The Briefing

Emma Carey fell from the sky – and survived.

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Emma Carey says she wasn’t a particularly positive person before her accident. She was working in a job that she didn’t particularly like, going t...

An important week in the battle for Ukraine

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a critical week in the war in Ukraine.  After almost 9 months of conflict, more than 6,000 people have died and countless regions heavily...

QLD’s DNA lab crisis from the man behind the Teacher’s Pet

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An inquiry is underway into a Queensland lab that failed to test thousands of DNA samples. The lab demanded that to progress to DNA profiling, crime s...

The sliding doors of tragedy: Bali Bombing 20 years on

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the 20th anniversary of the Bali bombings. On 12 October 2002, 202 people - including 88 Australians - were killed when explosions ripped throu...

Why the ISIS brides are coming home

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Australian government is preparing to launch a mission to rescue dozens of Australian women and children trapped in Syrian detention camps. More t...

Where does your data go when it's stolen?

09 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Optus customers were horrified to discover last week their personal data had been hacked. Optus estimates that up to 9.8 million Australians could hav...

Treasurer Jim Chalmers on what to expect on budget night.

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will deliver his first budget later this month. The 44-year-old has been tipped as ‘one to watch’ since he was a 20-somethi...

Stolen artefacts given back but looting continues

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s Briefing is about returning artefacts to their rightful owners. From skulls to statues and super rare antiquities; nations, like Australia a...

You’ve heard of toxic masculinity, but what is positive masculinity?

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to discussions of men and gender, it’s almost impossible to avoid saying or hearing the term toxic masculinity. It’s recently become...

How to make vaping uncool

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s an age-old question for adults: how to get the message through to teenagers that something they think is cool is actually dangerous, and they s...

Patagonia founder gives away his company

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The owner of the $3B outdoor apparel brand Patagonia has given his company away to fight climate change.   Depending on his profits around $100m a y...

BookTok: How TikTok is changing what you’re reading

02 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is the BookTok phenomenon? Is it making reading cool? And how is it affecting book sales? There’s been a big surge in book sales, and publisher...

Louise Milligan and the brutal cost of justice

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Louise Milligan is an investigative reporter for 7.30 and Four Corners on the ABC, Louise Milligan’s job is to uncover and explore the complicated, ...

What is going on in Iran?

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What’s happening in Iran? We look into the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini and why it’s causing so much anger in Iran and around the world.  W...

Dangerous or desperate? Putin's double down in Ukraine

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last week Vladimir Putin announced that he was calling up 300k reservists to fight in the war in Ukraine and is threatening nuclear action once again....

Where are the conservative women going?

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Charlotte Mortlock - Former Sky News journalist, is behind the drive called Hilma's Network to get more women in politics.  Mortlock thinks more wome...

Has the Bali bombmaker been deradicalised?

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Bali bombings, the bombmaker Umar Patek became eligible for parole.  Patek had his sentence reduced last mo...

Mystery USB stick reveals cosmetic surgery nightmare

25 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

They have been dubbed "cosmetic cowboys" and now the federal government is reining them in. Antoinette Lattouf talks to investigative journalist Adele...

Nakkiah Lui’s biggest role yet

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nakkiah Lui is an actor, writer and comedian. She is a Gamilaroi and Torres Strait Islander woman who is well known as a passionate, determined advoca...

The Aussie invention that lets you type using your mind

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine you could control digital devices using just the power of thought. Although it’s a little more complex than that, an implantable brain-compu...

Why are crime rates falling?

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know crime statistics in Australia have been steadily falling over the last 20 years. We are now living arguably some of our safest lives ever...

The campaign to bring back the Tasmanian Tiger

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A campaign has been launched to bring back the Tasmanian Tiger; the carnivorous marsupial extinct in Australia since the 1930s. Despite hundreds of si...

Pre-bunking: how to identify misinformation

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Google is trying out pre-bunking techniques in a number of eastern European countries after a study found pre-bunking helped ‘inoculate’ people ag...

