The Briefing

Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah is back in the headlines after being removed from the Adelaide Writers’ Week 2026 program in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. Festival organisers say the decision wasn’t about linking Randa or her work to the attack, but about concerns that, based on her past public statements, her appearance could be culturally insensitive at this time. Randa has strongly rejected that explanation, accusing the festival of anti-Palestinian racism, censorship, and of trying to associate her with the Bondi massacre. Dozens of high-profile authors, including Zadie Smith, Helen Garner, Hannah Ferguson and Peter Greste, have pulled out of the festival in solidarity. In this episode, we revisit Antoinette Lattouf’s conversation with Randa on The Weekend Briefing, where she spoke candidly about a similar controversy at the Bendigo Writers Festival, the personal cost of sustained public attacks, and what it’s like to keep speaking out amid public scrutiny. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rachel Perkins is one of Australia’s most formidable directors, whose work has reshaped how this country tells its own story. A powerhouse of Indigenous storytelling, Perkins has spent decades bringing truth to the screen where silence once stood. The Indigenous filmmakers latest project, The Australian Wars, tells the true story about the bloody battles fought to establish a nation from both perspectives of the coloniser and colonised - challenging the myths many Australians were taught to accept. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Rachel shares why she co-chaired the Yes campaign, her career forged through purpose rather than permission and how she found her way back to creative work when hope felt fragile. Weekend list with Helen Smith and Chris Spyrou TO WATCH: Stranger Things season 5 TO READ: Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men TO EAT: Paprika and fish TO DO: Create a collaborative note in the notes app Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Firefighters are currently battling two emergency-level blazes in central Victoria, where homes have already been destroyed and three people, including a child, remain missing. These are the worst conditions the country has faced since the deadly Black Summer fires that tore through Victoria in 2019 and 2020. Experts warn that, without urgent action, our risk of more frequent and devastating fires will only increase. In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy is joined by climate criminologist and Director of the Future Emergency Resilience Network, Dr Paul Read. Headlines: Queenslanders have been told to prepare for the high chance of a tropical cyclone, US Federal Immigration agents have shot two people in Portland, and one of Australia’s deadliest spiders could soon be saving lives. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday Headlines: Firefighters bracing for ‘a very bad day’ as heat engulfs parts of Australia, Jewish groups welcome PM’s announcement of a Royal Commission, Trump defends ICE agents who killed US Citizen Renee Nicole Macklin Good, authors boycott Adelaide Writers' Week after pro-Palestine advocate Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah removal and Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA potentially found on artwork. Deep Dive: The rules of the music industry are shifting again, and in 2025, the balance of power seemed to tilt towards artists. Some experiments paid off and opened new ways for fans to connect - from Justin Bieber livestreaming online to Charli XCX building direct channels with fans. Others, however, exposed just how risky it can be to step outside industry norms. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with music journalist Sam Murphy about who’s really setting the rules and how that will shape the artists, sounds, and stories we hear in 2026. Further listening: Randa Abdel-Fattah had her name written on a bomb Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After weeks of mounting pressure, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reversed his decision and announced a royal commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack that claimed 15 lives and left many injured. Former High Court justice Virginia Bell has been appointed to lead the inquiry, despite objections from prominent members of the Jewish community. In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy is joined by Associate Professor of public policy Deirdre O'Neill, who explains the unique powers of royal commissions, who leads them, what makes them effective, and whether this is the strongest path to answers, accountability, and prevention. Headlines: A woman has been shot dead by a US ICE officer during an operation in Minneapolis, Australia is in the grip of its worst heatwave since Black Summer, with catastrophic fire conditions across parts of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales, and NASA has been forced to postpone its first spacewalk of 2026. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.