The Briefing

A road trip through Trump territory

21 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We take you on a road trip through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Illinois, and find out the one thing that locals say when asked w...

The plan to make cigarettes prescription only

20 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Almost 1 in 9 Australians smoke, and the government have set a goal to bring down our smoking rate to 1 in 10 by 2025. In a new plan to wipe out smoki...

Superannuation: Should our contributions be increased or is it better to have the money in our pocket now?

19 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Unlike a lot of other western countries, Australia has a forced saving system called superannuation. When the system was introduced back in 1992, 3% o...

Conspiritualism: What is it and should we be worried?

18 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Conspiritualism is a blend of two words: Conspiracy and spiritualism and it describes a strange phenomena that you might have noticed on your social m...

Could your name make it harder to get a job?

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What’s in a name when you’re applying for a job? Does your name impact your hire ability?   In 2012 researchers conducted an experime...

The death of the mall: Can it survive COVID-19?

14 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Will COVID-19 be the ‘great accelerator’ in the death of the shopping mall? The mall has gone from the height of the social scene to strug...

You're not the first one to survive a pandemic

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s easy to feel like we’re the first ones to go through a pandemic like this, and that the deprivations and constant state of underlying...

Why people are calling for JK Rowling to be cancelled

12 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

J.K. Rowling is one of the most famous authors in the world. The Harry Potter book series have sold more than 500 million copies across 80 languages. ...

The Aussies fighting for a Bali memorial site

11 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Eighteen years ago today 202 people including 88 Australians were killed in a terror attack in the tourist district of Bali. A powerful car bomb,...

Is fast fashion destroying the planet?

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fast fashion is the rise of cheap, trendy, affordable and accessible clothes that turn catwalk trends into bargain buys in a matter of weeks. And whil...

Why owning your own home could be easier than you thought

07 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Homeownership in Australia is declining, with the biggest drop happening for young people. But the good news to come out of the Federal Budget this we...

The federal budget explained

06 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The federal budget is usually handed down in May, but this year it was delayed while the government focused on the coronavirus outbreak and rethought ...

Has Sweden’s controversial coronavirus plan worked?

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While countries like China, Italy, France, Spain were taking strict lockdown measures when the Pandemic struck, Sweden went out alone with a very diff...

Is it time to ditch daylight saving?

04 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode we get the latest sleep science on daylight saving. A peak medical body says daylight saving is bad for us, and the EU has vo...

What Trump’s tax returns reveal

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump reportedly claimed $US70,000 in haircuts as part of millions in business expenses that have helped reduce his federal tax bill to just a ...

Who is Lawyer X? And why might she spend the rest of her life in hiding?

30 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today we find out about the woman at the centre of one of the biggest crime scandals in Australian history. Last year it was revealed that Lawyer X wa...

Do private schools have a culture problem?

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What’s going on inside some of Australia’s most expensive schools? What kind of culture is being promoted? Should private schools review t...

What caused Australia’s worst mass whale stranding?

28 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For the last week, there has been an epic struggle of life and death on a remote wild part of the Tasmanian coast. 470 long-finned pilot whales were d...

Why Julian Assange could be facing a 175 year sentence

27 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

175 years in a US prison: that’s the sentence Australian Wikileaks founder Julian Assange could be facing. Julian is currently in London with le...

Should China be stripped of the Winter Olympics?

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On today's episode we look at the global campaign to strip Beijing of the Winter Olympics asking: Should a country have the privilege to host the Olym...

Why are Aussies are having to pay business class fares to get home?

23 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There are 25,000 Australian’s wanting to come home from overseas and our Prime Minister wants them home by Christmas. But with limits on the num...

Is happy an attainable goal? Turia Pitt thinks so.

22 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Turia Pitt was 24 years old when she was caught in a grassfire while competing in an ultramarathon. She tried to outrun the flames but couldn’t....

Everything you need to know about the Breonna Taylor case

21 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The horrifying video of George Floyd being killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May sparked massive Black Lives Matter protests in America and ar...

Children of Isis fighters: Is it time to bring them home?

20 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We look at the children and wives of the Australian men who went to fight with ISIS. 47 of their children and 20 ISIS brides are still alive and stuck...

What are we learning from Europe’s second wave?

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

At beginning of the pandemic in March we were hearing a lot about Europe, then in the following months the continent seemed to have the virus under co...

