched in our society, replacing town squares and the water cooler as the place we come together to share our lives, our t...
Meet the double act who want to be Australia's first job-sharing MP
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time, two independent candidates are attempting to run for federal parliament as ‘job-sharing candidates’. Lucy Bradlow and Bron...
Doctors Note: The consequences
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we bring you the final episode of our exclusive, three-part special investigation into the risky new frontier of Australia's healthcare system....
Doctors Note: The sting operation
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we bring you the second part of our exclusive, three-part special investigation into the risky new frontier of Australia's healthcare system. ...
Doctors Note: What you don't know could kill you
21 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we bring you the first part of our exclusive, three-part special investigation into the risky new frontier of Australia's healthcare system. ...
How Andreas Lundin survived Alone Australia and eating possum
20 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alone has been dubbed the most successful original commission in SBS history. The series is a reality show like never before, where 10 people get drop...
Esme Louise James is the kinkiest historian you'll ever meet
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
History is a lot of things. Fascinating, confronting, sometimes shameful, often brutal, and also incredibly kinky. Esme Louise James is a sex historia...
'Cicada-geddon' is about to sweep across America
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This spring, up to 16 states across the US will see a natural phenomenon of spectacular proportions not seen in over 200 years, as an estimated trilli...
Could we be seeing the end of trial by jury? Higgins Judge weighs in
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week lawyers in New York are trying to pick the jury for Donald Trump’s trial. On the first day more than 50 potential jurors were dismissed, w...
After Bondi, here's what you should know about schizophrenia
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Australia was shocked as a mass stabbing event unfolded at Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre at the weekend. The centre reopened tod...
Something in the water? The Boomer stare explained
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The health issues associated with long-term lead poisoning are not secret and governments around the world have been making moves since the 1970s to l...
Behind the evil tech that DV offenders use to maintain control
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Malware, spyware and stalkerware programs give unauthorised and undetected insight into another person’s device. All too often, they are used as an ...
The significance of Iran's strike on Israel explained
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Iran dropped 300 missiles and drones on Israeli territory over the weekend after an air strike on Iran’s consulate in Syria last week. Most were int...
Why Gen Z needs a crash course in communication
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The National Institute of Dramatic Art has launched a new course to help teach Gen Z how to be in an office environment after they came of age during ...
Sex work in 2024: Is the world’s oldest profession still worth it?
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sex work is often referred to as the world’s oldest profession, and our attitudes to it are rapidly evolving. The language around it has changed, an...
Court finds Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bruce Lehrmann has lost his defamation trial against Lisa Wilkinson and Channel Ten. The court today found that, on the balance of probabilities, Lehr...
Bondi Junction: a nation mourns
14 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Australia stood still on Saturday afternoon when news reports started to feature reports of a stabbing at the Westfield shopping centre at Bondi Junct...
Sex work in 2024: Can your boss stop your sex work side hustle
14 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sex work is often referred to as the world’s oldest profession, and our attitudes to it are rapidly evolving. The language around it has changed, an...
Meet the 16-year-old news anchor Leo Puglisi behind 6NEWSAU
13 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Leo Puglisi is the 16 year old anchor-man who isn’t afraid of tackling the big dogs. When Leo was 11 years old he founded 6NEWS Australia which lead...
How Michael Shafar became the accidental Jewish rep of comedy
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is laughter the best medicine? Well comedian Michael Shafar might be able to help with that. He’s probably the only person who can make fun being Je...
The textbook child star rebrand of JoJo Siwa
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The rebranding of child stars as they transition into more mature identities is nothing new. After Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus, we're now seeing Jo...
Why South Korean women are swearing off men
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you heard of the 4B movement? It’s a feminist action that’s taking hold of South Korea. The movement follows the four B’s: no marriage, no ...
Turns out we aren’t paying enough for our daily cup of coffee
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Plenty of Australians have been cutting down on their daily coffee amid the cost-of-living crisis, but new research shows that cafe coffee in Australi...
Why QLD's new coercive control laws may not be enforced
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
QLD has introduced strict new coercive control laws. Coercive control has serious and traumatic impacts for a victim. It can be subtle and insidious, ...
