The Briefing
Episodes
Lisa Wilkinson was the girl least likely
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lisa Wilkinson has lived most of her life in the public eye. At age just 21 she became editor of DOLLY magazine, before going on to edit CLEO magazine...
Why are truck drivers shutting down Canada's capital Ottawa?
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As many as 1000 trucks have converged on Canada’s capital, Ottawa. The Freedom Convoy 2000 has rallied to protest mandatory vaccines for C...
The fallout from Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins’ Press Club address
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins addressed the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday to highlight the plight of victims of sexual assault. Amy Reme...
Is Denmark providing us a glimpse of our post-Covid future?
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark has become the first European country to lift ALL covid restrictions... except international arrivals who’ll need to be double-vaxxed.&n...
The fallout from the Citipointe College scandal
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A Brisbane Christian college has backflipped on its policy that required parents a sign a contract, that said children could be expelled based on thei...
Australia's first Winter Olympic gold medallist, Steven Bradbury
06 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Winter Olympic Games kicked off over the weekend in Beijing in China. Politics will be bubbling beneath the surface, with Russian President ...
Dr Norman Swan on sudden fame and pandemic politics
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Norman Swan's COVID-19 analysis has made him one of the most recognisable media identities in the last two years. But where did this hi...
Hillsong and the Seven Mountains Mandate
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We learned this week Hillsong founder and global leader Brian Houston is stepping down to fight charges that he concealed his father’s alleged s...
IVF backflip exposes crisis in elective surgery
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When state governments pause elective surgeries - to free resources to handle covid cases - it’s a huge deal to people waiting for those surgeri...
Covid and the decline of mental health in aged care
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The aged care sector is in crisis, with hundreds dying from Covid already this year….. 2022 is already shaping up as the worst year for nursing...
Why are there no new cars in Australia?
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a major crisis in the Australian automotive industry. There are basically no new cars. It’s partly to do with the globa...
Are we throwing teachers under the bus??
30 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Students return to schools across the country this week (except for QLD) and they face a very challenging tension point for ‘living with covid&r...
Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews are Shameless
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You've probably heard of Shameless, the celebrity and pop culture podcast that has taken the country by storm. But who are Michelle Andrews and Zara M...
Will Omicron force a double backflip for WA?
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Western Australia has been cut off from the rest of the country for the last two years. WA Premier Mark McGowan shut the borders letting only a ...
Who’s making the big bucks on RATs?
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world has gone crazy for rapid antigen tests. Schoolchildren will be tested twice a week when school returns; some people are even asking th...
Young Australian of the Year: Daniel Nour
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Nour was last night named Young Australian of the Year. Daniel was leaving Waterloo Station in London and saw a crowd gathering – ...
Novak’s gone home, but this man’s still locked up
24 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world watched on as the Australian government ripped up world tennis number one Novac Djokovic’s visa. He was taken into detention, an...
'My Mum died after deliberately catching Covid'
23 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
57-year-old Czech folk singer Hana Horka died last week after getting Covid... she was unvaccinated... and chose not to isolate from her husband and s...
Michelle Law writes Asian characters who aren’t just sidekicks
21 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up on the Sunshine Coast, Michelle Law was both very aware and a little resistant to her own Chinese-ness. As an adult, she has embraced the c...
Should I deliberately catch Covid-19?
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
People are deliberately trying to catch Covid-19. Some are hoping by catching it now, they can make sure they’re Covid-free for a big even...
Joe Biden's first year in the White House - how it all went wrong
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today marks one year in the White House for US President Joe Biden. We’re joined by Damien Cave, the New York Times’ Australian cor...
Eastern Europe, Djokovic and vaccine hesitancy
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Australia has been gripped by the Novak Djokovic saga. His plight has highlighted a much wider vaccine story emerging in Eastern Europe. ...
The Aussie journo who fact-checked the world’s biggest podcaster
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
American comedian and sports commentator Joe Rogan hosts the most popular podcast in the world – often clocking up 11 million listens per episod...
