The Briefing
Episodes
Can you learn a musical instrument as an adult... and what does it do to your brain?
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Covid has made us all anxious. We’re all seeking ways to be more mindful, more relaxed, more in touch with now. Could learning a musical instrum...
1979 Luna Park Ghost Train fire: Accident or arson?
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Seven people, including six children, died in a horrific fire at Sydney’s Luna Park in 1979. Investigators at the time found an elect...
Will new online bullying laws impact sex workers?
14 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The federal government is introducing strict new online bullying laws, designed to stop trolls. The problem is, they powers are too broad. ...
The Weekend Briefing with Eddie Perfect
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jamila Rizvi talks to Eddie Perfect, the Australian who took over Broadway with his musical adaptations of Beetlejuice and King Kong. He rose t...
The Firm: an insider’s take on the royal family
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week has been one of the most tumultuous weeks in the British monarchy’s history. We take a look behind the scenes at Buckingham Pal...
Australia's new defamation laws and you
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
State governments across the country are changing defamation provisions. The laws haven’t been updated since 2005, when Facebook was still a fra...
Why are we so effing tired....?
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re more burned-out than ever before. A pandemic and back to back climate crises have left us fed-up and exhausted. We’re joined ...
Why would anyone become a politician...?
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Canberra has erupted with claims of toxic culture in the federal parliament – and the states are no better. So why would anyone choose to become...
Should robots manage Covid-19 quarantine?
07 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Victorian government is considering using robots to patrol the corridors of hotels where people are in quarantine to contain the coronavirus. &nbs...
The Weekend Briefing with Grace Tame
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Grace Tame made national headlines again this week after addressing the National Press Club amidst federal government sexual abuse allegations. ...
A nun and eight students walk into a courtroom…
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke but that’s exactly what happened this week when a group of teenagers and an 86-year-old nun took on t...
Why don’t men speak out about sexual assault?
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A second look at the sexual assault crisis in private schools and why we don’t hear men’s voices in the discussions about toxic masculinit...
The sexual assault crisis in private schools
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The private school system in Sydney has been rocked by thousands of claims of sexual assault. We’re joined by the former Kambala student ...
Are we on the brink of an underbelly-style gang war?
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Three high profile shootings in Sydney already this year have raised fears about a wave of gang violence. Two of the shootings involved i...
Could a young mum’s murder lead to new DV laws?
28 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australia was rocked by the murder of Brisbane mother Hannah Clarke and her three children. Her estranged husband breached an AVO and killed the...
The Weekend Briefing with Marc Fennell
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jamila Rizvi talks to Marc Fennell about the future of movies, the rise of streaming services, and what Marc has planned next. We consum...
SPECIAL BREAKING NEWS EPISODE: Melissa Caddick found dead
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
NSW Police announced this morning the missing financial adviser Melissa Caddick's remains have been found. A shoe containing a decomposed foot washed ...
Who won the fight, Australia or Facebook?
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The world watched on as Facebook pulled news from the feeds of its Australian users, over paying for the right to re-publish news. A...
Could climate change kill off summer sport?
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists say climate change – and rising temperatures – could kill off summer sport in Australia. The AFLW star Sharni Layton; an...
Crown casinos: the fall of the gambling empire
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Bergin Inquiry in NSW has found Crown Casinos is not fit to hold a casino licence, meaning its new multi-billion dollar tower in Sydney is a white...
The Pfizer vaccine rollout and you.
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Covid-19 vaccines have arrived. Tens of thousands of Australians will begin receiving jabs this week. We’re joined by Pfizer Australi...
An insider’s view of the WHO China Covid probe
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The World Health Organisation commissioned Chinese experts and 17 international experts to conduct an independent investigation of the origins of Covi...
The Weekend Briefing with Colin Fassnidge
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jamila Rizvi talks to Colin Fassnidge, the popular celebrity chef, My Kitchen Rules judge and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! contes...
The fallout from the Brittany Higgins scandal
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australia was shocked this week to learn a parliamentary staffer had been allegedly sexually assaulted in a minister’s office in parliament hous...
Have the Bilo Tamil family been given a fair go?
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two asylum seekers arrived from Sri Lanka on separate boats almost ten years ago. They fell in love and married, had two children and settled in...
