Podcast
The Briefing
Hosted by LiSTNR · EN
We’re your friends in news.
Sacha Barbour Gatt and Chris Spyrou wake up early to bring you all the important daily news headlines.
Then, we deep dive on an essential news story that'll make you feel smarter about the world.
Listen every weekday to know more in minutes.
225episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Gov sets up data centre showdown + ‘It’s a clusterf***’: How we're failing DV victims
3d ago00:26:25Tap to summarizeThursday Headlines: Labor’s 5% first-home deposit scheme has been used to purchase 1500 properties converted to investments Federal government will force states to make AI data centres run on renewable energy Israel issues evacuation orders for first time since June ceasefire, starts striking Lebanon Omar Musa wins Miles Franklin literary award NASA warns about space debris after SpaceX junk slams into the moon Deep Dive: Every year in Australia, dozens of women and children are killed in violent circumstances - and in 2026 the toll is already climbing fast. Behind those numbers is a support system that campaigners say is buckling: refuges at capacity, transitional housing waitlists stretching years, and women turned away from help at the very moment they need it most. Sherele Moody is one of the country's foremost researchers on femicide and child deaths, and the founder of the Red Heart Movement where she records the names and stories of women killed across the country, and pushes for a system that takes their safety seriously. In this episode of The Briefing, Sherele Moody sits down with Chris Spyrou to unpack why billions in spending isn't stopping the deaths, why she's calling for a Royal Commission into femicide, and what a properly funded response to violence against women would actually look like. Help is available:1800 Respect national helpline: 1800 737 732 Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Labor stalls on migration changes + Trump's deal (or no deal) with Iran
4d ago00:24:09Tap to summarizeWednesday Headlines: Albanese under pressure to do more on gambling ads reform Tony Burke delays migration cut announcement Competing drone videos in Russia, Ukraine war Alan Jones trial continues Jetstar to charge for carry-on baggage lockers Deep Dive: Five months into the United States' war on Iran, Donald Trump keeps insisting that a deal, or a decisive victory, is within reach. So why does neither ever arrive? Trita Parsi's answer is blunt: the President is chasing a knockout blow that doesn't exist. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Parsi, who is an expert on US-Iranian relations and Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft - about who can really outlast whom and whether Trump has walked into a new forever war. Trita’s last chat with Chris from March: Why the Iran war can’t end ‘soon’ Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Drugs & escorts used to lure gamblers + The $200m race to save our wildlife
5d ago00:29:01Tap to summarizeTuesday Headlines: Sportsbet and TAB execs to be grilled at Senate inquiry into gambling reform today One Nation climbs in the polls as Hanson refuses ABC and Guardian entry to Victorian press conference Ralph Carr unmasked as rapist after suppression order lifted Kmart sells out of dupe Meta camera glasses amid global privacy concerns Ariana Grande steps back from public life amid scrutiny over her weight Deep Dive: For years, Australia watched from a distance as bird flu tore through wildlife on every other continent - before it finally reached our shores in June. What began with a few lone migratory birds is now spreading through our native populations, and while conservationists welcome the more than $113 million already invested to get us prepared - they say now that it's here, more needs to be put on the table. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Jack Gough, CEO of the Invasive Species Council, who's urging the Albanese Government to commit at least $200 million to help our wildlife survive what's coming. He explains what that money would go towards, what species are most at risk, and how the strain can move from low risk in humans to a higher one. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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IN FULL: The Kyle Sandilands interview
6d ago00:47:43Tap to summarizeFive months after the Kyle and Jackie O Show was pulled off air, Kyle Sandilands will be back behind the microphone with a paid subscription show that launches next week. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou sits down with the veteran broadcaster for a wide-ranging chat about what really brought down the most expensive act in Australian radio. Sandilands responds to the workplace bullying allegations at the heart of his former co-host's lawsuit against their old employer, explains why he chose to settle his own multi-million-dollar case rather than fight on, and reflects on the mistakes that have marked his 25 years on air - the moments, he says, that taught him where the line sits. Then it's over to you: we put your questions to him, and he talks up a possible reunion with Jackie, floats getting Karl Stefanovic on the payroll, and names the controversial figure he's booked for the show's first week. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Trump cancels Iran strikes, fuel excise ends + Aus wins Comm Games
6d ago00:12:18Tap to summarizeMonday Headlines: Motorists warned to expect fuel shock as excise ends Donald Trump cancels Iran strikes subject to deal being made rapidly Authorities await results from South Australia mass bird death event Alan Jones indecent assault trial getting underway today Housing market downturn spreads across Australia Australia wins the Comm Games Chris' chat with Kyle Sandilands is out now. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →The $15bn scandal that brought down Jacinta Allan
1w ago00:12:42Tap to summarizeVictoria has a new premier this week - and within hours of being sworn in, Ben Carroll did the one thing his predecessor spent months refusing to do: call a royal commission into the CFMEU. Jacinta Allan's resignation was driven in large part by a corruption scandal engulfing the state's Big Build, where a landmark report earlier this year alleged the construction union had siphoned $15 billion from taxpayers while the government turned a blind eye. Reporters at The Age have been documenting the organised crime, intimidation and misconduct across the union's Victorian operations since 2024. In this episode of The Briefing, we revisit Chris Spyrou's conversation with award-winning investigative journalist Nick McKenzie from The Age, recorded back in February when that explosive report first landed. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Our Take: Kyle Sandilands, Jacinta’s exit signs & who tf cares about Spidey?!
