A new documentary exposing the dark underbelly of kid’s television in the nineties and early 2000s is dropping in Australia today. Quiet on Set details shocking accusations of what it was like for child stars working on some of the biggest television shows when many of us were growing up. In particular, it presents harsh allegations against one of Nickelodeon’s most prized producers and screenwriters – Dan Schneider. LiSTNR’s Justin Hill, entertainment reporter and host of The Streaming Service ...
Apr 05, 2024•13 min•Season 5Ep. 157
Australia could be taking on nuclear waste from the AUKUS submarine deal after new laws tabled in Parliament last year. The legislation says it would allow for the creation of facilities for "managing, storing or disposing of radioactive waste from an AUKUS submarine". It's led to the resurfacing of talk about nuclear waste; asking if we'd be taking on waste from the UK and US, and in terms of our own, where would it go? In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is speaking with Tony I...
Apr 04, 2024•22 min•Season 5Ep. 156
It's been over four years since COVID-19 first shook the world. And though vaccines have allowed many of us to move on with our lives, a large number of people are not recovering from the virus. In fact, scientists believe at least 65 million people worldwide have, or have had, long covid. A recent study from WA found about 20 per cent of people infected during one of the state’s COVID waves still had fatigue, memory loss and trouble with concentration, three months after they first became sick....
Apr 04, 2024•11 min•Season 5Ep. 155
Earlier this week the Federal Government released a draft of the National Autism Strategy, in the hopes to improve the lives of autistic Australians. The development of the strategy was first announced back in 2022 and covers key reform areas including access to services, healthcare, education, and employment. Will it change the lives of people with autism? In this episode of The Briefing, we're joined by Professor Cheryl Dissanayake, a leading autism researcher at La Trobe University to find ou...
Apr 03, 2024•22 min•Season 5Ep. 154
Seven aid workers for the World Central Kitchen, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, are confirmed to have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. Since news of the attack broke, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, conveying the country’s outrage over the death. The Israeli government says it will investigate how the deaths occurred. One of Australia's leading voices on humanitarian aid and the former head of World Vision Au...
Apr 03, 2024•12 min•Season 5Ep. 153
Armaguard, the cash delivery business, is going broke. No one uses cash anymore so the nation's number one cash-in-transit business is losing money. What does the collapse of Armaguard mean for Australia's cash flow? Most consumers use tap-and-go to pay for goods and services, and it means businesses like big supermarket chains simply don't have cash reserves like they used to. In this episode of The Briefing, we investigate what the Armaguard crisis tells us about the future of cash, what Austr...
Apr 02, 2024•21 min•Season 5Ep. 152
Late last month, Richard Slayman became the first person in history to successfully undergo an organ transplantation of a genetically modified pig kidney. While human-to-animal transplant, or xenotransplantation, isn't new (heart valves from horses, cows and pigs having been used for over 30 years), cases of entire organ transplants are incredibly complex, while raising a host of other ethical and health concerns. So how significant is the recent pig kidney transplant, where are we at with this ...
Apr 02, 2024•13 min•Season 5Ep. 151
Reddit has gone public, making its debut on the New York stock exchange. Its value made it over $9b. Reddit is one of the world’s most popular websites, with 73 million unique active visitors a day—and can engage in over 100,000 forums. Going public could majorly change the platform though, with everything from ads through to how Reddit forums are moderated likely to be put under the microscope. In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt sits down with James Hennessy to find out what th...
Apr 01, 2024•23 min•Season 5Ep. 150
Though Beyoncé has claimed that Cowboy Carter is a 'Beyoncé album', rather than 'a country album', it's a release that definitely dips into the genre. And country music has a complex relationship with Black musicians - a few years back, Lil Nas X faced a heavy backlash from Old Town Road, which was scrapped from Billboard's country chart, triggering criticism that the reason was in part racially motivated. Yet over the last few years, country has seen a massive boom in its widespread popularity,...
Apr 01, 2024•11 min•Season 5Ep. 149
Do you have thousands of emails in your inbox, or are you an Inbox Zero type of person? A new study is looking at personal email management, and has found only half of people are happy with how they deal with their inbox. In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt talks to Matt Balogh from the University of New England about what we should be doing with our emails. Follow The Briefing: Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAU Twitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/...