How the end of MONA's Ladies Lounge could still be part of the art
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tasmania’s MONA has been forced to allow men into its women’s only Ladies Lounge. A NSW man who was upset when he was denied entry into the lou...
The Youth Curfew in Alice Springs has been extended, so is it working?
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A few weeks ago, chaos erupted in the heart of Alice Springs, with unrest that saw buildings trashed, the doors of the local tavern kicked in, and a c...
Is AUKUS about to become JAUKUS?
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The federal government this morning announced that the AUKUS defence agreement partners (Australia, the United States and the UK) are considering expa...
Why the new flu jab is a game changer
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new flu vaccine has arrived in Australia and it’s not like traditional vaccines – it's cell-based. Cell-based flu vaccines are developed differe...
Rhys Nicholson on RuPaul’s Drag Race & why redheads have more fun
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hey Briefers. An apology: this interview was scheduled to be released on Saturday morning, but due to a technical glitch it didn't, so it's appearing ...
Sex work in 2024: How the internet has changed the industry
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sex work is often referred to as the world’s oldest profession, and our attitudes to it are rapidly evolving. The language around it has changed...
Sex work in 2024: how did we get here?
07 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sex work is often referred to as the world's oldest profession and our attitudes to it are rapidly evolving. The language around it has changed, and p...
How YouTubers Boy Boy snuck into a CIA base without getting arrested
06 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine going to North Korea to get a haircut or breaking into a military base, well YouTubers Alex Apollonov and Aleksa Vulovic did just that. The gu...
The Quiet on Set documentary is about to ruin your childhood nostalgia
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new documentary exposing the dark underbelly of kid’s television in the nineties and early 2000s is dropping in Australia today. Quiet on Set ...
Could Australia become a dumping ground for nuclear waste?
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Australia could be taking on nuclear waste from the AUKUS submarine deal after new laws tabled in Parliament last year. The legislation says it would ...
The long road for those suffering with long covid
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's been over four years since COVID-19 first shook the world. And though vaccines have allowed many of us to move on with our lives, a large number ...
What is the National Autism Strategy and why does Australia need one?
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this week the Federal Government released a draft of the National Autism Strategy, in the hopes to improve the lives of autistic Australians. ...
Could aid relief in Gaza halt after the death of innocent aid workers?
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Seven aid workers for the World Central Kitchen, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, are confirmed to have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza...
What the Armaguard crisis tells us about the future of cash
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Armaguard, the cash delivery business, is going broke. No one uses cash anymore so the nation's number one cash-in-transit business is losing money. W...
Behind the first successful pig-to-human kidney transplant
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Late last month, Richard Slayman became the first person in history to successfully undergo an organ transplantation of a genetically modified pig kid...
Is this the end of Reddit as we know it?
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Reddit has gone public, making its debut on the New York stock exchange. Its value made it over $9b. Reddit is one of the world’s most popular websi...
How Black artists like Beyoncé are reclaiming country music
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Though Beyoncé has claimed that Cowboy Carter is a 'Beyoncé album', rather than 'a country album', it's a release that definitely dips into the genr...
Inbox Zero or Inbox 7,568? How you should manage your emails
31 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you have thousands of emails in your inbox, or are you an Inbox Zero type of person? A new study is looking at personal email management, and has f...
Why Tom Ballard is so angry at politicians
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Ballard is possibly the most political comedian in Australia, with his stand up tackling issues including asylum seekers, racism, the monarchy and...
Radio Queen Emma Chow on balancing Mike E, the mic & motherhood
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Emma Chow is one half of the 14-years strong radio duo Mike E & Emma- broadcasting live every weekday nationally for their breakfast show. Emma ha...
It’s only March – why am I already exhausted?
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone’s hustling, everyone’s struggling with cost of living pressures, rents are rising, interest rates are rising. We’re exhausted, and it’...
How chocolate has helped bring bilbies back from the brink
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Once upon a time bilbies lived all over Australia; where there was desert, there was a bilby. After the introduction of cats and foxes, the bilby’s ...
The truth about how ticketing for concerts works in Australia
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Right now, Moshtix is in the process of refunding all of the tickets for the Splendour in the Grass festival, after the unexpected news that the event...