Australia, we need to talk about toilet paper
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Every time there’s talk of lockdowns, Australians go into a frenzy, feverishly buying …. toilet paper. We’re joined by the c...
Good v evil. The AI race to control the globe.
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What will warfare look like in the future? Is artificial intelligence making us safer or making us more vulnerable? We’re joined by Max H...
Introducing Your Morning Agenda
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re looking for intelligent and unbiased news coverage, join renowned journalist Natarsha Belling for the key headlines and analysis on th...
Hemsworth, Hanks and The Rock. The Oz film boom.
14 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Movie stars from all over the world are flocking to Australia to make their films, and our motion picture industry is booming. What’s behind the...
The Weekend Briefing with Clementine Ford
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jamila Rizvi talks to Clementine Ford, a writer, speaker and feminist thinker, ahead of Valentine’s Day. Clementine is currently writing ...
What can we learn from Israel’s vaccine rollout?
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the questions that will define 2021 is how the vaccine rollout goes. And so far, one of the key countries to watch is Israel. It has mor...
Inciter in Chief: the Trump impeachment explained
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the Briefing we look at the impeachment of Donald Trump. Associate Professor David Smith from the United States Studies Centre breaks ...
What’s with the military coup in Myanmar?
09 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the Briefing we explain the military crisis developing in Myanmar. We’re joined by host of the Global Truths podcast, Keith Sute...
Where is missing millionaire Melissa Caddick?
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the Briefing we discuss the missing millionaire financial advisor, Melissa Caddick. We’re joined by Nine Newspapers’ award...
Russia’s future: A Pussy Riot perspective
07 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Russian citizens are marching in the streets. It’s being called the greatest threat to President Vladimir Putin’s reign in a generation. &...
The Weekend Briefing with Jelena Dokic
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jamila Rizvi talks to former tennis champion Jelena Dokic ahead of the Australian Open about her impressive career and the pressures of professional s...
Reddit v Wall St. Behind the GameStop heist.
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What’s with the Reddit v Wall St rumble – and why is the GameStop stock soaring? This story ticks all the boxes of being a big cult...
QAnon: where do conspiracies go to die?
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The world watched on as the QAnon conspiracy theory circled over the White House during the Trump years. Trump has gone, what now for the QAnon...
The Tokyo Olympics. Risk v reward?
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the Briefing we discuss the chances of the Tokyo Olympic Games going ahead as planned in July. The Olympic Games is the biggest event ...
The impact of the Covid-induced wealth divide
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the Briefing we discuss how billionaires are getting richer – and the rest of us are picking up the crumbs. We’re joined b...
Happy tenth birthday, the Dark Web
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Briefing, we explain what the dark web is... and what’s happened in the ten years since Silk Road first launched. Silk R...
The Weekend Briefing with Thomas Mayo
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jamila Rizvi chats to Thomas Mayo, a campaigner for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and celebrated indigenous author. Thomas has travelled aroun...
NEW: The Weekend Briefing is here!
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jamila Rizvi skips the small talk and goes deep during her conversations with celebrities, opinion shapers and newsmakers. Join The Weekend Bri...
You’ve seen the ad. Will you get the vaccine?
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Does the federal government’s new Covid-19 ad campaign make you more likely to get the vaccine shot when it becomes available later this year? &...
The incredible story of Asia’s el Chapo
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today we discuss the arrest of the man they call Asia’s el Chapo. It’s estimated, Tse Chi Lop oversees a drug empire worth $90 bill...
How proposed cuts to JobSeeker and JobKeeper will affect you.
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What do proposed buts to JobKeeper and JobSeeker mean for those who have come to rely on the increased payments in the wake of the Covid pandemic? &nb...
Creating good habits – and why we make resolutions we can’t keep.
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today we learn how to form good habits and why willpower isn’t the answer. And that there is a way to form good habits... even when your willpow...
The seasonal worker crisis and how it will impact you.
24 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australian farmers are plowing crops into the ground. Covid has meant the overseas workers aren’t getting in and the government’s t...
Could Covid-19 lead to golf courses being turned into parkland...?
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Covid turned a Melbourne golf course into a public park and now no one wants to leave. There’s a push to turn the course into a public park perm...
What can Australia learn from the international rollout of the Covid-19 vaccines?
