There are many ways in Australia to have children if you can’t physically procreate. You can foster or look into adoption - or you can find a surrogate. In Australia, it’s illegal to pay someone to carry a child for you – but nothing is stopping you from paying someone overseas. However, surrogacy isn't without contention or is an easy road - just this month the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, described surrogacy as 'deplorable'. Luke O’Halloran and Scott O’Halloran, otherwise known a...
Jan 25, 2024•18 min•Season 5Ep. 37
Our chat with Nicky Bentham, an Australian movie producer living and working in London. Nicky’s been nominated for an Academy Award for her work producing the short film ‘The After’. In this episode of The Briefing, we talk with Nicky about what it’s like to get the call to say you’re nominated, what it means for her career, and what she expects to happen on the big night. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 25, 2024•10 min•Season 5Ep. 36
We stare into the crystal ball to see what's in cryptocurrency's future in 2024. Last year saw the notorious high-profile crypto court cases involving Sam Bankman-Fried and Changpeng Zhao. But despite the downfall of two of the currency's biggest players, crypto ended the year 160 percent up on 2022. In this episode of The Briefing, we're joined by Dr Dimitrios Salampasis, a financial technologies expert from Swinburne University, to find out what's in store for crypto in 2024. Headlines: Change...
Jan 24, 2024•23 min•Season 5Ep. 35
2024 will be the largest single election year in human history, with voters representing more than 40 per cent of the world’s population going to the polls this year. Fascist, authoritarian and strong-man candidates are candidates in many of those elections – threatening no less than the future of democracy. We take democracy for granted, but democracies can actually be very fragile. On today's afternoon episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt and Bension Siebert unpack the world’s biggest e...
Jan 24, 2024•10 min•Season 5Ep. 34
If you've been online at all in the last decade, you would've seen the phrase 'do your own research' in likely hundreds of comments sections. It turns out 'doing your own research' is precisely what can lead you to believing something untrue, according to a new study from the University of Central Florida. In this episode of The Briefing we speak with lead author Kevin Aslett about why we're more likely to believe misinformation even if we try to verify it. Headlines: Scott Morrison announces re...
Jan 23, 2024•20 min•Season 5Ep. 33
Scomo is finally calling it – the former PM announced today he will be stepping down from federal parliament. It closes a wild chapter in Australian political history. Most Australians came to know him as Immigration Minister in 2013, but Scott Morrison got the top job when he toppled Malcolm Turnbull to become Prime Minister in 2018. As PM, he came to grief over a badly timed holiday to Hawaii while much of Australia burned in the 2019-2020 bushfires. He also gained a reputation for secrecy, fa...
Jan 23, 2024•11 min•Season 5Ep. 32
Grocery prices have been sky-rocketing. A brief trip to the supermarket for just a handful of items can cost a small fortune. The Federal Government has announced it is holding a review into grocery prices in its bid to reduce cost of living pressure. In this episode of The Briefing, we're joined by Tim Harcourt and Gary Mortimer to ask 'can the government actually force supermarkets to lower the prices and should it?' Headlines: Stage three tax cuts under debate Sexual violence cases under revi...
Jan 22, 2024•24 min•Season 5Ep. 31
With parts of the Northern Territory experiencing the ongoing impacts of devastating floods across summer, Far North Queensland is again bracing for heavy rainfall from the currently developing Tropical Cyclone Kirrily. These weather events are nothing new - they follow a long list of devastating floods that have plagued the country over the last few years. But could a sponge city be the best way to tackle future flooding across the country? Also known as water sensitive urban design, these buil...
Jan 22, 2024•11 min•Season 5Ep. 30
Buckingham Palace has announced King Charles will have a procedure on his prostate. The news prompted an 11-fold increase in internet searches for 'enlarged prostate'. Men all over the world are renowned for ignoring their health and their reluctance to be tested for critical health diagnoses. Why? In this episode of The Briefing, we speak with Jonathon Papadopoulo, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in his 20s, about what prompted him to get checked, and what an early diagnosis meant for ...
Jan 21, 2024•18 min•Season 5Ep. 29
Breakfast radio is brutal. The 4am wake ups, the competition, trying to stay at top of the ratings and unpredictable talkback callers. But Laura O’Callaghan just loves it In 2021 Loz joined Roo and Ditz on Triple M brekky in Adelaide and she’s then has made her mark taking home best new talent at the commercial radio awards last year. In this chat Antoinette Lattouf, Loz explains what it’s really like being a women in radio especially on a pretty blokey show. Weekend List: Boy Swallows Universe ...
