The Briefing

Friday Headlines:
Erin Patterson appeal decision to be handed down
Protests, mourning and leaked audio after Spain’s deadly train crash
Helen Haines' office reopens as more details emerge on alleged attacker's state of mind
Hanson accused Albanese of trying to divide One Nation with staffing offer
Australia returns to the Eurovision stage in 2027!
Deep Dive: An end to check-out chores at Airbnbs around the world has sparked a major battle between the company and it's hosts.
The strict new rule changes ban hosts from asking guests to strip beds, start laundry, or wash dishes, and are set to come into effect on November 20.
But with tens of thousands of hosts signing petitions demanding the policy be scrapped, property owners warn the move will force cleaner fees up and squeeze host returns.
In this episode of The Briefing, Tessa Randello is joined by short-stay specialist Alex Nation about why the rule changes are causing such a stir, and what the future of short stays looks like.
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Thursday Headlines:
At least 68 killed in Spanish high-speed train crash
Chance of a rate hike firms up after inflation rises
Ashley Paul Griffith extradited from Queensland to NSW to face further charges
Netanyahu's bloc loses majority
Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate touches down in the US
Melanie Lynskey cast as Erin Patterson
Deep Dive: The horrific abuse of infants at a remote Queensland childcare centre has once again exposed deep, systemic failures across Australia's $20 billion childcare sector.
It's revealed hundreds of providers that are currently operating completely outside national quality framework standards.
In this episode of The Briefing, ABC investigative journalist Adele Ferguson sits down with Sacha Barbour Gatt to break down the investigation and ask how these dangerous regulatory blind spots are able to persist.
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Wednesday Headlines:
Record voter turnout for Israeli election
Almost 800 threats made against MPs in six months
PM admits golf club grant is not to fix sewage issues
ASX closes higher as US shares rise in response to Anthropic IPO
Meghan Markle to return to Australia to judge Junior MasterChef
Further listening from headlines: Is this the end for Netanyahu?
Deep Dive: For most Australians, the end of life has meant a choice between a plot or an urn.
Now New South Wales has added another option, after MPs voted unanimously last week to legalise terramation, or human composting.
Backers pitch it as an answer to shrinking burial space and rising funeral bills. But questions remain about how the process works and where all that soil ends up.
So is Australia ready to rethink how we say goodbye?
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by independent Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich, who wrote the law, to unpack how terramation works, what it’ll cost families, and when it might actually become an option.
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Tuesday Headlines:
Federal Politicians promise to continue honouring Haines
Coalition releases $31 billion savings package
Queensland's wild weather turns deadly
Historic elections in Brazil and Serbia
Jacinda Ardern lands lecturer role at Sydney Uni
Victorian prisoner told he has no right to Vegemite
Deep Dive: Pregnant women and working parents are continuing to face discrimination in the workplace in a major way, according to a new report by Australia's Human Rights Commission.
The laws to protect them – covered in the Sex Discrimination and Fair Work Acts – are majorly outdated according to the commissioner, with calls for significant changes to the legislation to ensure women who want to work and raise a family, can.
In today's episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by the commissioner to discuss what discrimination against pregnant women and working parents looks like in 2026, the continuing pervasiveness of 'sham redundancies' and how the government can act to clean up the space.
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Monday Headlines:
Anthony Albanese to lead messages of support for Helen Haines as parliament resumes
Coalition to introduce 'Cash is King' bill
Severe weather for Australia's east
Australia's newest airport officially open to passengers
Aussies through to semis of RL World Cup
Deep Dive: Israelis head to the polls this week in their first national election since the October 7 attack, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, is fighting to hold on to power.
With polls showing neither side close to a majority, could this be the end of his long reign?
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Dr Eyal Mayroz, Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney. He explains why this election isn’t a simple contest of left versus right, who’s trying to topple Netanyahu, and what the result could mean for Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran.
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