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we take a look at the international roll-out of the various Covid-19 vaccines. So far over 40m people have been vaccinated in more than ...
Australian Open: Is it worth the risk?
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the Briefing we discuss the crisis engulfing the Australia Open. One of the main reasons being put forward for taking the risk of goin...
Bitcoin: Could it make you rich?
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today on The Briefing we explain Bitcoin. Have you missed the chance to buy Bitcoin? The value has tripled over the last few months and there's...
US POLITICS: Will Inauguration day become violent?
17 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When Joe Biden is sworn in this week it will be one of the most unusual Inauguration ceremonies in history. The FBI has warned that armed...
Summer Mode: Message from a young person with COVID-19
10 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our Briefing ‘Summer Mode’ series, where we check in on your favourite stories of 2020, and catch up with the key people in tho...
Summer Mode: Our latest top Google searches
03 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our Briefing ‘Summer Mode’ series, where we check in on your favourite stories of 2020, and catch up with the key people in tho...
Summer Mode: Is Trumpism Dead?
27 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our Briefing ‘Summer Mode’ series, where we check in on your favourite stories of 2020, and catch up with the key people in tho...
Summer Mode: The Aussies who can’t get home for Christmas
20 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our Briefing ‘Summer Mode’ series, where we check in on your favourite stories of 2020, and catch up with the key people in tho...
2020 dictionary with Dom Knight
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
2020 has been a year. We really thought the January bushfires were going to be the worst of it, but then came floods, a recession, and a global pandem...
A former White Supremacist
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Four years ago 10-15 percent of ASIO cases were linked to the far right. Now, that figure has almost tripled. The head of ASIO, our national secu...
Australia’s fading love affair with alcohol
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s relationship with alcohol is changing, on average we're drinking less, in fact less than anytime in the last 50 years. In today's br...
How to negotiate cheaper rent
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this Briefing we’ll find out how you negotiate a rental decrease! In some parts of the country the pandemic had a big impact on renters who a...
Why we may never go cash free
13 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
COVID-19 has really sped up the cashless tend and in today’s episode we’re Briefing you on how close we are to becoming a cashless economy...
The Paris Agreement - What is it? And what exactly did we agree to?
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Paris agreement is having its 5th birthday tomorrow so you’ll be hearing a lot about it, and a lot about achieving net zero emissions by 205...
Why Tasmanians are angry about the Port Arthur film
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A film about one of Australia’s darkest moments, the 1996 Port Arthur massacre is in production right now. It’s called Nitram which is Mar...
White Island: What have we learned about this tragedy?
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this day one year ago Whakaari/White Island volcano off the coast of New Zealand erupted. Tragically there were 47 tourists on or near the island a...
The Aussie dad’s mission to solve his daughter’s murder
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 2016, 20-year-old Australian Elly Warren was killed on a night out with friends at a tourist resort in Mozambique. Her father Paul Warren is still ...
Should we force streaming platforms to make Aussie shows?
06 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Streaming services have transformed the way we watch TV with 16 million Australians now accessing these platforms. But the giants Netflix, Amazon and ...
The running boom of 2020
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There’s been a running boom in 2020. During lockdown it was one of the only things you could do and in some parts of the country the number of p...
Ankle Bracelets: Are they the future for returned travelers?
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A national review has suggested that smartphone apps and wearable surveillance devices including ankle bracelets are among options that could allow re...
Parler: The new ‘free speech’ social media platform
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Parler is a growing platform that calls itself the “world’s premier free speech social network.” But is it free speech? or hat...
The delivery drivers dying for your dinner
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What may be a few easy taps on your phone to order takeout straight to your door, can be a treacherous and sometimes life-threatening trek for food de...
Is your super fund doing enough about climate change?
29 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Can “shareholder activists” bring meaningful action on climate change, even as the federal government continues to hold out? At 23 years o...
The symbol that sparked Pete Evans’ downfall
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We'll explain the meaning of the symbol in the neo-nazi cartoon that cause Pete Evans fall from grace two weeks ago. We’ll find out what this me...
Robodebt: When a billion dollar settlement isn’t enough
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Robodebt is the automated process that wrongly calculated millions of dollars of Centrelink debt for Australians. Hundreds of thousands were impacted,...
Could Trump overturn the US election result in court?