OnlyFans: what is the platform booming during the pandemic?

16 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Subscription-based social media site OnlyFans is booming during the pandemic with over 24 million users. So what exactly is it? and how does it work? ...

What we can learn from being alone: A crucial lesson from your 20s

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Loneliness and learning to be happy alone are important things to work out in your 20s. 2020 has given many of us a chance to reflect on our lives. Wh...

20 years after the Sydney Olympics, is the golden age of sport over for good?

14 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On this day 20 years ago, the world was watching Sydney for the Olympic Opening Ceremony.  Today on The Briefing, we’re reliving the Sydney...

Going deep on COVID deep cleans

13 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID deep cleaners are on the forefront of the fight against the virus spread. We take a deep dive into deep COVID cleaning and how it works. How doe...

Class of 2020: will COVID make it easier to get into university?

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Year 12 is looking a bit different this year. Formals have been cancelled in Victoria and severely restricted in other states and territories. The off...

Is Victoria’s lockdown the best way to suppress the coronavirus?

09 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews announced on Sunday harsh measures for the state’s pathway out of lockdown. Resentment to the strict approach is g...

The Recession… Explained

08 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Last financial quarter, Australia experienced its biggest economic drop since the Great Depression, officially plunging the country into a recession. ...

How to bounce back after a job loss

07 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

12 per cent of people in their 20s have lost their jobs in the COVID crisis, and many more are reassessing their career choices. So how do you turn a ...

Our Top 10 Pandemic Google Searches

06 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During the pandemic we’ve been more hungry for information than ever before. So how different are the questions you’re asking to the rest ...

The Weekend Briefing with special guest former PM Kevin Rudd

04 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to a special weekend edition of The Briefing with Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. In today's episode we catch up with Kevin Rudd, the 26th P...

The fight between Facebook and the government explained

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In a bombshell this week Facebook threatened to block the sharing of Australian news content. It means media companies and everyday users won't be abl...

Music Festivals in the COVID Era

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Music festivals in 2021. What will they look like, if they can even go ahead at all?   COVID has decimated the festival scene around the world. S...

Bushfires: Are we any better prepared than we were last year?

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As bushfire season approaches, hazard reduction burning is happening in parts of Australia, and hopefully making us safer.   But the smell of smo...

Survivor’s guilt: How do you unpack it? Can it be transformed into inspiration?

31 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On todays episode we look at twists of fate, and the survivor’s guilt of avoiding a tragedy. We hear the of real life sliding doors stories of p...

Kevin Rudd knows about leading in times of crisis

30 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is it like being the person at the top in times of crisis? Is there a breaking point? How do you sleep? Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has live...

Our healthcare workers getting infected with Covid

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Are we doing enough to protect our healthcare workers from getting Covid at work? To look after those who look after us? Nurses, doctors and allied he...

The Aboriginal flag Copyright controversy explained

26 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In recent headlines you might have seen the Aboriginal Flag caught up in a copyright controversy. On today’s episode we get you up to speed, loo...

Ask Me Anything … with Tom, Annika, Jan & Jamila (Bonus 100th Episode)

26 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate our 100th episode we’ve assembled the whole team for the very first time to thank you for being with us on this journey in this Ask...

“If he was a human I would ask why?” The Christchurch survivor facing the gunman that tried to kill him

25 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019 year the single largest massacre in New Zealand was perpetrated by a 28-year-old man from Grafton NSW. His sentencing is currently underway, w...

Post-pandemic cultural shifts: Will Covid kill the bra?

24 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Recessions, depressions, wars and pandemics change what we value, the way we relate to one another and how we express ourselves. They also change our ...

The William Tyrrell detective fighting to save his reputation

23 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The disappearance of 3 year old William Tyrrell is one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in Australian history. If you’re someone who’s fo...

The Weekend Briefing: How can we tackle climate change amidst a pandemic?

21 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to The Weekend Briefing. In this bonus episode, Australians experienced a horrific summer with devastating bushfires, drought and floods &ndas...

A message from a young person with Covid

20 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you think Coronavirus is just an old person’s disease then think again. Older people might be more likely to die from COVID 19 but it&rs...

Will Kamala Harris be the key to defeating Trump?

19 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you love or hate Donald Trump, you’ll need to know about the new player on the block that could take him down in November’s electi...

Are you ‘vaccine hesitant’?

