The Briefing

Chappell Roan took home the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2025, clocked more than 68 million streams in the first 6 months of 2024 and she's currently touring Australia, headlining Laneway music festival.
Over the last few years, female-made, female-focused pop has been in the middle of a full-blown renaissance and all signs suggest it’s carrying straight through into 2026 - with artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX still dominating and Lily Allen re-entering the race.
In this bonus ep of the Briefing from 2024 Sacha Barbour-Gatt is joined by Nic Kelly, host of The Hot Hits on the Hit Network, to unpack the female pop revolution and the secret ingredient to becoming a pop star today.
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At just 19 years old, Sherele Moody’s life was irrevocably changed when she learned her stepfather had murdered a child in the home he shared with her, her siblings and their mother.
Since then Sherele has become a pioneer in the domestic violence space - widely known as Femicide Watch on Instagram with over 123k followers, where she tracks every woman and child killed by violence.
She went on to found The RED HEART Movement - a living memorial and meticulously maintained public database for victims and survivors of violence in Australia, ensuring their stories are named, seen, and never forgotten.
In this chat with Sacha Barbour Gatt, Sherele shares her deeply personal journey and how she’s transforming grief into accountability and silence into action.
She also gives her verdict on ethics in crime reporting and the frenzy over the case of Erin Patterson that elevated the convicted murderer to a "true crime popstar".
Weekend list with Helen Smith
Listener Issy TO WATCH: Tell Me Lies on Disney Plus
TO WATCH: Bridgerton season 4 on Netflix
TO DO: Imagine a holiday!
TO DO/WATCH: EUROPA Film Festival
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Hundreds of new 'Jeffrey Epstein files' were dropped this week, with more damaging allegations about high-profile politicians. The British PM Keir Starmer’s leadership is now under serious threat after his links to former ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson.
In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Foreign Editor of 7 News, Hugh Whitfeld, who unpacks this week’s developments and explains why the political fallout from the Epstein files is only just beginning.
There is no suggestion that Peter Mandelson, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor or Bill Clinton have committed any sexual offences.
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Friday Headlines: Deadline looms for Coalition reunion, Penny Wong defends Israeli President’s visit among death threats, Queensland man charged with 596 child abuse offences, child vaccination rates plunge to 30-year low and footy fandom has tangible impact on our stress levels.
Deep Dive: The Super Bowl halftime show is set to make history this year, with Bad Bunny becoming the first artist to perform solely in Spanish - sparking both celebration and backlash.
From a supermarket job in Puerto Rico and SoundCloud uploads to Grammy wins and four years as Spotify’s most-streamed artist, his rise has reshaped global pop music.
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Seany B from the HIT Network’s The Pulse to unpack Bad Bunny’s rise to superstardom, why this moment matters, and whether his Super Bowl stage could double as a political statement.
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The findings of the coronial inquest into the Bondi Junction Westfield stabbing attack have been handed down, and they paint a devastating picture of a mental health system riddled with gaps. Six people were killed and ten others injured when Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing rampage in April 2024. The Coroner has now recommended the psychiatrist who treated Cauchi be referred to the Queensland Health Ombudsman.
In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by the CEO of the Australian Society of Psychiatrists, Dr Pramudie Gunaratne, who unpacks the Coroner’s key recommendations and what they reveal about chronic underinvestment, fractured care, and missed opportunities across Australia’s mental health system.
Headlines: Authorities have declared the attempted bombing of an Invasion Day rally in Perth a terrorist act, police say they have identified a suspect in the disappearance of four-year-old Gus Lamont, and the graves of more than 250 Australian soldiershave been destroyed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
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