The Briefing

Wednesday Headlines:
PM announces new federal watchdog to rein in rogue AI
Pete Hegseth to face impeachment vote
Little Britain star accused of grooming and preying on teenage girls
Qantas to axe 850 jobs and move more roles offshore
Kim Kardashian's brand offers refunds after social media backlash at advent calendars
Deep Dive: Nearly 200 countries are gathered in a Turkish resort city this week for COP31, the UN’s annual climate summit, and Australia is steering the negotiations. It’s the role we landed after losing a three-year fight to host the talks in Adelaide, and it’s costing taxpayers close to $150 million.
So what does COP actually achieve, and is a seat at the head of the table worth the price tag?
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Matt McDonald, Professor of International Relations at the University of Queensland, to unpack it all.
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Tuesday Headlines:
Russell Brand sentenced to ten years jail for rape and sexual assault
More than $480bn wiped off Nvidia's valuation after 'honeytrap' investigation launched
France blames Iran for supermarket fridge hack
Krakow shooter dies
Digital duty of care inquiry continues today
Sandpaper gate returns to the headlines
Further listening from the headlines: Sanding back Australia's darkest test
Deep Dive: Uber’s long-running claim that it’s just a middleman between riders and drivers came crashing down in the High Court of Australia last week.
The rideshare giant now owes more than $81 million in NSW payroll tax on the fares it passes on to drivers, and that figure could climb past $100 million. Other states are eyeing their own slice, and the fallout could spread well beyond rideshare.
So when a tech giant is hit with a tax bill this big, who ends up footing it?
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Dr Fiona Macdonald, Policy Director (Industrial and Social) at the Centre for Future Work, to unpack what the ruling means for drivers, care workers and the future of gig work in Australia.
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Monday Headlines:
Trust in Albanese falls as voters blame government for cost-of-living crisis
Two days of mourning declared in Poland after suspected terror shooting
The latest in the New Zealand and Israel elections
Parts of Australia blanketed by snow in late Spring cold snap
Australia through to Rugby League World Cup
Deep Dive: Doctors at a major regional hospital fear the imminent takeover by a Catholic provider will see critical services like IVF, abortion, and Voluntary Assisted Dying banned.
Calvary Health Care is taking over 16 hospitals across the country following the financial collapse of Healthscope last May - giving them 10 per cent of Australia’s total private hospital capacity.
In this episode of The Briefing Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Associate Professor Neera Bhatia, Director of the Law, Health and Society Research Unit at Deakin University, to discuss the legal and ethical dilemma that arises when religion and health collide.
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In just a couple of weeks, thousands of kids across the country are packing their bags for destinations across Australia – and now the world – to celebrate Schoolies.
While many will likely party too hard and head home with some regrets, or worse, there’s a growing trend among teenagers to swap getting wasted for wellness.
In this bonus episode of The Briefing, we revisit Sacha Barbour Gatt's chat with the founder of Red Frogs, Andy Gourley, about how kids are celebrating and how much that’s changed since he started his work at leavers events more than 25 years ago.
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Friday Headlines:
Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault
Beau Lamarre-Condon gives evidence in murder trial
Multiple planes diverted amid hoax bomb threats in Europe
Sydney Swans to review club culture
Cristiano Ronaldo announces international retirement
Deep Dive:
The Democrats have seen record support in the US midterm elections, winning control of both houses of Congress.
But what happens after the 'blue tsunami'?
President Donald Trump has already blamed his party's results on the war in Iran and still has the power to veto legislation.
In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by host of Planet America, Chas Licciardello, to unpack what could happen next and how the Republicans will respond.
Follow The Briefing:
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.