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve heard of anti-vaxxers, the people who straight up refuse to vaccinate. But have you heard of ‘vaccine hesitancy’? The World H...

The downside of an elimination strategy: Is NZ about the pay the price?

17 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

New Zealand has postponed their national election because of a COVID-19 cluster which highlights their different approach to the pandemic. They are go...

The appeal of celebrity downfall – with special guest Perez Hilton

16 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There appears to be a new kind of celebrity take down story emerging. One that could only exist in the current social media and cultural climate. Is i...

The Beirut crisis explained: Why did the whole government resign after the explosion?

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Last week’s deadly explosion in Beirut was one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in history. It also sent a massive political shockwave thro...

Could dog detectives be the heroes of the pandemic? 🐶

12 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Research shows sniffer dogs can be 100% accurate at detecting Covid! On today’s episode we find out how do they do it? Which breeds are best? An...

What's next in the Jeffrey Epstein story?

11 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It is one year since Jeffrey Epstein died in a New York prison and exposed a dark underbelly among some of the world's most powerful people. For ...

The Fun Police: are Covid Marshals ruining weddings?

10 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On todays episode we explore how COVID-19 has impacted our weddings. Classed as 'super spreading events’ Covid Marshals are now required as part...

Is the pandemic a ‘window of opportunity’ for terrorism?

09 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What are terrorists up to now during the pandemic? Are they more or less of a threat?   Whether it’s Islamic State or right-wing extremists...

Craig Reucassel’s fight for climate change

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest issues of the last year was climate change. So where is the climate debate now and how has the pandemic affected it?   Best kn...

Do Curfews Work?

05 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A number of countries have used curfews as part of their pandemic lockdown measures including France, Italy, Cyrus, parts of the US, Malaysia, Thailan...

The Aussie locked in the world's worst women's prison

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert is a 33 year old Australian academic convicted of spying, and sentenced to ten years in an Iranian prison. Kylie has always mai...

Coronavirus Q&A: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

03 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly facts about Coronavirus you need to know. When the coronavirus pandemic first took hold in March one of the most promin...

Why more of us are going child-free

02 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Has the pandemic pushed more people not to have kids? By 2030, the number of couples without children will overtake the number of couples with childre...

We need to talk about ‘Karen’… What does this label really mean?

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The label ‘Karen’ has become a new archetype of middle-class white privilege. ‘Karen’ has mostly been used in the U.S as ...

How to stop the next wave: Our mental health crisis

29 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The mental health consequences of COVID-19 are being described as the next wave of the pandemic. The pain of this pandemic could last for years, even ...

‘House of horror’: Inside Melbourne’s worst-hit aged care home

28 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest threats of the pandemic is unfolding right now. The number of old people getting covid-19 in Victoria’s aged care facilities ...

Mack Horton: Olympic Swimming Champion and enemy of drug cheats

27 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Tokyo Olympics were scheduled to open last week before the pandemic pushed them back to next year. Australian Olympic Swimming champion Mack Horto...

Why is Australia locking up 10 year olds?

26 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Across Australia children as young as 10 can be arrested by police, charged with an offence, hauled before a court and locked away in youth prisons. W...

The Weekend Briefing with Special Guest Julia Gillard

24 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to a special weekend edition of The Briefing with guest Julia Gillard.    In today’s episode, we catch up with Australia&rsquo...

Job Keeper Rorts

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today we take a deep dive on JobKeeper rorts and the bosses taking advantage during the pandemic. Common issues include workers being forced to change...

Shark Attacks: What is behind the recent spate?

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Shark attacks are at a ten year high in Australia. We’re only halfway through the year and we’ve already seen 18 attacks, 4 of those in th...

Julia Gillard

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When Prime Minister Julia Gillard stood up in parliament and gave her misogyny speech in 2012 she had no idea it would become the defining moment of h...

Cyber security: What do we have to fear?

20 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Last month our Prime Minister, side by side with the Defence Minister gave us a very strong warning about cyberattacks. Along with that warning here i...

How does contact tracing actually work?

19 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On todays episode we interview a disease detective hunting for patient zero and trying to stop the spread of COVID-19. Christian Peut is a Contact Tra...

The Weekend Briefing with Special Guest Dr Pimple Popper

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to a special weekend edition of The Briefing with guest Dr Pimple Popper.   In today’s episode, we catch up with global YouTube sen...

