The world is trying to come to grips with the Omicron variant of Covid-19. It’s spreading like wildfire across the globe. Governments are scrambling to close borders and scientists are rushing to determine just how potent the new strain is. But could it be a blessing in disguise. Could Omicron end the pandemic? Dr Deborah Cromer leads the Infection Epidemiology and Policy Analytics Group at the Kirby Institute, UNSW. Her job is to determine how effective vaccines are in combatting viruses. Dr De...
Dec 01, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 279
In 2013 on a night out in Kings Cross a devastating encounter in a laneway changed the course of Saxon Mullins’ life. It led to a rape case that went for five years... there were two trials, two appeals and ultimately it was determined that the accused was acquitted after arguing he had reasonable grounds to believe she was consenting. Now eight years on... Saxon Mullins’ story... has led to a change in the law... that could protect other victims who freeze during sex. Todays Headlines NSW on al...
Nov 30, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 278
The world has a new variant of the Covid-19 virus to contend with. Omicron was first detected in Botswana and has already been detected in the UK, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic and Australia. States and countries are locking borders to try to contain the spread. Dr Norman Swan is host of the ABC’s Health Report and the Coronacast podcast. Dr Swan explains how and why new variants of the virus emerge. He also explains what’s likely to happen next. How will the world cope with Omicron? Will it be ...
Nov 29, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 277
Western Australia will stay closed for Christmas with its border not reopening until at least late January. WA premier Mark McGowan says waiting to lift restrictions until the state achieves 90% vaccination coverage of people aged 12 and above will save lives. We asked our listeners what they thought, and we received a mixed response. Many believe McGowan is a hero keeping West Australians safe….while others say they want to be allowed to travel to see their loved ones like the rest of Australia...
Nov 28, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 276
You might know Matt Okine as the funny guy who makes up one half of Matt and Alex’s All Day Breakfast. He is also an author, actor and former Triple J presenter. In this chat with Jamila Rizvi, Matt shows more of his thoughtful and sensitive side, speaking about everything from his experience of racism, growing up without his mum and challenges of becoming a parent. Plus he tells Jamila an amazing story about how he's caught the matrix three times. THE WEEKEND LIST with Linda Marigliano: Listen:...
Nov 26, 2021•42 min•Season 2Ep. 275
31 people drowned when a boatload of asylum seekers capsized in the English Channel this week. The international community all of a sudden became aware of a crisis on the beaches near Calais in France. People smugglers are loading migrants, looking for a better life, onto inflatable dinghies and sending them to Britain. Steve Cannane is the ABC’s European correspondent. He’s met some of the migrants looking and hoping for asylum. He says they’re desperate to get to Great Britain...and with what’...
Nov 25, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 274
The debate over vaccine mandates has erupted in a war of words. Thousands of protestors marched in Australian capital cities last weekend claiming the mandates are overreach and a breach of civil liberties. So where does the truth lie? Brad Hudson is from the Nurses Professional Association of Australia providing support for nurses who don’t want to get vaccinated; and Dr Nick Coatsworth is the former deputy chief medical officer and the “face” of the nation’s Covid response and vaccine rollout ...
Nov 24, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 273
Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? The question of who is behind that pseudonym has been one of the biggest mysteries of the financial world for over a decade. Whoever Nakamoto is, whether it’s an individual or a group, holds the key to a fortune worth billions of dollars and the boasting rights to being the creator of Bitcoin. A trial is unfolding in the US over who is behind the world’s most famous cryptocurrency. Paul Vigna, journalist covering bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain technology at Th...
Nov 23, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 272
Thousands of migrants are trapped on the Belarus/Poland border. The asylum seekers from the Middle East have clashed with border police as even more arrive desperate to be let into the European Union. But is the crisis being manufactured by Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko? His critics say he’s created the problem to make life difficult for EU nations who say he rigged last year’s presidential elections. Tatsiana Kulakevich is Professor specialising in Eastern Europe at the University ...
Nov 22, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 271
Nats What I Reckon started posting review videos on YouTube 15 years ago. He has also always loved to cook. So when we went into lockdown, he decided to combine the two, and his profile exploded. He’s now a bona fide social media superstar with 1.6 million Facebook followers; 383,000 subscribers on YouTube (he’s had more than 20 million views); and 450,000 followers on Instagram. You won’t believe his back story. Nats What I Reckon has a new cookbook ‘Death to Jar Sauce’ and he’s all about teach...