The REAL story behind Australia's so-called 'food shortage'
16 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Australians are finding supermarket shelves empty – again. It’s largely due to the fact the federal government has told us all...
Lucy Durack is the Queen of Australian Musical Theatre
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Durack is the human personification of sunshine. The former star of the Australian production of Wicked is one of the most sought after people in...
The US and Russia face off over the future of Ukraine
13 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world is pre-occupied with the Covid Omicron explosion, but a huge story is playing out in a standoff between Russia and the United States over th...
Should we go back into lockdown?
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Three leading health experts have released a joint statement asking Australia’s leaders to reintroduce some Covid restrictions, such as mask-wea...
The Omicron crisis is crippling our hospital system
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Covid’s Omicron variant is running riot across the country. Some of our listeners, who are nurses, told us about the strain they’re ...
Novak Djokovic's battle to win a record tenth Australian Open
10 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world is watching Australia deal with Novak Djokovic, the number one men’s tennis player on the planet. Novak wants to compete in the ...
Tom and Jan back for our first full Briefing of 2022
09 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Covid’s Omicron variant is running riot across Australia. Tens of thousands of people are testing positive, throwing our Christmas and sum...
Summer Briefing Friday January 7, 2022
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
More Australian Open exemptions under scrutiny; and the US marks the first anniversary of the deadly Capitol riotsSee omnystudio.com/listener for priv...
Summer Briefing Tuesday Jan 4, 2022
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Todays Headlines Millions eligible for booster shot from today Canberra foots the bill for 84 million rapid tests QLD beaches still closed due to wil...
Summer Briefing Monday Jan 3, 2022
02 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Todays Headlines Fears of 100,000 cases a day by the end of January WA slams border shut to Tasmania and ACT Employment numbers surge Australia bags ...
Summer Briefing Friday Dec 31, 2021
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year to all our listeners. We look forward to joining you in 2022!! Todays Headlines New isolation rules in place Exper...
Summer Briefing Thursday Dec 30, 2021
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todays Headlines Quarantine to be cut to seven days amid changes to isolation requirements Welfare payments to get a boost WA police arrest a man lin...
Summer Briefing Wednesday Dec 29, 2021
28 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todays Headlines NSW overhauls quarantine protocols States struggle with PCR testing Black Jack claims line honours Follow The Briefing AND DON'T FO...
Summer Briefing Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
27 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our 300th episode for the year!!!!! Todays Headlines Cricket bosses confident Sydney test will go ahead despite Covid dramas States and territ...
Summer Briefing Monday Dec 27, 2021
26 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todays Headlines Covid rule changes in NSW and SA Homes under threat from two raging bushfires in WA The Queen pays tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tut...
Summer Briefing Friday December 24, 2021
23 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ways to celebrate Christmas in a Covid safe way amid a surge in cases A new finger prick test to tell when we're due for a booster shot The n...
Summer Briefing Thursday Dec 23, 2021
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Interstate Covid testing requirements under review Another vaccine to become available in Australia within weeks The first of six children killed i...
Summer Briefing Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todays Headlines New modelling predicts hundreds of thousands of daily Covid cases unless authorities act now Quarantine-free travel to New Zealand d...
Summer Briefing Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todays Headlines Emergency National Cabinet meeting called as Australia battles Omicron Covid variant Tennis legend Rafael Nadal tests Covid positi...
Summer Briefing Monday Dec 20, 2021
19 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todays Headlines How Christmas could be a super-spreader event Specialist NSW police to investigate Tasmanian jumping castle tragedy New rules forcin...
Dinesh Palipana was told to forget becoming a doctor
17 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dinesh Palipana works as a doctor in one of Australia’s busiest hospital emergency rooms. If this wasn’t impressive enough, Dinesh also ha...
A bold prediction on what will sway the election
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australians will go to the polls in 2022 to elect a federal government. There are so many critical issues dominating the news: Covid-19 and its ...