Jan 19, 2024•31 min•Season 5Ep. 28
We’ve all heard the term ‘print is dead’, but is it? Turns out the magazine sector continues to have a loyal consumer base, in fact seeing growth in Australia through 2023. And it isn't just the same old magazines that maintain popularity - we've seen the launch of new products, as well as the rebirth of previously discontinued magazines such as Girlfriend. So what is it about the magazine? The nostalgic experience? The aesthetic of reading on paper instead of on a digital platform? The focus on...
Jan 19, 2024•13 min•Season 5Ep. 27
Earlier this month, nine people were hospitalised with hyperthermia (extreme overheating) after taking MDMA in the sweltering heat at Hardmission Festival. A recent study found that since 2000 there have been over 64 drug related deaths at musical festivals. Bension Siebert sat down with Dr David Caldicott to talk us through the scientific evidence for what works and what doesn't in preventing overdoses at festivals. Headlines: UN to review Palestinian refugee operations Uvalde Texas school shoo...
Jan 18, 2024•22 min•Season 5Ep. 26
In the middle of a short backfill contract on ABC Radio Sydney late last year, journalist Antoinette Lattouf was abruptly sacked for sharing a Human Rights Watch post about Israel using starvation as a weapon of war. Now, Antoinette is taking the ABC to Fair Work Australia, claiming wrongful termination. With a private mediation hearing ending today without resolution, she says she will "fight for as long as it takes", and “will always advocate and fight for an ABC that can operate and inform th...
Jan 18, 2024•14 min•Season 5Ep. 25
Ketamine use is growing among young Australian party and festival goers as a cut-price alternative to drugs like cocaine and ecstacy. National wastewater monitoring has found consumption of ketamine rose to a record high last year, but it comes with serious risks. In this episode of The Briefing, we're joined by Dr Monica Barratt, a social scientist at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales to find out what the risks are, and how to cope with the drug'...
Jan 17, 2024•23 min•Season 5Ep. 24
With all eyes on Melbourne as the Australian Open takes off, now is the time when so many of us go into tennis fever. But this year, get ready to see something completely new. 11-year-old Sonny Rennison is an upcoming superstar in the world of wheelchair tennis, already ranked 15th in the world. Now, Sonny is working with Mastercard to serve up Australia’s first wheelchair ballkid pilot program. With their support, Sonny co-created some nifty technology to help him undertake the role at the high...
Jan 17, 2024•10 min•Season 5Ep. 23
Ships in the Red Sea are increasingly coming under attack from Houthis rebels. The Iranian-backed, Yemen-based group has threatened to continue the attacks in a bid to disrupt ships from delivering goods to and from Israel, prompting the US, UK and Australia to carry out strikes against the Houthis. Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Middle East expert Sarah Phillips from the University of Sydney to explain who the rebel group are and how their attacks could lead to a wider conflict with the wester...
Jan 16, 2024•20 min•Season 5Ep. 22
Dementia is the second leading cause of death of all Australians, with more than 400,000 people currently living with the disease in 2024. It can be a horrendous thing to watch a loved one go through, with the impact of the disease on both the individual and those who love them immense. Exploring this experience forms the core element of independent movie maker Jonathan De Jong's latest project, Human Forever. In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour-Gatt sits down with Jonathon to hear ab...
Jan 16, 2024•12 min•Season 5Ep. 21
The 2024 race to the White House begins today in lowa. The upper mid-west state hosts the first Caucuses of the Presidential election campaign. Donald Trump hopes to secure enough votes to force his rivals to pull out of the race. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley hope to put a dent in Trump's momentum. Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Chas Licciardello, host of the ABC's Planet America, to explain why the lowa Caucus is so importent in the race to the White House. Headlines: New dangerous party drugs...
Jan 15, 2024•20 min•Season 5Ep. 20
The recent election in Taiwan has made headlines all over the world and has made China very, very unhappy. It's expected that the new President-elect, Lai Ching-te from the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), will be pushing further for Taiwan to remain a self-governing democracy, independent of the rule of China - a stance that has ramifications for the rest of the world, given that Taiwan produce over 90% of the world's advanced microchips. On this episode of The Briefing, Bens...
Jan 15, 2024•12 min•Season 5Ep. 19
Mary Donaldson was born and raised in Tasmania, and has today become Queen of Denmark. It's a remarkable story of a girl living in a share house in Bondi Junction, who met the love of her life at a bar during the Sydney Olympics, and didn't know he was a prince. In this episode of The Briefing we're joined by Sebastian Olden-Jorgensen, Professor of Modern History specialising in court history, to talk about how a girl from Tasmania became Queen of Denmark. Headlines: 100 days since the start of ...