Dr Pimple Popper explains why the pandemic’s got us binging her videos

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Is the pandemic making us watch strange internet videos? Jan Fran has felt the need to watch ASMR and Pimple Popping videos during lockdown and on tod...

The Palace Letters explained

15 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For 45 years letters between the Queen and Australia’s Governor General have been kept secret. This week, against the Queen's wishes this series...

The Aussies who can’t get home

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When most of us could travel overseas we knew that that if it all goes pear shaped you still call Australia home and it will be waiting for you with o...

Should we all be wearing face masks?

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Should we be wearing face masks in public? To mask or not to mask? It’s a simple question: so why has there been so much mixed messaging about w...

Should we be forcing people to take COVID-19 test?

12 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We know that Covid-19 testing, especially in hotspots, will be key to stopping it’s spread. However, since the second wave hit Melbourne we&rsqu...

Should TikTok be banned in Australia?

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The US is considering banning Tiktok because of concerns about privacy and Chinese government interference. India banned it last week and now our poll...

Inside a locked down public housing tower

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s episode we look at the Melbourne public housing tower crisis. While the city of Melbourne is back in lockdown and panic buying has re...

Could our sewage save us from the pandemic?

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Experts at the Australian National University have been testing Canberra's sewage water for traces of COVID-19. Testing wastewater is a quick and inex...

How did Melbourne get hotel quarantine so wrong?

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Quarantining international travellers has been a huge part of Australia’s successful management of COVID-19, however Victoria faces mass lockdow...

Why is Australia spending $270 billion on defence in a recession?

05 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In a time of economic hardship should we be spending less on defence rather than more? As we grapple with the decision about extending Job Keeper... t...

The Facebook ad boycott explained

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The #StopHateForProfit campaign is growing, but will it make a difference? Some of the biggest brands in the world have all pledged to suspend adverti...

Is law still a boy’s club?

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A reckoning is taking place in Australia’s legal profession. The women in the industry say it’s a boy’s club and always has been, de...

It’s 38°C in Siberia. Will that push us to a global tipping point?

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the podcast we take a deep dive on what this means for the planet and what can we do to change it? We’ve known for years that the Arcti...

Stock market horror stories and how to avoid the same mistakes!

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Stock market horror stories and how to avoid the same mistakes!   First time investors have been pouring into the market since the coronavirus cr...

Is Australia the chewing gum on China’s shoe?

28 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tensions have been particularly bad since Australia led the charge on a global inquiry into the origins of the Coronavirus. Earlier this year edi...

The Weekend Briefing with special Guest Julie Bishop

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to a special weekend edition of The Briefing with guest Julie Bishop In today’s episode we catch up with Julie Bishop the former Foreign...

What hosting the Women’s World Cup means for Australia ⚽️

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Australia has won the bid to host the biggest women’s sporting event in the world, the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. On today's episode we speak ...

The Business Case for Gender Equality

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The data is in! Employing and promoting women makes a company more productive and more profitable, so why aren’t all businesses doing more of th...

The cost of an arts degree could be about to double... is that fair?

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Last week the government announced they want to make some uni degrees cheaper and others a lot more expensive.  On today's episode Annika Smethhu...

Should Western Australia have its own Brexit?

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Could now be the perfect time for a WAXIT and Western Australia to break away from the rest of the country? There’s long been the undercurrent o...

Will Victoria's outbreak derail Australia's Covid-19 success?

21 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Victoria has reimposed coronavirus restrictions and extended its State of Emergency after its highest number of new cases in months.   On Todays ...

The Weekend Briefing with special guest Andrew Denton

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to a special weekend edition of The Briefing with guest Andrew Denton. Andrew is one of Australia’s most loved media identities and afte...

Voluntary Assisted Dying – Is it working? and should all Australians have access to this option?

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today marks one year since Victoria introduced a voluntary assisted dying scheme.  It’s the first Australian state to enact Voluntary Assis...

The Bushfire Recovery effort: How are people doing?

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of you donated to help the bushfire victims. But have we helped the people that need it?   Before the pandemic the devastation and the s...

Defunding the Police - What does it mean?

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Defunding the police - What does it mean? and why is the US police force so different from our own?   One of the demands of protestors since Geor...

Will COVID produce the opportunity of a generation for first home buyers?

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Will COVID produce the opportunity of a generation for young people desperate to crack the housing market?   Decades of surging house prices have...