Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Briefing
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Another near miss at Sydney airport + The Census: AI, lies & influence | 09 Aug 2026 | 00:23:11 | |
Monday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Tomorrow is census night, and this year the form looks a little different. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou goes behind the questionnaire with someone who's helped shape it for the best part of thirty years. How does the ABS land on which categories make the cut? Where do your name and address actually end up? Can the online system survive the night after its infamous 2016 collapse? And in an era of shaky faith in government, does the ABS really expect all of us to tell the truth? Chris is joined by Jenny Telford, General Manager of the Census and Population Division at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Kochie on the first home buyers' 5% deposit scheme | 08 Aug 2026 | 00:07:33 | |
Fresh data shows nearly 1,500 homes purchased under the federal government's 5% deposit scheme have been flipped into investment properties. It’s a bit of a plot twist for an initiative built on a very specific promise: helping everyday Aussies get onto the property ladder as owner-occupiers with just a fraction of the usual deposit and zero lenders mortgage insurance. In this episode of The Briefing we revisit Helen Smith's chat with David Koch from last year about the scheme to get you across how it all works and what you need to know about it. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Our Take: Kmart’s ‘pedo’ glasses, Kyle feedback + Delta Goodrem’s in GTA?! | 07 Aug 2026 | 00:35:53 | |
We're back with The Briefing: Our Take, our weekend hang-out where we loosen our ties and kick off our shoes to take you behind the scenes of the week that was, and what you (and we) made of it. This weekend Chris is joined by Justine Landis-Hanley and they unpack how Miles Phillips and his Eastern Rosellas went from a backyard novelty to the ARIA record books. Chris answers your questions about the Kyle Sandilands interview, before they dig into your thoughts on Kmart's knock-off Meta glasses (+ the bird flu conspiracy theory we didn't know existed). We’re also joined in studio by LiSTNR entertainment executive producer Elise Cooper for The Weekend Quiz, who brings more live vocals to the show than actual recording artists. Plus we cap it all off with the Weekend List. The Weekend Quiz (just questions, no answers):
The Weekend List:
Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Dr Fauci found in contempt of US Congress + We need to talk about Ariana Grande | 06 Aug 2026 | 00:23:22 | |
Friday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Discussion around Ariana Grande’s weight reached a fever pitch this week. Photos from her tour, press appearances, and her new music video for Petal, show her shrinking frame, prompting fans to worry over what is going on behind the scenes. The public discourse hasn’t gone unnoticed. Also this week, Ariana announced that she will be taking a break from public life at the end of her album tour in September. Her representative told People Magazine that this decision came after “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”. Do we have a responsibility to raise concerns over Ariana’s weight loss? Editor of Mediaweek Natasha Lee says yes. In this episode of The Briefing, Natasha sits down with Justine Landis-Hanley to discuss her article in Mediaweek, in which she shares her experience dealing with an eating disorder while working on Australian television, and argues that we’ve been scared into silence. Link to the article: https://www.mediaweek.com.au/silence-isnt-always-kindness-ariana-grande-debate Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Gov sets up data centre showdown + ‘It’s a clusterf***’: How we're failing DV victims | 05 Aug 2026 | 00:26:25 | |
Thursday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Every year in Australia, dozens of women and children are killed in violent circumstances - and in 2026 the toll is already climbing fast. Sherele Moody is one of the country's foremost researchers on femicide and child deaths, and the founder of the Red Heart Movement where she records the names and stories of women killed across the country, and pushes for a system that takes their safety seriously. In this episode of The Briefing, Sherele Moody sits down with Chris Spyrou to unpack why billions in spending isn't stopping the deaths, why she's calling for a Royal Commission into femicide, and what a properly funded response to violence against women would actually look like. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Labor stalls on migration changes + Trump's deal (or no deal) with Iran | 04 Aug 2026 | 00:24:09 | |
Wednesday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Five months into the United States' war on Iran, Donald Trump keeps insisting that a deal, or a decisive victory, is within reach. So why does neither ever arrive? Trita Parsi's answer is blunt: the President is chasing a knockout blow that doesn't exist. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Parsi, who is an expert on US-Iranian relations and Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft - about who can really outlast whom and whether Trump has walked into a new forever war. Trita’s last chat with Chris from March: Why the Iran war can’t end ‘soon’ Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Drugs & escorts used to lure gamblers + The $200m race to save our wildlife | 03 Aug 2026 | 00:29:01 | |