The curveballs of 2021 - with Tom and Katrina
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
2021 has certainly thrown us some curveballs. Covid’s Delta outbreak (and then Omicron), lockdowns, protests and vaccine mandates, the Royal fam...
Inside the UK’s Omicron tidal wave
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Booster jabs will be offered to everyone over 18 in England from this week. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation and said: ...
Does NZ’s tobacco ban make sense?
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
New Zealand has introduced a very radical plan to ban smoking for the next generation. Legislation, which comes into effect next year, means those who...
Why teachers are walking out of classrooms
12 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Teachers are walking out of classrooms across the country. They’re protesting in the streets. The pandemic meant they had to complet...
Comedian Luke McGregor is serious about sex
10 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Luke McGregor is refreshingly honest, totally uncomfortable and hilariously funny. You might known him as one half of the writing and acting team behi...
Sacked for using legal medicinal cannabis - a landmark trial
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mitchell Rice was dismissed by his employer Queensland Rail on the basis of having used a legally prescribed cannabis product to treat his m...
Did the Bitcoin trial solve the mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto?
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s Briefing, we go back to a story we did two weeks ago about the inventor of bitcoin. A Florida court has ruled that Craig ...
Is infinite browsing limiting your ability to commit?
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Do you find yourself infinitely browsing? Never able to make a commitment? To a movie? A partner? A job? Pete Davis is a writ...
How global Covid trolls came to the Northern Territory
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner broke down last month talking about death threats he and his family had received from online trolls p...
Anti-vax to Q-Anon: the paranoid fusion of online conspiracies
05 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone knows someone who’s been swayed by internet conspiracies…misinformation about the Covid vaccine, covid conspiracies? 5G, fluorid...
Carly Findlay’s body isn’t up for public discussion
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Carly Findlay is an author and appearance activist who lives with a rare skin condition called ichthyosis, which makes her skin scaly and red. W...
The Ghislaine Maxwell trial
02 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are landmark court trials littered through US history….Michael Jackson’s two trials and OJ Simpson. The Ghislaine Maxwell tri...
Could Omicron end the pandemic?
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Saxon Mullins’ fight to reform sexual consent laws
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 2013 on a night out in Kings Cross a devastating encounter in a laneway changed the course of Saxon Mullins’ life. I...
The Omicron story so far
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The world has a new variant of the Covid-19 virus to contend with. Omicron was first detected in Botswana and has already be...
Western Australians speak their minds on border situation
28 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Western Australia will stay closed for Christmas with its border not reopening until at least late January. WA premier Mark McGowan says waiting to li...
The time Matt Okine caught the matrix out
26 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 Tr...
The English Channel boat tragedy reveals a bigger story
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
31 people drowned when a boatload of asylum seekers capsized in the English Channel this week. The international community all of a sudden becam...
How did it come to this? The divisive vaccine mandate debate
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The debate over vaccine mandates has erupted in a war of words. Thousands of protestors marched in Australian capital cities last week...
Could an Australian be the creator of Bitcoin
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 d...
The story behind the migrant crisis at the Belarus/Poland border
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Thousands of migrants are trapped on the Belarus/Poland border. The asylum seekers from the Middle East have clashed with border police as even ...
Nats What I Reckon!!!
21 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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,...
Shane Jenek is Australia's favourite drag queen
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
One of the victims of the Qatar Airport invasive searches
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s story starts back on October 2, 2020, when Qatari authorities grounded planes at Hamad International Airport in Doha after a baby was fo...
Victoria’s controversial pandemic bill explained
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Five million people in Melbourne emerged from lockdown in late October after spending a world record 262 days in lockdown. The Victorian Parliam...
How has Covid impacted the world's oldest profession?
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Freed Britney
15 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A court has finally freed Britney Spears from her conservatorship... where her father controlled almost every aspect of her life for 13 years. &...
What about the children?