Indigenous perspectives on the Queen’s funeral

18 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Queen’s funeral is tonight and it’s expected to be the most-watched television event of all time. Four billion people are expected to tune in....

Hugh Van Cuylenburg is a resilient work in progress

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hugh Van Cuylenburg is a bestselling author and co-host of the popular podcast, The Imperfects. Hugh works in the area of resilience, through his podc...

ARIA Awards respond to accusations of institutional racism

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rapper Tasman Keith says the ARIA Awards should be judged on art, not charts. Is he right?  Keith posted a lengthy explainer on how the ARIA Awards a...

Six months of Russian sanctions: the real impact

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, a wide range of sanctions has been imposed by western countries. Sanctions are penalties imposed by one country on anoth...

Do you know the real Charles, the person behind the crown?

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We have now entered the realm of King Charles III. To many, Charles is an eccentric environmentalist whose relationship with his first wife Diana fill...

How to not worry in chaotic times

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With the Queen’s death last week, the world woke to a new generation. We have a new King, a new heir to the throne and many expect conversations to ...

The Queen's final journey explained

11 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Queen’s body has begun its journey from Scotland to England. Tens of thousands of Britons lined the highways of Scotland overnight to watch the ...

Hannah Diviney is changing the world one lyric at a time

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Two months ago Hannah Diviney wrote a tweet that went viral. Hannah was the driving force behind Lizzo and Beyonce, two of the most powerful and influ...

The Queen has died aged 96

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s Briefing, we bring you the news that Queen Elizabeth has died aged 96. Buckingham Palace made the official announcement at 6.30pm British...

Online child abuse: why Australia’s the test case

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s National Child Protection Week. Australian authorities have served Apple, Microsoft and Meta with world-first legal orders this week to come cl...

Badness: an ex top cop on why some people are evil

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As a detective, Gary Jubelin used to sit on one side of the interview room table facing murderers, child abductors and rapists. Now he’s sitting on ...

Japan reboots its nuclear reactors

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Japan is planning a dramatic shift back to nuclear power more than a decade on from the Fukushima disaster. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced las...

How your friends impact your bank balance

04 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A new study has found friendships between rich and poor can reduce poverty. The study looked at thousands of social media connections and found if poo...

Johnny Ruffo & Jamila Rizvi have something surprising in common

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Johnny Ruffo is an Australian singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, television personality and now a newly minted author, with his memoir No Finish Line....

Where the big money is

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Could your next job be in tech? Job shortages are hitting the Australian economy hard, mostly in lower-skilled lower-paid jobs. One sector is bucking ...

The Chris Dawson guilty verdict explained

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In one of the most anticipated courtroom verdicts in living memory, Chris Dawson was this week found guilty of murdering his wife Lynette more than 40...

Could the teal wave crash upcoming state elections

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At May’s federal election, six so-called teal independents defeated six sitting Liberal MPs. Teal is a mix of green and blue - so voters saw the six...

What they found in the drugs: Canberra’s pill testing trial

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Back on July 19th, Australia’s first fixed pill testing site opened in Canberra’s city centre. The pilot program is running two nights a week for ...

As Instagram battles TikTok, BeReal attacks from the other side

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Could BeReal overtake Instagram and Facebook? Data from Google trends, which ranks a search term’s popularity out of 100, shows social media platfor...

The double-edged sword of making robots more human

27 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 fo...

Beyond The Binary with Nevo Zisin

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nevo Zisin is a queer author, speaker, performer, and activist. Their speaking and writing in the gender and LGBTQIA+ space has been affirming for so ...

An intimacy coordinator takes us behind the scenes

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Actor Sean Bean, known for Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings has been getting heat for saying intimacy coordinators reduce “the natural way love...

Shockwaves: 20 years since the Bali Bombings

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shockwaves: The Bali Bombings is a narrative documentary series exploring the lives of people in Australia and Bali impacted by the 12 October 2002 Ba...