Tuesday Headlines:
Deep Dive: For years, Australia watched from a distance as bird flu tore through wildlife on every other continent - before it finally reached our shores in June. What began with a few lone migratory birds is now spreading through our native populations, and while conservationists welcome the more than $113 million already invested to get us prepared - they say now that it's here, more needs to be put on the table. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Jack Gough, CEO of the Invasive Species Council, who's urging the Albanese Government to commit at least $200 million to help our wildlife survive what's coming. He explains what that money would go towards, what species are most at risk, and how the strain can move from low risk in humans to a higher one. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| IN FULL: The Kyle Sandilands interview | 02 Aug 2026 | 00:47:43 | |
Five months after the Kyle and Jackie O Show was pulled off air, Kyle Sandilands will be back behind the microphone with a paid subscription show that launches next week. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou sits down with the veteran broadcaster for a wide-ranging chat about what really brought down the most expensive act in Australian radio. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Trump cancels Iran strikes, fuel excise ends + Aus wins Comm Games | 02 Aug 2026 | 00:12:18 | |
Monday Headlines:
Chris' chat with Kyle Sandilands is out now. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| The $15bn scandal that brought down Jacinta Allan | 01 Aug 2026 | 00:12:42 | |
Victoria has a new premier this week - and within hours of being sworn in, Ben Carroll did the one thing his predecessor spent months refusing to do: call a royal commission into the CFMEU. Jacinta Allan's resignation was driven in large part by a corruption scandal engulfing the state's Big Build, where a landmark report earlier this year alleged the construction union had siphoned $15 billion from taxpayers while the government turned a blind eye. Reporters at The Age have been documenting the organised crime, intimidation and misconduct across the union's Victorian operations since 2024. In this episode of The Briefing, we revisit Chris Spyrou's conversation with award-winning investigative journalist Nick McKenzie from The Age, recorded back in February when that explosive report first landed. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Our Take: Kyle Sandilands, Jacinta’s exit signs & who tf cares about Spidey?! | 31 Jul 2026 | 00:26:59 | |
Welcome back to our new weekend format, The Briefing: Our Take. Every Saturday we're loosening our ties and kicking off our shoes to take you behind the scenes of the week that was; stories we loved or debated, what you, the listener, thought of a topic or conversation, the Weekend Quiz and capping it off with a Weekend Briefing favourite: The List. In this episode we talk about the feedback we got ahead of Chris' sit-down with Kyle Sandilands, comments on Hannah Ferguson’s run against the PM and Jacinta Allan’s resignation. The Weekend Quiz (just questions, no answers):
The Weekend List:
Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Europe to boycott next World Cup + Inside the telehealth death debate | 30 Jul 2026 | 00:26:46 | |
Friday Headlines:
Deep Dive: A new push is starting for access to Voluntary Assisted Dying to be expanded to telehealth services, in a move that advocates say would directly benefit people living in the regions or who are too sick to travel. Labor this week endorsed a change in law that'd lift a ban on the practice, but the Prime Minister doesn't agree, saying allowing it would threaten the strict safeguards in place to ensure VAD is only accessed by people who genuinely want and need it. In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Go Gentle spokesperson Andrew Denton to discuss why there's a debate on this issue and what's next in the fight to allow VAD via telehealth. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Trump to ‘beat the f****** shit’ out of Iran + Hannah Ferguson vs Albo | 29 Jul 2026 | 00:21:12 | |
Thursday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Australia's no stranger to famous faces trading their day jobs for politics. Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett, broadcaster Derryn Hinch, Olympians Nova Peris and Zali Steggall, as well as former journalists Zoe Daniel and Maxine McKew. But only one of them has unseated a sitting Prime Minister. Hannah Ferguson is looking to become the second. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Ferguson to unpack her independent tilt at Anthony Albanese in his seat of Grayndler - why she won't be joining forces with the Greens or Teals, and some of the policy platforms and values at the heart of her campaign. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| One Nation support plateaus + Is Ben Carroll Victoria's political saviour? | 28 Jul 2026 | 00:23:44 | |
Wednesday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Jacinta Allan has stepped down from the Victorian Labor leadership after less than three years in the role. With an election just four months away, how does her decision affect the party's chances of winning? And can Labor get back on top in Victoria? In this episode of The Briefing, Channel 7's Political Editor, Mark Riley joins Sacha Barbour Gatt to explain. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| IN FULL: Alan Joyce on running Qantas, lobbying Albo & Lounge secrets | 28 Jul 2026 | 00:45:09 | |