Nov 21, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 270
How did Brisbane boy Shane Jenek become Courtney Act, Australia’s most beloved drag queen? In this chat with Jamila Rizvi we get to know the man behind the drag, who has shot to international fame in recent years with appearances on Ru Paul’s Drag Race and Celebrity Big Brother UK. Shane explains why he wants to hug his childhood self, what it was like writing his new memoir Caught in The Act during lockdown, and why it’s important to have difficult conversations with people you don’t agree with...
Nov 19, 2021•39 min•Season 2Ep. 269
Today’s story starts back on October 2, 2020, when Qatari authorities grounded planes at Hamad International Airport in Doha after a baby was found abandoned in a bathroom. The baby had been dumped in a bin. Following the discovery of the infant, more than 18 women from 10 different flights, including 13 Australians aboard a Sydney-bound Qatar Airways plane, were escorted off planes by armed guards. All women of child-bearing age were ushered into ambulances for physical examinations to determin...
Nov 18, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 268
Five million people in Melbourne emerged from lockdown in late October after spending a world record 262 days in lockdown. The Victorian Parliament is expected to pass strict new laws this week to deal with future pandemics. Victoria's Health Minister, Martin Foley, insists the legislation "cements this Victorian Parliament and this public health response as the most accountable, transparent and public health-focused system in the Commonwealth". The Opposition Leader Matthew Guy describes the pr...
Nov 17, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 267
How has Covid impacted the sex industry? Everyone has had to make changes to cope with the pandemic, but what about when your income is derived from intimacy? Samantha X is an escort and owner of Samantha’s Angels escort agency. She tells us she was taking lots of calls during lockdown, from women looking to begin work in the industry. Fiona Patten is a Member of the Victorian Legislative Council, best known for establishing the Sex Party 15 years ago. Fiona tells us the pandemic accelerated new...
Nov 16, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 266
A court has finally freed Britney Spears from her conservatorship... where her father controlled almost every aspect of her life for 13 years. This story, which maybe would have been filed under celebrity gossip became a lot more serious when the world found out how much this legal arrangement limited her life... even her fertility. Angela Bishop, Network Ten’s entertainment reporter, says Britney’s life became the focus of three big documentaries and then a court case which finally handed down ...
Nov 15, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 265
On today’s episode of the Briefing …what about the children... do we really understand the impact of covid and lockdowns on children under 12. Counselling services such as Kids Helpline say they’re hearing more from children during the pandemic - and primary school teachers are warning that kids might struggle as stages like NSW and Victoria open up and kids head back to the classroom We’re joined by the National Children’s Commissioner, Anne Hollonds and our very own audio producer, Cuzz whose ...
Nov 14, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 264
Yumi Stynes is best known as the host of the award-winning podcast and new book Ladies We Need to Talk, where she dives headfirst into the tricky topics women often avoid talking about. Yumi invites her guests to share embarrassing and taboo aspects of their lives, and through that sharing to feel better. In this conversation with Jamila Rizvi, Yumi speaks candidly and courageously about everything from her troubled relationship with alcohol, to growing up as a mixed race kid to her very fresh s...
Nov 12, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 263
Why is everyone being bombarded with scam texts? We’ve all received a message about a parcel, or a tax bill, a Nigerian prince, or Australian Border Force. So, what’s with the explosion of phone-based scams? Ian from Clayfield in Brisbane received the DHL text and ended up losing $126 – and even worse, the scammers accessed his credit cards. Others have lost thousands of dollars. Delia Rickard is Deputy Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The ACCC has launched ScamWatch ...
Nov 11, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 262
'Let’s Go Brandon’ is being called the biggest political meme of the last decade. The crowd at a NASCAR race in Alabama was chanting “F**k Joe Biden”. An NBC reporter, during an interview with the race winner Brandon Brown, heard what the crowd was saying and told viewers – and Brandon – they were saying “Let’s Go Brandon” It’s blown up in the US – and it coincides with a steep decline in Joe Biden’s popularity ratings. The Australian newspaper’s US correspondent Adam Creighton joins us to expla...
Nov 10, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 261
Eight people were killed at Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in the US state of Texas last Friday. Scott’s history leaves you wondering if he could or should have done more to prevent the tragedy. There is also a criminal investigation happening. The investigation follows reports the local police chief visited Scott in his dressing room before the concert warning him trouble was brewing. Joey Guerra is a music journalist with the Houston Chronicle who was at the gig; and Randy Sorrels is...