Jan 14, 2024•20 min•Season 5Ep. 18
Comedian Nazeem Hussain has done a lot of things – he created a TV show on SBS, made the Grand Finals of I'm a Celebrity Get Me out of Here, and he's recently added childrens book author to his accolades. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Nazeem reveals how he hid his comedy career from his mum and his most terrifying performance experience to date Weekend List: Off Menu podcast My 21st Century Blues album by Raye Lychee Martini by Glow up Beverages Antoinette's staycation tips Send us your ...
Jan 12, 2024•33 min•Season 5Ep. 17
Chances are that if you aren’t closely approaching retirement, you might not be thinking too critically about it... but should you be? How much exactly will you need to retire, what should you be doing now to safeguard your future, and what could you do to retire sooner rather than later? This week, The Briefing team brings you a five-part series on how to sort out your financial life in the new year. In today's episode, Bension Siebert is joined by Trish Gregory, financial adviser to Millennial...
Jan 12, 2024•13 min•Season 1Ep. 16
The International Court of Justice has held its first public hearing in the genocide case against Israel, over its war in Gaza. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu denies his country is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. He declared war following the October 7 terrorist attacks – where Hamas killed around 1,200 Israeli citizens and kidnapped a further 240. Bension Siebert is joined by international law expert, Juliette McIntyre, to discuss the first day of public hearings in the landm...
Jan 11, 2024•22 min•Season 5Ep. 15
It’s the Great Australian Dream: buying a property of your own. But in a real estate market blighted by rising prices and high interest rates, getting onto the property ladder in the first place can seem impossible. But is there hope yet? This week, The Briefing team brings you a five-part series on how to sort out your financial life in the new year. In this episode, Bension Siebert is bringing you advice from property guru Dr Andrew Wilson on what you need to do to buy a home in 2024. See omny...
Jan 11, 2024•12 min•Season 5Ep. 14
Australia's housing crisis is marching on: house prices across the country went up by 8.1% last year, while rents have gone up by a whopping 8.3%. But there could be light on the horizon, with rents forecast to ease in 2024. In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with Core Logic's Eliza Owen about what factors could bring our weekly rent down. HEADLINES: Woolies drops Australia Day gear Serious unrest in Papua New Guinea Nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards Follow T...
Jan 10, 2024•20 min•Season 5Ep. 13
Many of us got poorer in 2023, amidst a cost of living crisis that saw grocery prices, interest rates and rents surge. But there’s a group that still managed to get wealthier on the back of a rising market: investors. So with conditions expected to ease up, it’s time to look at how the rest of us can get on the same trajectory. This week, The Briefing team brings you a five-part series on how to sort out your financial life in the new year. In this episode, Bension Siebert is joined by the Motle...
Jan 10, 2024•12 min•Season 1Ep. 12
After nearly nine years Gypsy Rose Blanchard has been released from prison. The now 32-year-old was convicted for her role in the murder of her mother Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard. But she's being praised as a hero after surviving abuse at the hands of her mum who had a little-known syndrome called Munchausen by Proxy. Since her release Gypsy has been going viral and in this chat, Bension Siebert is joined by Sacha Barbour Gatt to break down the life of Gypsy and her sudden rise to fame. Lifeli...
Jan 09, 2024•20 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Is 2024 the year you take your next step forward in your career? Getting a promotion makes many a New Year's resolutions list - but if you're hoping for one this year, what should you be doing to best set yourself up for one? And is getting a promotion all it's cracked up to be? This week, The Briefing team brings you a five-part series on how to sort out your financial life in the new year. In this episode, Bension Siebert is joined by Sue Williamson, Associate Professor of Human Resource Manag...
Jan 09, 2024•11 min•Season 5Ep. 10
A year ago the Raising Awareness and Prevention (RAP) project in the UK was inundated with phone calls from boys' schools. The reason: Andrew Tate. The schools were concerned about the number of teenagers who were idolising the right wing influencer, who came to be known for his toxic takes on masculinity and women. One year on we speak with Deana Puccio, co-founder of the RAP Project to find out if any progress has been made, and what's been learned. HEADLINES: Flash flooding in parts of region...
Jan 08, 2024•20 min•Season 5Ep. 9
It's a new year, you're a new you, let's get your finances sorted! Our bank accounts often take a major hit during the holiday season - so how do you quickly recover, and what should you be aiming for in 2024? This week, The Briefing team brings you a five-part series on how to sort out your financial life in the new year. In today's episodes, Bension Siebert is joined by Canstar Editor-at-Large and author of The Great $20 Adventure , Effie Zahos, to talk through the simple ways you can start to...
Jan 08, 2024•11 min•Season 5Ep. 8