What does it really take to run Australia’s most iconic airline, and oversee one of the biggest public backlashes in corporate history? Alan Joyce has written a tell-all memoir, pulling back the curtain on his high-stakes leadership, political access, Chairman's Lounge secrets, and the personal cost of being one of Australia's first openly gay CEOs. In this episode of The Briefing, the former Qantas boss sits down for an unvarnished chat about his fifteen years at the helm, his new book Riding the Jet Stream, and whether he regrets any of the calls that have defined his legacy. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| D-Day for Vic Premier + What Alan Joyce refuses to apologise for | 27 Jul 2026 | 00:27:49 | |
Tuesday Headlines:
Deep Dive: For over a century, Qantas built a reputation as Australia’s most trusted airline ... until COVID forced a desperate survival strategy that triggered the biggest reputational crisis in its history. Former CEO Alan Joyce was the man at the helm during those three years, overseeing brutal layoffs, emergency repatriations and a response that saved the company from impending bankruptcy. But that also came with severe public backlash that defined his final years at the helm. In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt sits down with Joyce to discuss his new memoir Riding the Jet Stream and his own reflections on what it took to save the Flying Kangaroo, and whether he regrets any of it. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Trump pauses Iran strikes + Today’s AusAlert explained | 26 Jul 2026 | 00:25:47 | |
Monday Headlines:
Deep Dive: There’s a good chance your phone and millions of others will freak out this afternoon. If things go to plan, all compatible mobile devices in Australia will sound a loud siren at 2pm AEST and display a "CRITICAL AUSALERT", as the federal government tests a new nationwide emergency warning system. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by QUT Associate Professor Paula Dootson to unpack how the system works and who it might leave behind. They also discuss the unsolved risk for domestic violence victim-survivors who keep a hidden phone, and what some of the backlash says about our trust in government. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| An AI broke out of its cage & hacked a company. The world's spies warned us | 25 Jul 2026 | 00:13:30 | |
OpenAI admitted this week that two of its most powerful models broke out of a sealed test environment and hacked another company - on their own initiative, to steal the answers to an exam they were sitting. So how worried should we be? And what can any of us actually do about it? Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Our take: Divine Playhouse controversy, men in childcare & The Odyssey | 24 Jul 2026 | 00:27:45 | |
Usually this is where you'd find The Weekend Briefing - a feature chat with a human behind the headline. This Saturday, we're launching something a little different: the week that was, and what we all made of it. And by "we" we don't just mean us. You're in on this one too. Each Saturday kicks off with a debrief on one story we couldn't stop talking about off air - this week it's the Divine Playhouse, the queer-led arts venue shut down inside a Sydney building that stopped being a church in 1932.
The Weekend Quiz (just questions, no answers):
Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Billions more poured into AUKUS + Telco outages can be avoided. Here’s how | 23 Jul 2026 | 00:26:02 | |
Friday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Why do Australia’s telcos fail so catastrophically? This month, Telstra’s network suffered a nationwide outage that shut down trains and blocked Triple Zero calls, following major outages for Optus customers in 2023 and 2025. Do other countries have similar telco failures, or are Australia’s uniquely bad? What has to change to make sure Aussies are always connected to the phone network? In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Carol Bennett, the CEO of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network. Further listening from headlines:
Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Hanson slammed for DV comments + Should we ban men from childcare? | 22 Jul 2026 | 00:28:27 | |
Headlines:
Deep Dive: Last week, Hamish Tait became the third man to be accused of carrying out widespread sexual abuse against children in Australian childcare centres in just two years. It's the latest in a string of cases that have shocked the country and prompted a fierce debate around whether men should be banned from working with babies and toddlers. In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by early childhood expert Dr. Martyn Mills-Bayne to explore whether a blanket ban would truly keep children safe, or if it misses the real core of the crisis. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Chance of rate hike doubles + The laws to unmask trolls & creepy bosses | 21 Jul 2026 | 00:24:32 | |