Why homosexuality is dividing the Anglican Church

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s been a major split in Australia’s Anglican Church; conservatives who oppose same-sex marriage have launched a breakaway movement led by fo...

Why women are ditching the pill

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The oral contraceptive pill was an absolute game changer for Australian women when it was introduced back in 1961. Why then, are oral contraceptives o...

The Salman Rushdie stabbing: why he was targeted

21 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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....

Are Australia’s coal companies underreporting their methane emissions?

20 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 fo...

Ezi Magbegor is taking the world by storm

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 sa...

Will a Native American technique help save Australian Indigenous languages?

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Native Americans have been teaching Indigenous Australians how to strengthen their languages at a conference in Alice Springs. The Master-Apprentice m...

The man who exposed Scott Morrison’s secret portfolios

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The nation has been stunned by revelations in Simon Benson’s new book Plagued, where we learned former Prime Minister Scott Morrison assigned minist...

Stop It At The Start: talking to your children about domestic violence

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Not all disrespect towards women ends in violence, but all violence against women starts with disrespectful behaviour.  We want to set good examples ...

Australia’s leading investigative journalist Nick McKenzie on neo-Nazis in Australia

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We’re joined by leading investigative journalist Nick McKenzie to take a deep dive into Australia's neo-Nazi movement. McKenzie has gained footage f...

Misdiagnosis: when your doctor is not listening

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 Dah...

Infowars' Alex Jones demolished by Sandy Hook mother

14 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 hoa...

How to stop the Murray-Darling Basin from running dry

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 fo...

Indira Naidoo on the healing power of nature

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Indira Naidoo is an Australian author, journalist, television and radio presenter. She has had a colourful life, full of travel and unique experiences...

How to be time wise in the age of distraction

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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? Doe...

Batgirl: Why a $113m film was trashed

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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. ...

What to do when Elon Musk’s space junk lands on your property

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 l...

Monkeypox: Are you at risk?

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On July 23, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus declared the monkeypox outbreak a “public health emergency of internationa...

Taiwan explainer: how it became a global flashpoint

07 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

Introducing The Science Briefing; a new podcast about the science of everything

06 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 podc...

Sammy J on privacy in the public eye

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Samuel Jonathan McMillan was editing the United Nations Youth Australia newsletter and studying law at Melbourne University when he realised that he w...

LIV: Saudi Arabia’s global sportswashing campaign

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

How to get a better deal in the jobs boom

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Know your losses: a major new gambling reform

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a major new reform, Aussies using online betting accounts will receive a monthly statement detailing their losses. It means people with gambling is...

Cruise ships: are Covid fears overblown?

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 sh...

Should you be mindful of mindfulness

31 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The global wellness industry is worth more than four trillion dollars. It includes mindfulness, a type of meditation where you focus on being intens...

A Spoonful of Sarah Davidson

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Davidson describes herself as a funtrepreneur and an overenthusiastic life lover, who is interested in too many things. Sarah was adopted as a b...

How to 'adult' your way through the cost of living crisis

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Interest rate rises, fuel prices, fruit and vegetables, gas and electricity, groceries, childcare costs - that's the list of items getting more expens...

Can the NRL be LGBTQI inclusive without excluding religious players?

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Manly NRL pride jersey story has blown up into a complete fiasco. The club introduced a pride jersey, with four rainbow stripes to celebrate diver...

Scott Morrison's 'shameful' final act as prime minister

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison stunned Australians on election day by using the interception of a boatload of asylum seekers as a reason to vote...

‘Jobs for mates’ and the John Barilaro scandal

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The NSW Parliamentary inquiry into the appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a plum trade commissioner post in New York, is up and run...

The crisis in the construction industry

24 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode came via a message from one of our listeners, Jason on Instagram who wanted to point out the real issues the construction industry in Aus...