14 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode of the Briefing …what about the children... do we really understand the impact of covid and lockdowns on children unde...
Yumi Stynes tears open the sealed section on life
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 topi...
The explosion of phone-based scams
11 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 Austral...
What's with 'Let's Go Brandon'?
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
'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...
Travis Scott's dangerous history
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Eight people were killed at Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in the US state of Texas last Friday. Scott’s history leaves yo...
The nun from Dead Man Walking
08 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
How police will interview four year old Cleo Smith
07 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The nation breathed a collective sigh of relief last Wednesday when four-year-old Cleo Smith was found alive and well. Detectives ar...
Deni Todorovic is doing life in style
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You might know Deni Todorovic from their instagram page stylebydeni, where they regularly don fun and playful outfits including colourful evening gown...
What is the Metaverse?
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced last week the social media giant would now be known as Meta, to reflect his vision of dominating the “met...
Ex school teacher defies music industry gatekeepers
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 downlo...
Breaking news: Cleo Smith is found alive and well
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Police in Western Australia have found missing four-year-old Cleo Smith. Officers broke into a locked house in the town of Carnarvon, 900 kilom...
ICAC and Gladys Berejiklian: Was it just a bad boyfriend
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Gladys Berejiklian stunned the people of NSW on October 1st by announcing her resignation. The state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption...
How to know if you’re lonely
01 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s Briefing, we’ll learn just how much better life could be if we properly understood loneliness... because it’s connected t...
Are we risk-takers or not? An American weighs in
31 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When Damien Cave brought his young family to Sydney to set up the New York Times’ Australian Bureau, they encountered the local pursuits of Nipp...
Steph Claire Smith on motherhood and measuring up
29 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Steph Claire Smith isn’t your average model turned fitness influencer. Boasting over one million followers on social media, the 27-year-old...
Why Dave Chappelle and Hannah Gadsby are clashing
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What’s behind the stoush between Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby and the US superstar Dave Chapelle? It’s all about Chappell...
Why were there bullets on the set? Alec Baldwin disaster
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The film industry was in shock last week when a director of photography was shot dead on the set of a movie in New Mexico. The shot was fired by...
Japan’s Harry & Meghan: a princess gives up her title for love
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The world’s media is comparing the saga surrounding yesterday’s marriage of Japan’s Princess Mako and commoner Kei Komuro to the Har...
Why the microchip shortage could ruin Christmas
25 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The world is facing a shortage of vital semiconductor microchips. You might not be able to find the tech gift you were planning on buying f...
Why the Nationals finally caved on net zero
24 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s Briefing is a deep dive on the politics playing out in Canberra between the Coalition partners. The National Party has agre...
Get your geek on with Lawrence Leung
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lawrence Leung is a Melbourne-based comedian, writer and actor who, as it turns out, has a very surprising past! He was once a teenage g...
Australia’s first ‘stealthing’ law
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Stealthing is the act of removing a condom mid-sex, without the partner’s knowledge. It’s become an issue of debate since the term w...
Dan Ilic's Times Square campaign to embarrass Scott Morrison
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australian comedian Dan Ilic has started a crowdfunding campaign to fund Times Square billboards to embarrass Prime Minister Scott Morrison and ...
What ‘net zero’ actually means
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone’s talking about ‘net zero’. What does it actually mean? And …why is the Prime Minister Scott Morrison so...
Superstar astronaut, now author Chris Hadfield
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield was commander of the International Space Station. He became famous when he published videos of experiments he ...
The hidden value of psychics
17 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s briefing investigates the world of psychics and asks the fundamental question - are they dangerous charlatans or do they actually p...
Dr Yves Rees, the trans historian leaning into the messiness of gender identity
15 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Yves Rees (they/them) is an award-winning writer, podcaster and historian. When Yves was 30-years-old, they came to the underst...
Immunocompromised: the forgotten people
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Simone, a Briefing listener, reached out to ask us to do an episode on the plight of immunocompromised Australians. Many have terminal ill...