Wednesday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Victoria's Premier has spent the past few days taking on some of the biggest companies on the planet. Jacinta Allan wants to force tech giants to reveal who's behind anonymous accounts spreading hate. She wants to clear the way for families to drag those same companies into court. And she wants to stop employers using artificial intelligence to monitor staff - right down to how often they visit the toilet. But none of it’s been written yet, parliament is almost out of time, and some experts say the tools to fix this already exist. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou puts those questions to Jacinta Allan and asks whether one state government can actually take on Silicon Valley. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Barnaby’s bizarre live TV moment + Will Russia use nukes in Ukraine? | 20 Jul 2026 | 00:26:16 | |
Tuesday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Now in its fifth year, it seems like there is no end in sight to the war between Russia and Ukraine, especially on the back of another round of deadly strikes on Kyiv over the weekend. But conflict in the middle east is having an impact on how this war is being fought, and there is a sense that Putin's army is slowing down. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou and Dr Malcolm David discuss the latest in the Ukraine war and try to figure out what might happen next. Further listening from the headlines: Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Hanson’s White Australia claims + How Australia funds Israeli settlements | 19 Jul 2026 | 00:27:11 | |
Monday Headlines:
Deep Dive: More than half a million Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank - in settlements the UN's top court considers illegal, and which have kept expanding while the world's focus has been on the wars in Iran, Lebanon and Gaza. Australia’s noticed. Last month, the government sanctioned three Israeli settlers over escalating violence against Palestinians. But our connections to the settlements may run deeper than sanctions suggest - from West Bank wines in local bottle shops to allegations Australian charities are helping finance settlement projects. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Rawan Arraf, Executive Director of the Australian Centre for International Justice, to unpack life under the settlements - and whether Australia's response goes far enough. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Spain v Argentina: The facts & scandals behind the World Cup final | 18 Jul 2026 | 00:17:58 | |
One and a half billion sets of eyes will be on New Jersey come Monday morning, when Spain and Argentina face off to decide who takes home football's biggest prize. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Ed Kavalee - co-host of SBS's nightly show Santo & Ed's Cup Fever - to get you across everything you need to know before kick-off.
Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| The on-air walkout that inspired Georgie Tunny's new chapter | 17 Jul 2026 | 00:46:04 | |
Georgie Tunny has spent more than a decade working her way through Australian newsrooms, from an ABC cadetship to Network 10's flagship desk. In this episode of The Weekend Briefing, Helen Smith asks Georgie what it took to carve out a place in sports journalism as a woman when the industry offered few seats at the table, the exhaustion of breakfast TV and the long road to trusting her own instincts. You can get your hands on Georgie’s debut novel ‘Over to You’ here. THE WEEKEND LIST:
Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Big change in Aussie smoking habits + The verdict on Albo’s AI plan | 16 Jul 2026 | 00:24:34 | |
Friday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Is Australia a world leader on AI? Anthony Albanese wants you to think so – he gave a speech last week in the Great Hall at The University of Sydney, where he implied that new Australian AI regulations could set a global benchmark – similar to superannuation and the social media ban. Today we’re looking at Labor’s AI plan, and whether it really is a world-leading attempt to curb the harms of AI and harness its potential. What’s right with the plan, and what’s missing? Joining The Briefing is AI expert Professor Toby Walsh, Chief Scientist of the Artificial Intelligence Institute at the University of New South Wales. Further listening from the headlines: Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Unpacking Albo’s AI plan + Why Trump loves big stuff | 15 Jul 2026 | 00:25:05 | |
Thursday Headlines:
Deep Dive: From the demolition of the White House East Wing to his push for a towering, 250-foot Triumphal Arch, Donald Trump is physically rebuilding Washington D.C. to match his personal brand. But aside from an obsession with the grandiose, what is motivating the president to push for these ego-driven federal megaprojects? In this episode of The Briefing, former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger joins Sacha Barbour Gatt to explore why he believes this obsession with monarchical grandeur is a direct threat to democratic ideals. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Trump's Hormuz backflip + Aussie theatre can be saved. Here’s how | 14 Jul 2026 | 00:25:33 | |
Wednesday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Beetlejuice has cancelled its national tour; Waitress is no longer coming to Sydney. The big musicals said that production costs were too high and sales were too low. The show could not go on. This week, the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance held an emergency meeting to discuss the future of Australia’s musical theatre industry and how to save it. In this episode of The Briefing, the Federal President of the MEAA, Michael Balk, joins Sacha Barbour Gatt to reveal the union's plan to save the industry, and how fans and the government can help. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Tributes flow for Sam Neill + Is free TAFE fixing our tradie crisis? | 13 Jul 2026 | 00:25:38 | |