Tara Moss talks pain, prejudice and new projects

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tara Moss is a best-selling Canadian-Australian author who has written 14 books spanning multiple different genres.In addition to her books, Tara is a...

Uber Document Leak: Where their aggressive tactics left us…

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are our regulators better equipped to deal with a tech company employing the same aggressive tactics Uber did when it was expanding between 2013 - 201...

Deep dive: The State of Environment Report

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The State of Environment report is out, and the news isn’t good.   Australia has lost more mammal species than anywhere else on earth, along with h...

Long Covid: what the facts say

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Around eight million Australians are estimated to have been infected with Covid during the pandemic. Experts believe around 5% of those who catch the ...

The ACT’s bold pill-testing regime

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The ACT has always had a liberal approach to drug use. Cannabis was decriminalised in 2020. Today it opens a pill-testing facility in Canberra’s CBD...

When will travel return to normal post-pandemic?

17 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tom’s super keen to dust off his Bintang t-shirt and head to Bali. It seems everyone is overseas this winter. So how is the travel industry coping, ...

Deborah Frances-White is the original guilty feminist

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Frances-White is the original guilty feminist.   Deborah is an Australian-born, London-based writer and comedian who is best known for her a...

Could Elon Musk be forced to buy Twitter?

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Will Elon Musk be forced to buy Twitter? Twitter is suing Tesla CEO Elon Musk –after Musk said he wanted out of a deal to buy the social media platf...

Are we headed for a 'racial hierarchy'?

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The latest Census revealed we’re more culturally diverse as a nation than ever before. So, we’re asking the question: ‘should the next census in...

What the housing affordability crisis means for you

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Housing is the biggest living cost facing Australians. Despite the bluster, major parties aren’t offering anything to help people with the cost of r...

Boris Johnson’s shambolic prime ministership

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Boris Johnson has resigned as British prime minister after a series of scandals meant his party could no longer support him.       Latika Bourke, t...

The Toowoomba religious group whose members have been charged with murder

10 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

14 people are in custody following the death of an 8-year-old girl in the Queensland town of Toowoomba back in January. Her parents have been detained...

Dr Neela Janakiramanan tells us how to build a surgeon

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Neela Janakiramanan is a hand surgeon, based in Melbourne. The last two years have been trying for her and her colleagues, there is a significant p...

Is climate change to blame for devastating floods?

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Western Sydney and areas in the NSW Illawarra and Hunter have been hammered by yet another round of devastating floods for the fourth time in 18 month...

13 YARN: saving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders now have access to a new 24/7 national crisis support telephone service - 13 YARN The service is staffed by Abo...

The Covid episode we didn’t want to bring you

05 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone knows someone who’s getting Covid for a second time and epidemiologists are warning Covid is back on the agenda.  Why now? And how can you...

Whateverism: what do millennials believe in?

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most startling statistics from last year’s census was for the first time, fewer than half of Australians identified as Christian. 90% of ...

Why has crypto crashed?

03 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bitcoin made a splash when it was first introduced in 2009. Since then, investors have sunk billions of dollars into cryptocurrencies. Although they w...

Mim Rizvi spills the secrets on her sister

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Miriam Rizvi is one third of the ARIA award nominated children’s band, The Beanies. The Beanies also have a podcast on the LiSTNR app or wherever yo...

How music and faith helped an African Australian deal with life’s curveballs

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Aussie music journalist Mawunyo Gbogbo has written a memoir taking us from where she was born in Ghana; to country NSW where she grew up; to how she b...

The deathbed confession of Jane Roe (from Roe v Wade)

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

America has been rocked by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade - the case that has protected the right to abortion in the US for alm...

Is Musk right? Is work from home dead?

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The world watched on as Tesla founder Elon Musk told his staff working from home is over – and if they didn’t want to return to the office, they c...

The first day on the job for 35 new members of Parliament

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

So, you’ve been elected to Parliament.  What next?  How do you navigate the 75,000 square metres of Parliament House in Canberra?  Where do you g...