1w ago00:26:59Tap to summarizeWelcome back to our new weekend format, The Briefing: Our Take. Every Saturday we're loosening our ties and kicking off our shoes to take you behind the scenes of the week that was; stories we loved or debated, what you, the listener, thought of a topic or conversation, the Weekend Quiz and capping it off with a Weekend Briefing favourite: The List. In this episode we talk about the feedback we got ahead of Chris' sit-down with Kyle Sandilands, comments on Hannah Ferguson’s run against the PM and Jacinta Allan’s resignation. We also stop by the red carpet of the new Spider-Man movie and quiz friend of the show Justin Hill on everything that happened in the news this week – make sure you play along! The Weekend Quiz (just questions, no answers): What’s this sound? (listen to hear it!) Europe is threatening to boycott what ... and for a bonus point, why? Victorian premier Jacinta Allan resigned this week. Who was named her successor? It was revealed this week that it cost $45,000 for the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to manage which loveable marine chaos agent? Who announced this week they’d be running as an independent against Anthony Albanese in the seat of Grayndler at the next federal election? The Weekend List: To Watch: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (Justin Hill) To Listen: Wet Leg (listener Chris – you can watch the Coachella performance here) Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Europe to boycott next World Cup + Inside the telehealth death debate
1w ago00:26:46Tap to summarizeFriday Headlines: US completes ‘heavy wave’ of strikes against Iran Australian family beg for government help as son faces death penalty in Syria Labor housing plan already 100,000 homes behind schedule UEFA agrees to boycott FIFA competitions over controversial World Cup sell-off plans Revealed: Neil the Seal's damage and care bill Deep Dive: A new push is starting for access to Voluntary Assisted Dying to be expanded to telehealth services, in a move that advocates say would directly benefit people living in the regions or who are too sick to travel. Labor this week endorsed a change in law that'd lift a ban on the practice, but the Prime Minister doesn't agree, saying allowing it would threaten the strict safeguards in place to ensure VAD is only accessed by people who genuinely want and need it. In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Go Gentle spokesperson Andrew Denton to discuss why there's a debate on this issue and what's next in the fight to allow VAD via telehealth. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Trump to ‘beat the f****** shit’ out of Iran + Hannah Ferguson vs Albo
1w ago00:21:12Tap to summarizeThursday Headlines: Pause in fighting between US and Iran over as Trump threatens to ‘beat the f****** shit out of Iran’ SA police call off search for missing 3-month-old boy Bird flu has first local transmission Rate hike unlikely after inflation numbers lower than expected OpenAI's rogue agent also hacked other companies Deep Dive: Australia's no stranger to famous faces trading their day jobs for politics. Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett, broadcaster Derryn Hinch, Olympians Nova Peris and Zali Steggall, as well as former journalists Zoe Daniel and Maxine McKew. But only one of them has unseated a sitting Prime Minister. Hannah Ferguson is looking to become the second. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Ferguson to unpack her independent tilt at Anthony Albanese in his seat of Grayndler - why she won't be joining forces with the Greens or Teals, and some of the policy platforms and values at the heart of her campaign. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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One Nation support plateaus + Is Ben Carroll Victoria's political saviour?
2w ago00:23:44Tap to summarizeWednesday Headlines: One Nation support plateaus in new poll Search for missing baby boy in South Australia continues today Human casualties confirmed after magnitude 7.1 earthquake hits Japan Ben Carroll calls for Royal Commission as Opposition criticises his integrity 3.6 million people track Qantas flight to France Deep Dive: Jacinta Allan has stepped down from the Victorian Labor leadership after less than three years in the role. With an election just four months away, how does her decision affect the party's chances of winning? And can Labor get back on top in Victoria? In this episode of The Briefing, Channel 7's Political Editor, Mark Riley joins Sacha Barbour Gatt to explain. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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