Mar 31, 2024•13 min•Season 5Ep. 148
Tom Ballard is possibly the most political comedian in Australia, with his stand up tackling issues including asylum seekers, racism, the monarchy and capitalism. His new show, Good Point Well Made, is no different. He reflects on Australia's failed voice referendum and Donald Trump- alongside a healthy dose of toilet humour. In this chat with Tom Tilley, Ballard opens up about the process of writing the show, why he loves performing, and the rise of fellow comedian and friend Hannah Gadsby. Sen...
Mar 29, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 147
Emma Chow is one half of the 14-years strong radio duo Mike E & Emma- broadcasting live every weekday nationally for their breakfast show. Emma has achieved radio queen status with her radio husband but admits that there have TMI moments throughout her career. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Emma reminisces about having one of the most unique gender reveals on air- and then copping slack for returning to work weeks after giving birth. You can hear Emma on Mike E & Emma live 6-9am N...
Mar 29, 2024•31 min•Season 5Ep. 146
Everyone’s hustling, everyone’s struggling with cost of living pressures, rents are rising, interest rates are rising. We’re exhausted, and it’s only March. We’re constantly told to look after our mental health and to support those around us who need love and care – family and friends. But how can we, when we’re at the point of burnout almost every day. In this special episode of The Briefing brought to you by Medibank, our hosts Sacha Barbour Gatt and Bension Siebert talk about why they’re feel...
Mar 29, 2024•14 min•Season 5Ep. 145
Once upon a time bilbies lived all over Australia; where there was desert, there was a bilby. After the introduction of cats and foxes, the bilby’s numbers plummeted, in the 80s they were only found in a couple of tiny patches in the wild. Now their numbers are up and growing, and partly that’s thanks to the idea of the easter bilby. Chocolate bilbies appeared in shops in the 90s as an environmental alternative to the easter bunny, the idea has raised awareness and funds. In this episode of The ...
Mar 28, 2024•15 min•Season 5Ep. 144
Right now, Moshtix is in the process of refunding all of the tickets for the Splendour in the Grass festival, after the unexpected news that the event had been cancelled. Though we've seen many festivals across the country postpone or cancel their events, we've also lately seen several big concerts, with a massive demand for tickets. Often, it feels like no matter how quick you are to get onto the website, whether you actually get a ticket seems pretty random. But is it? What is actually happeni...
Mar 28, 2024•13 min•Season 5Ep. 143
Splendour in the Grass will not go ahead this year, and we are yet to learn the official reason. This isn’t the first time the event has been hit with difficulties. In 2022 the first day of Splendour was cancelled due to flooding, and last year saw the event far from selling out, with ticket sales down 30%. In this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert spoke with Swinburne’s Event Management and Public Relations expert, Associate Professor Robert Gill to find out what his take was, and what t...
Mar 27, 2024•21 min•Season 5Ep. 142
About 1:30AM local time, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed after being struck by a container ship. The loaded ship reportedly suffered a power issue just prior to the incident, alerting a mayday just in time to stop traffic from crossing the bridge. Tragically, eight roadworkers were still working on the bridge at the time of the collapse. Two were rescued, one body has been recovered, while searches for the remaining have been suspended until morning. Authoritie...
Mar 27, 2024•11 min•Season 5Ep. 141
Donald Trump and Joe Biden have now secured their respective parties’ presidential nomination for the November US presidential election. Biden will partner with Vice President Kamala Harris for the second election in succession. But who will be Donald Trump’s running mate? Most pundits are pointing to South Dakota governor Kristi Noam. So who is she? And why is Donald Trump keeping his cards so close to his chest before naming his running mate? Headlines: Julian Assange granted legal lifeline Se...
Mar 26, 2024•21 min•Season 5Ep. 140
Noland Arbaugh was paralysed from the shoulders down after a diving accident eight years ago. But now, thanks to a brain computer interface chip, he's able to play video games like Mario Kart or virtual chess simply by concentrating his mind on the screen. The chip, which is the size of a coin, was surgically implanted back in January by Elon Musk's company, Neuralink. While the company have said there are still a few problems to work through, it is incredible technology that promises to give pe...
Mar 26, 2024•12 min•Season 5Ep. 139
Russia has suffered its deadliest terror attack in 20 years, after 133 people were killed and 100 were injured when gunmen opened fire at a theatre in Moscow. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, fresh from his election win has blamed Ukraine for the attack despite a terrorist group called ISIS-K claiming responsibility. In this episode of The Briefing Bension Siebert speaks to terrorism expert Greg Barton from Deakin university about what’s going on. Headlines: UN has called for a ceasefire in G...