Nov 09, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 260
We love doing episodes suggested by our listeners! Mel wrote to ask us to track down Sister Helen Prejean….a Catholic nun who has spent her life campaigning to scrap the death penalty. Sister Helen’s the nun from the Hollywood film, Dead Man Walking. It took us four months, but we finally had a chance to sit down to talk with this remarkable woman. Sister Helen tells us why she took up her life-long campaign…..and why she believes President Joe Biden might just be the man to stop the death sente...
Nov 08, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 259
The nation breathed a collective sigh of relief last Wednesday when four-year-old Cleo Smith was found alive and well. Detectives arrive in Carnarvon today to begin the lengthy investigation into exactly what occurred in the 18 days she was missing. We’re joined by Seven’s Ben Downie, who has covered the case since day one; and Dr Celine Van Golde, a psychologist from Sydney University who focuses on the reliability of eyewitness memory in children and adults. How will police proceed with the de...
Nov 07, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 258
You might know Deni Todorovic from their instagram page stylebydeni, where they regularly don fun and playful outfits including colourful evening gowns and tutus. Deni has styled just about every Australian celebrity you can think of, from Delta Goodrem to Samantha Jade. In this chat Deni joins Jamila Rizvi to discuss what it was like growing up without the words to describe their gender identity, why we all need to break out of our limited binary fashion choices, and how they’ve come to underst...
Nov 05, 2021•35 min•Season 2Ep. 257
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced last week the social media giant would now be known as Meta, to reflect his vision of dominating the “metaverse” Jeremy Kaplan is Content Director at Future, the publisher of TechRader. He says most of us wouldn’t trust Mark Zuckerberg to walk our dog, let alone rule the internet. So, what IS the Metaverse? What will it mean for us? What will the future look like if we’re all linked, socially and digitally? And is Meta the right company to be running the fu...
Nov 04, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 256
Young Aussie artist AViVA is a perfect example of someone you mightn’t have heard of in the mainstream, but who has had her emo/pop songs downloaded billions of times. She’s had nearly 70 million views of her debut single Grrrls on YouTube. AViVA’s story is remarkable because she’s managed to forge a career, and a very successful career, without going down the traditional path of signing record deals and working with record labels. In this Briefing, AViVA tells us about her determination to play...
Nov 03, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 255
Police in Western Australia have found missing four-year-old Cleo Smith. Officers broke into a locked house in the town of Carnarvon, 900 kilometres north of Perth, about 1am local time (4am AEDT) where they found the young girl in one of the rooms. Cleo was reunited with her parents, Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon, shortly after. T ODAY'S HEADLINES Cleo Smith is found alive and well Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAU Twitter: @ TheBriefingAU See omnystu...
Nov 02, 2021•4 min•Season 2Ep. 254
Gladys Berejiklian stunned the people of NSW on October 1st by announcing her resignation. The state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption had announced it was investigating Ms Berejiklian over grants provided to her then-boyfriend Daryl Maguire’s electorate. After two days of astounding testimony Ms Berejiklian will move to the next phase of her life. The Australian’s NSW parliamentary reporter Yoni Bashan has covered the 11 days of ICAC hearings. He details the untruths, surprises, twist...
Nov 02, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 253
In today’s Briefing, we’ll learn just how much better life could be if we properly understood loneliness... because it’s connected to so many things that go wrong in our lives, like drug addiction, violence, crime Dr Michelle Lim from Swinburne University is chair of Ending Loneliness Together - a national network of organisations working through collaborative action, research & policy to address loneliness in Australia. Lockdown has ended….the community is opening up. But what if I’m still ...
Nov 01, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 252
When Damien Cave brought his young family to Sydney to set up the New York Times ’ Australian Bureau, they encountered the local pursuits of Nippers and surfing – and a completely different approach to risk that changed the way they lived their lives. Damien is the New York Times’ Australian correspondent. He has always been fascinated by risk. Having covered the war in Iraq and moved to Mexico City with two babies in nappies, he and his wife Diana thought they understood something about the sub...
Oct 31, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 251
Steph Claire Smith isn’t your average model turned fitness influencer. Boasting over one million followers on social media, the 27-year-old uses her platform to champion how healthy doesn't need to be hard, which inspired the business empire she co-founded with her best friend Laura Henshaw, Keep It Cleaner . She's also navigating becoming a new mum through the pandemic, showing the raw and realistic sides of the journey with her followers as she embraces imperfections and celebrates flaws. Jami...
Oct 29, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 250