Why Splendour is the latest in a long line of cancelled Aussie music festivals
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Splendour in the Grass will not go ahead this year, and we are yet to learn the official reason. This isn’t the first time the event has been hit wi...
An Australian engineer explains the Baltimore bridge disaster
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
About 1:30AM local time, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed after being struck by a container ship. The loaded ship re...
Who is Kristi Noam, Trump's likely running mate
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump and Joe Biden have now secured their respective parties’ presidential nomination for the November US presidential election.Biden will p...
Computer chips inside your brain are now possible. Here's how it works
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Noland Arbaugh was paralysed from the shoulders down after a diving accident eight years ago. But now, thanks to a brain computer interface chip, he's...
What is ISIS-K and why has it targeted Russia?
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Russia has suffered its deadliest terror attack in 20 years, after 133 people were killed and 100 were injured when gunmen opened fire at a theatre in...
This is why Tasmania's election was important
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The results from Tasmania's election, which took place over the weekend, are mostly in. While Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff called the election a ye...
Why are we making weapons for the US?
24 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know Australia has been recruited by America to produce some of its weapons?The wars in Ukraine and Gaza have stretched US capabilities to mak...
Dr Zac Seidler on toxic masculinity and dealing with grief
23 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Zac Seidler is a clinical psychologist, researcher and leading men’s mental health expert. With seven men across Australia dying by suicide every...
Reuben Kaye on why trauma makes you funny
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Reuben Kaye is what happens when you tell your children they can be anything. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Reuben recalls the moment he disco...
Why politicians are always trying to build new stadiums
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why are politicians so desperate for the sport vote? As Tasmania head into an election this weekend, one of the major talking points surrounds whet...
Why Leonardo DiCaprio wants Tasmanians to vote Green
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tasmania goes to the polls this weekend, and one of the major issues people will be voting on is whether to log or not to log the state’s forests. T...
Is Boeing an airplane manufacturer in crisis?
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There's been a lot of attention on Boeing recently, after a spate of inflight incidents. In January, a Boeing 737 Max on a flight from Portland to O...
Harmony Day's racist roots
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today is Harmony Day when Australia celebrates its multiculturism and diversity, but did you know we’re the only country who does? It’s because Au...
Monique Ryan wants you to pay less on your HECS debt
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, over half a million Australians saw their HECS debt grow faster than it was being repaid. Teal Independent MP Dr Monique Ryan says it’s...
Why are families with twins, triplets and quadruplets overlooked in Australia?
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, a report found that Australia offers the least amount of parental leave support to parents of multiples in the OECD. In fact, extra payment...
Who is Banksy? After decades of anonymity, we might be about to find out
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Banksy is the artist behind the most famous, subversive and satirical street art on the planet. Yet despite their notoriety over the last two decades,...
If the US bans TikTok, will Australia follow suit?
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The US is moving to ban TikTok after a bill passed through its House of Representatives last week. It’s given TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance about...
Behind Putin's rigged, but significant, Russian election
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vladimir Putin has been re-elected as Russia’s president for the fifth time over the weekend. Before the polls even opened all serious challengers h...
Why won’t Egypt let Palestinians cross the border?
17 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The war between Israel and Hamas has been raging for five months, more than 30,000 people have been killed, and it’s spawned a massive refugee crisi...
Patrick deWitt on creativity and age
16 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick deWitt is an award winning author, and screenwriter. In this chat with Tom Tilley, Patrick talks about his latest novel The Librarianist, and ...
Veronica B on comedy and Crohn's disease
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sydney-based content creator Veronica B is many things, but she’s perhaps best known for her hilarious comedy skits where she plays Aunty Salma, a c...
How Salad Fingers pioneered the weird part of the internet
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The first ever academic study has finally been written about Salad Fingers, a video series created in 2004 that later went viral on YouTube. Salad Fin...
The deepfake voice scam that you need to be prepared for
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a new phone-scam that’s being reported around the world, and it’s petrifying. It uses an AI generated cloned version of a loved one, who...
What's behind the chaos in Haiti?
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Haiti has been all over international headlines this week, and it’s culminated in the Caribbean country’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry being forced ...