Mar 25, 2024•21 min•Season 5Ep. 138
The results from Tasmania's election, which took place over the weekend, are mostly in. While Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff called the election a year early in the hopes of forming a stable majority government, he hasn't been able to secure the outcome he was hoping for. It's expected that the Liberals will hold 13-15 seats, which is more than Labor... But short of the 18 required to form a majority government. So what will this mean for Tasmania's future, and the controversial policies that h...
Mar 25, 2024•11 min•Season 5Ep. 137
Did you know Australia has been recruited by America to produce some of its weapons? The wars in Ukraine and Gaza have stretched US capabilities to make things like artillery shells and missiles, so it’s taking advantage of our munitions factories that have room to grow. On today’s episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with Charles Edel from the Center for Strategic and International Studies about where the weapons being made in Australia are ending up and the geopolitical impacts o...
Mar 24, 2024•21 min•Season 5Ep. 136
Dr Zac Seidler is a clinical psychologist, researcher and leading men’s mental health expert. With seven men across Australia dying by suicide every day- globally, an average of one man every minute- it’s his mission to create a dialogue with men, not about them, in the mental health space. In this chat with Tom Tilley, Zac opens up about how his father’s suicide shaped his career, explains why we should ditch the label “toxic masculinity”- and why men need more friends. If you are in need of he...
Mar 23, 2024•40 min•Season 5Ep. 135
Reuben Kaye is what happens when you tell your children they can be anything. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Reuben recalls the moment he discovered he was funny, opens up about finding humour in dark places- and explains why he stands by that controversial joke about Jesus he told on The Project last year. You can catch Reuben’s show Apocalipstik and his signature huge eyelashes at the Melbourne Comedy festival from next weekend, before he heads to Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. WEEKEND ...
Mar 22, 2024•25 min•Season 5Ep. 134
Why are politicians so desperate for the sport vote? As Tasmania head into an election this weekend, one of the major talking points surrounds whether they really should be about to build a new AFL stadium. And this isn't the first time we've seen governments wrestle with the politics of stadia, with other states and territories similarly finding themselves similarly under fire over proposals and upgrades. So why are politicians so desperate to spend so much money on stadiums, that will only eve...
Mar 22, 2024•12 min•Season 5Ep. 133
Tasmania goes to the polls this weekend, and one of the major issues people will be voting on is whether to log or not to log the state’s forests. The coalition, who have been in power for a decade say they will ramp up the logging of Tasmania's native forests, Labor has said they will extend logging contracts to 2040, while the Greens are the only party wanting to get rid of native logging altogether. In this episode of The Briefing Sacha Barbour Gatt talks about what’s at stake this weekend wi...
Mar 21, 2024•22 min•Season 5Ep. 132
There's been a lot of attention on Boeing recently, after a spate of inflight incidents. In January, a Boeing 737 Max on a flight from Portland to Ontario in California had its emergency door plug blow off mid-flight, while in February, pilots reported a Boeing 737 Max having jammed flight controls as the plane landed in New Jersey. And just last week, the LATAM 787 Boeing Dreamliner, flying from Sydney to New Zealand plunged midflight, injuring 50 people. After so many well-publicised safety in...
Mar 21, 2024•11 min•Season 5Ep. 131
Today is Harmony Day when Australia celebrates its multiculturism and diversity, but did you know we’re the only country who does? It’s because Australia has a difficult relationship with what the day is actually for internationally, which is the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In this episode of The Briefing Sacha Barbour Gatt delves into Australia’s murky past with Listnr investigative journalist Claudianna Blanco to find out why this is such a controversial ...
Mar 20, 2024•23 min•Season 5Ep. 130
Last year, over half a million Australians saw their HECS debt grow faster than it was being repaid. Teal Independent MP Dr Monique Ryan says it’s because Australia has an unfair HECS indexation system. In fact, the government got more money last year from HECS debts than it did from its main fossil fuel tax. Dr Ryan has begun a petition calling on Education Minister Jason Clare to change the way HECS debts are indexed. In this episode of The Briefing, we hear from Dr Ryan as we investigate why ...
Mar 20, 2024•11 min•Season 5Ep. 129
Last year, a report found that Australia offers the least amount of parental leave support to parents of multiples in the OECD. In fact, extra payments to families with multiples only account 7% of the differential costs. In this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert speaks with mother of triplets, Silje Andersen-Cooke who is also the director of the Australian Multiple Birth Association to find out what has happened in the year since the report was released, and why families with multiples a...
Mar 19, 2024•22 min•Season 5Ep. 128