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s three weeks since the US Presidential election and Donald Trump is continuing court challenges and still refusing to concede defeat. ...
What are Australia’s alleged war crimes in Afghanistan?
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A four-year investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan by Australian special forces was made public by the Chief of Defence Angus Campbell. ...
What Facebook moderators see … so you don’t have to
22 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Facebook moderators are the 15,000 people around the world whose job it is to decide what content stays, what gets flagged with a warning, and what ge...
The Weekend Briefing with Mary Trump uncut
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this special edition of The Briefing we give you Mary Trump uncut, an extended episode of Tom Tilley’s compelling interview with Donald Trump...
What football is doing to player's brains
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a growing awareness about the damage hard core contact sports is doing to our players, and in today's briefing we go deep on what footba...
‘He’s freaking out’: Mary Trump on the end of Uncle Donald
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What’s is going through Donald Trump’s head right now? It's more than two weeks since the US Presidential election and Donald Trump has st...
China’s export ban: Can we stop the downward spiral?
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s Trade Minister Simon Birmingham joins this episode of The Briefing as we look at the growing trade tensions between Australia and Ch...
Financial abuse - the hidden epidemic
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Financial and economic abuse is a form of domestic or family violence. It can be really hard to identify and to escape from as money is often used as ...
Oregon has decriminalised all drugs: Should Australia follow suit?
15 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Oregon has become the first US state to decriminalize the personal use of all drugs. The "Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act" will allow people...
The hidden psychology driving us to distraction
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What could you accomplish if you knew how to improve concentration and overcome distractions? What if you had the power to stay focused and become &ld...
Is the Pfizer vaccine our pathway back to normal life?
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After Pfizers exciting announcement this week, the reaction from experts around the world has been positive. We’ve already learnt some important...
The COVID-19 vaccine: Your questions answered
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A vaccine being produced by Pfizer may be 90 per cent effective in stopping the transmission of COVID-19 which has created a lot of excitement about g...
Do deradicalisation programs work?
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, four innocent people died in a terror attack in Vienna, Austria. The 20-year-old perpetrator had already been in jail after trying to join ...
Where to from here: The US election
08 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Biden is officially the US President-elect. Biden called for unity and calm in his victory speech in Delaware yesterday, but the challenges facing...
America on a knife edge: The latest on the US Presidential Election
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We bring you the latest on the US Presidential Election as it plays out. With Joe Biden insisting every ballot be counted and Donald Trump launching l...
The US Presidential election: How will this play out?
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We cross to David Lipson in Washington during the most divisive election in decades, to find out what’s behind the results so far, and how will ...
The left and right of politics explained
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In contemporary Australian politics the Coalition (Liberal and National) is considered centre-right and the Australian Labor Party is considered centr...
Planning 'The Cup' in a pandemic
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Despite two World Wars, the Great Depression, and the Spanish Flu, the Melbourne Cup - the race that stops the nation - has never been stopped. But th...
The future of the Royals
01 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’re joined by Australia’s most famous lawyer Geoffrey Robertson who shares his thoughts on the future of the Royal Family. Geoffrey Robe...
The Weekend Briefing with special guest Magda Szubanski uncut
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this special weekend edition of The Briefing we give you an extended version of our interview with Magda. She’s one of Australia&rsquo...
How Magda Szubanski became the target of right-wing extremists
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s much-loved comedian Magda Szubanski was recently targeted by a coordinated “avalanche of hate” from rightwing extremists...
The Aussie scientist who defied China and told the world about COVID
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is about the rebellious act of an Aussie Professor. Professor Edward Holmes is the Aussie scientist who defied China and shared the ge...
The most powerful passport in the world
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a passport powerful? and has the pandemic had any long-term impacts on where a passport might rank compared to others? The current g...
Will COVID-19 change footy forever?
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was the weekend we didn’t think would happen: grand final weekend. Earlier in the year, coronavirus threatened to cancel the 2020 seasons of ...
Why US Supreme Court appointments are so controversial
25 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The appointment of US Supreme Court judges is one of the most intense election issues, and as early as tomorrow US congress will vote to approve a new...
How private pollie lives can make national headlines
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Gladys Berejiklian secret relationship scandal has made national headlines, and on todays episode we explain what happened. There’s been a h...