Tuesday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Australia has been plagued by a chronic skills shortage in recent years, exacerbated by declining apprentice numbers, the pandemic and a cultural shift towards university as the preferred post-school pathway. Labor has this week claimed a couple of big wins in this space, talking up 814,000 TAFE enrolments in the last three years and more than 30,000 new apprentices in the past 12 months, off the back of two key policy roll outs. But do these numbers tell the full story? Is Australia’s tradie crisis really close to being solved? In this episode of The Briefing, Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles joins Sacha Barbour Gatt to discuss. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| US-Iran strikes shut Aus embassy + Inside Thailand’s sex tourism trade | 12 Jul 2026 | 00:25:44 | |
Monday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Pattaya has long traded on two reputations: a tourist playground by day, and one of the world's busiest red-light hubs by night. The case has reignited scrutiny of an industry that's technically against the law in Thailand, yet thrives in full view - raising questions about corruption, worker safety, and the surprising truth about who's actually driving demand. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with emeritus professor at George Washington University and author of Sex Tourism in Thailand: Inside Asia's Premier Erotic Playground, Ronald Weitzer to unpack it. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Trump's obsession with Greenland explained | 11 Jul 2026 | 00:13:25 | |
At this week's NATO summit in Turkey, Donald Trump was once again talking about wanting to take control of Greenland. In this bonus episode of The Briefing, we revisit Tara Cassidy's chat with defence and security expert, Jennifer Parker, who explains why Greenland has become such a fixation for the US president, and why this isn’t as unprecedented as it might sound. Jen explains the strategic value of the Arctic, the role of NATO and Denmark, and why Trump’s rhetoric is alarming key allies. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Meet Karl Stefanovic's 'replacement' | 10 Jul 2026 | 00:41:10 | |
Karl Stefanovic launched an independent podcast at the beginning of the year and one Sunshine Coast radio host has been paying VERY close attention. The Weekend List:
Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Telstra to lose millions + Why space balls are washing up on our beaches | 09 Jul 2026 | 00:26:53 | |
Friday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Ten years ago, in 2015, the world collectively launched 221 objects into space. Last year that number was 4,510, a record by a huge margin. There’s now a record number of satellites and other space objects zooming over our heads. Why are we shooting so many objects into space? Most launches are coming from the United States, where a commercial space race is well and truly underway. But what are the consequences for the rest of the world? As mysterious space debris washes up on our shores here in Australia, we speak with Dr Matt Agnew, the scientist (and former Bachelor star) to learn about why we’re launching thousands of satellites a year. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Trump says Iran ceasefire is ‘over’ + Why the AFL has ‘blood on its hands’ | 08 Jul 2026 | 00:24:53 | |
Thursday Headlines:
Deep Dive: The tragic death of 27-year-old Melbourne footy player Nathan Fitzgerald has sparked questions over the hidden hazards of shared suburban fields and whether enough is being done to protect local athletes. This tragedy coincides with an alarming new report from the Australian Sports Brain Bank and Four Corners revealing high rates of the brain disease CTE in deceased players, ramping up the pressure on the AFL to establish formal CTE protocols. In this episode of The Briefing, neuroscientist Dr Alan Pearce joins us to break down the latest brain research and ask the difficult question: as the evidence stacks up, can footy ever truly be safe again? Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Prince Harry loses phone-tap case + What falling house prices mean for you | 07 Jul 2026 | 00:26:39 | |
Wednesday Headlines:
Deep Dive: You might have heard that house prices are falling – at least in Sydney and Melbourne, which tend to set the direction for the other capital cities. Auction clearance rates were below 50% for the third weekend in a row, and experts say the slump could continue. Is Australia on the brink of a Labor-created societal collapse? Or are we finally having the much-needed correction of an overstimulated property bubble? What direction do we want house prices to go, anyway? Joining Chris Spyrou in this episode of The Briefing to look beyond the headlines is My Bui, an economist with AMP. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| FIFA caves to Trump + Amazon forced ads on us. Now it's in court | 06 Jul 2026 | 00:22:39 | |
Tuesday Headlines:
Deep DIve: Dodgy businesses, you’ve been warned. Last week Australia’s consumer watchdog launched a Federal Court case against Amazon for unfairly stuffing ads into its Amazon Prime streaming service; and, in the same week, the federal parliament passed laws that’ll protect consumers against unfair trading practices. Those ‘dark patterns’ that make it super hard to unsubscribe from a service, or the countdown timer that pressures you into a purchase? They’ll be targets under the new laws, along with surprise fees. The laws were passed last Thursday, and will be implemented from 1 July 2027. On The Briefing today is one of the people who campaigned loudest for the new Unfair Trading Prohibition laws, Chandni Gupta, the deputy CEO and Digital Policy Director of the Consumer Policy Research Centre. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Albo slams Lib 'rebrand' + The new party taking on the orange wave | 05 Jul 2026 | 00:24:39 | |
Monday Headlines:
Deep Dive: If you believe the polls, One Nation is demolishing the political order and might become Australia’s biggest party. At this moment of political flux, two of the ‘teal’ independents are bidding for a piece of the action by establishing their own alternative party: Community Strong Australia. Joining us on The Briefing to discuss her new party, why she started it and whether it’ll have any electoral cut through is Waringah MP Zali Steggall. Further listening from the headlines: Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| BONUS: The Taylor Swift love story, as told on her latest album | 04 Jul 2026 | 00:14:49 | |
If the rumours are true, Taylor Swift has tied the knot this weekend in a stadium in New York City. Since Swift's August 2025 engagement to footballer Travis Kelce, there has been speculation about the venue, the guest list, the setlist... everything. Swift is, after all, one of the world’s biggest pop stars, and her success has been built on turning the details of her life into stories. This wedding is one hell of a story. On this bonus episode of The Briefing, we revisit Swift’s most recent batch of stories on her 2025 album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’. Chris Spyrou speaks with Kate Pattison, a PhD candidate on Swift’s fandom and our in-house TS expert. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| It’s all John Howard’s fault, says Amy Remeikis | 03 Jul 2026 | 00:40:03 | |
Few politicians in Australian history have quite the standing that John Howard does. While his time in power as Australia’s 25th Prime Minister between 1996 and 2007 was characterised by both economic wins and policy fails (think industrial relations and immigration), he is looked to now as an elder statesman and a symbol of when things in Australia were ‘good’. But that’s revisionist history, according to political journalist Amy Remeikis, whose new book Where It All Went Wrong: The Case Against John Howard, explores how Howard sold out the younger generations to benefit their parents, undermined the public health system and destroyed the housing market. In this chat with Amy Remeikis, Sacha Barbour Gatt explores these ideas with Remeikis while discussing the Canberra bubble and how a child of a conservative Lithuanian dad who voted One Nation went on to become one of the leading progressive voices in this country. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| How X is monetising 'gore' + We're all flocking to the movies again | 02 Jul 2026 | 00:23:02 | |
Friday Headlines:
Deep Dive: We’re more than a decade into the Netflix era, and every year we’ve heard the prediction that streaming will kill in-person cinema. In 2026, those predictions are wrong, again, with June and July set to mark, some of the biggest release months this year with films including Odyssey and Toy Story 5 expected to rake in billions. But it’s not only the big films that are winning with smaller franchises and female-skewing films also outperforming expectations. So, is the box office back, for good? In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Christian Kloukinas from Village Cinemas to find out. Further listening from the headlines: Venezuela's 'abysmal' earthquake response Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Homes ARE harder to pay off now + Venezuela's ‘abysmal’ earthquake response | 01 Jul 2026 | 00:23:57 | |
Thursday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Twin earthquakes tore through Venezuela's north last week, leaving more than seventeen hundred dead and tens of thousands missing. The emergency response has been widely criticised, international aid has faced unexpected obstacles getting in, and the government is carefully controlling the narrative as the outside world watches. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by LiSTNR senior journalist Claudianna Blanco to examine what this disaster reveals about the state of the country and what life actually looks like for Venezuelans six months on from the US capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Further listening from headlines: What a 'free' Karl Stefanovic really means Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Supreme Court rejects Trump order + How to hack your power bill | 30 Jun 2026 | 00:24:14 | |
Wednesday Headlines:
Deep Dive: July 1 marks the start of the new financial year and also when a raft of new laws, policies, regulations and pricing comes into effect. This year that includes cheaper electricity for most states, bucking recent trends which have seen prices for everything else go up. But it’s a little more complicated than just getting a cheaper bill, in fact, some people will be paying more. In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Canstar’s Data Insights Director, Sally Tindall, to unpack the changes coming to our power bills and how to get the best deal. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Libs blame Scomo for poll pain + What a 'free' Karl Stefanovic really means | 29 Jun 2026 | 00:24:36 | |
Tuesday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Karl Stefanovic got tongues wagging last week when he had controversial UK figure Tommy Robinson on his independent podcast for a conversation that did little to challenge the far-right agitator on his problematic views about immigration and Islam. Within days of the podcast episode going live, it had sensationally been pulled from all platforms, and the Nine Network’s highest-paid star had been shown the door, in an exit that signals yet another shift in the media space. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Jacqueline Maley, columnist and senior writer at The Age to discuss Karl’s Nine exit, why he’s happy about it and what it means for free speech and the broader media landscape in Australia. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Hanson takes a hit in the polls + The world’s spies are worried about AI | 28 Jun 2026 | 00:26:50 | |
Monday Headlines:
Deep Dive: Your cybersecurity is at risk, according to the world’s spies. Five Eyes is the alliance of spies from the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia – and last week, they published a warning that cutting-edge AI “accelerates the speed, scale, and sophistication of cyber threats”. They also wrote that the timeline of the transformation is “not years, it is months.” How worried should we all be about these cyber threats? And what can we, individually and collectively, do about them? In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by cybersecurity expert Alastair MacGibbon, the founding head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre. Further listening from headlines: Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| BONUS: Logie nominee Michael Theo on his checklist for Love on the Spectrum | 27 Jun 2026 | 00:18:36 | |
Michael Theo first captured Australia's attention as one of the stars of Love on the Spectrum. To mark the nomination, we're revisiting one of our conversations with him from the archives. This bonus Sunday episode of The Briefing is Antoinette Lattouf's 2024 conversation with Michael Theo about finding fame through Love on the Spectrum, making the leap into acting, and the very specific checklist he has for his ideal partner. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| John Pearce doesn't love being called the 'hot Wiggle' (but he gets it) | 26 Jun 2026 | 00:45:59 | |
He went from busking in Pitt Street Mall to winning Australia's Got Talent with Justice Crew, signing a record deal despite none of them being trained singers, and touring the world with the likes of Pitbull, Janet Jackson and One Direction.
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| The PM’s plan to take on the algorithm + Your guide to Aus v Paraguay | 25 Jun 2026 | 00:25:28 | |
Friday Headlines:
Deep Dive: The Socceroos are back in action today, taking on Paraguay in their final World Cup group match. Australia heads into the clash knowing a win or draw would put it in a strong position to reach the knockout stage - but even a loss may not be enough to end our campaign. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by SBS's Santo & Ed's Cup Fever host Ed Kavalee to unpack Australia's chances, the big names to watch, and the World Cup facts that'll help you sound like you've been following the tournament all along. Further listening from headlines: Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine + What a super El Niño summer could mean | 24 Jun 2026 | 00:24:38 | |
Thursday Headlines:
Deep Dive: The world is in El Niño again – the weather pattern caused by warmer sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean. For Australia, an El Niño usually means less rain and hotter days, but also more extreme temperatures, including a higher frost risk. The big question, though, is whether hotter and drier conditions are likely to lead to a dramatic bushfire season. Could we be in for another Black Summer? In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Dr Kimberley Reid, a Research Fellow with the Centre of Excellence for Weather of the 21st Century at the University of Melbourne to unpack it all. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Who is Andy Burnham, the man who could lead the UK next? | 24 Jun 2026 | 00:16:26 | |
Can someone please explain what’s going on in the United Kingdom? Within two years of a landslide election, the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer became so unpopular that his own party wanted to throw him out. The man set to replace him, Andy Burnham, seems like he’s going to assume the top job unchallenged, after only recently being re-elected into parliament. Burnham will be the seventh UK Prime Minister in a decade. What went wrong with UK politics? And is the Labour leadership drama just a distraction before the right-wing Reform party sweeps the next election? Joining this episode of The Briefing is Katy Balls, an editor and columnist for The Times and The Sunday Times. Follow The Briefing: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||