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.
233episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Third near miss at Sydney airport + Tupac's "thug life" on trial
3d ago00:20:54Tap to summarizeFriday Headlines: Third near miss at Sydney airport Meta, TikTok, Youtube and Snapchat to face Social Media ban enquiry today Penny Wong to speak on the dangers of Monoculturalism Popular weight loss drugs suspected links to more than 60 deaths in Australia Deep Dive: It's been 30 years since rapper Tupac Shakur was shot dead in the streets of Las Vegas, his death sparking three decades of conspiracies, mysteries and an enduring question: who killed him? Amid disappearing witnesses and a street code that made talking to police punishable by death, the case went cold. But in 2023 former gang boss Duane 'Keffe D' Davis was charged with Tupac's murder ... only he's not believed to have been the one to pull the trigger. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by hip hop historian Michael Namikas to discuss the upcoming trial of Keffe D, but also Tupac's life, career and legacy. Michael’s book: The Tupac Encyclopedia - Volume 1 Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Mass school walkout over Hanson + How sex work saved Bension’s career
4d ago00:26:52Tap to summarizeThursday Headlines: Students to stage school walkout over Pauline Hanson One dead and more than 200 rescued after Bali ferry fire News bargaining incentive hits parliament today Victorian authorities prepare for mass vaccine event of little penguins Tooth decay cases soar across Australia as people put off expensive dentist work Deep Dive: When Bension Siebert's role was made redundant, the award-winning journalist found himself staring down a shrinking media industry that no longer seemed willing to invest in the investigations he'd spent his career chasing. A week later, he was walking out of a stranger's apartment with $600 in his pocket, having just taken his first paid in-person sex work booking. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou and Sacha Barbour Gatt welcome their former colleague and co-host back to the mic to unpack an unlikely career move - and the essay about it that's turned his life upside down in a matter of days. Bension explains how five hours of sex work can out-earn a week of journalism, why he sees it less as a last resort than a kind of liberation, and how a media landscape squeezed by redundancies and legal risk pushed him toward telling the stories he says newsrooms won't. Bension’s essay on Cheek Media: How sex work saved my investigative journalism career Bension’s Instagram: bensionfindsout Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Coalition backs One Nation bill + Harry Potter and the undersea cables
5d ago00:28:57Tap to summarizeWednesday Headlines: Coalition to back One Nation’s foreign fighters bill PM refuses to apologise over melons comment Colombia quake death toll climbs above 200 RBA leaves door open to hikes after leaving rates on hold Donald Trump signs executive order to reduce the number of childhood vaccines New canine study reveals they're skilled in responding to human emotion Deep Dive: Harry Potter fans this week had a major win. They managed to have critical infrastructure worth almost a billion dollars moved to protect a memorial for Dobby the house elf. That critical infrastructure was a single undersea cable. These cables rest in the ocean and are responsible for 95% of all internet and data traffic. Cat videos, financial transactions, email – all of it would disappear if these thin cables were cut. In this episode of The Briefing, we’re joined by Dean Veverka, the Chair of the International Cable Protection Committee, to learn who built this critical infrastructure, and who’s protecting the world’s undersea cables from threats and sabotage. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Aus-first AI royal commission + The survivor taking on Australia's cults
6d ago00:26:00Tap to summarizeTuesday Headlines: Hanson to introduce foreign fighters bill as PM and Taylor hammer out gambling, NDIS and widow tax deal More than 80 people dead after Colombia earthquake South Australia announce royal commission into AI Aussies being urged to challenge their car insurers over price hikes It's Census night Deep Dive: How do you escape from a cult? That was one of the questions a Victorian parliamentary inquiry has been trying to answer, ever since a LiSTNR podcast exposed an abusive cult in Geelong and sparked a firestorm of advocacy from cult survivors. Last month, that inquiry handed down its report, “Coercion and harm in high control groups”. There are 39 recommendations in the report, with a focus on protecting children and better support for those exiting a coercive group. One of the advocates behind that inquiry was Laura McConnell, a survivor of the Two By Twos fundamentalist cult who speaks to Sacha Barbour Gatt in this episode of The Briefing. You can listen to Pray Harder – Episode 1 – Noel's War here. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Another near miss at Sydney airport + The Census: AI, lies & influence
1w ago00:23:11Tap to summarizeMonday Headlines: Parliament returns, support for Labor slumps to decade low Two airport workers stood down after another near miss at Sydney airport Netanyahu rejects US peace proposal for Gaza Ukraine says 50,000 North Korean soldiers will be deployed to fight for Russia 90,000 take part in world’s biggest fun run in Sydney Deep Dive: Tomorrow is census night, and this year the form looks a little different. For the first time, Australians are being asked directly about their sexual orientation and gender - and for the first time, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) says artificial intelligence is helping process the millions of responses that pour in. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou goes behind the questionnaire with someone who's helped shape it for the best part of thirty years. How does the ABS land on which categories make the cut? Where do your name and address actually end up? Can the online system survive the night after its infamous 2016 collapse? And in an era of shaky faith in government, does the ABS really expect all of us to tell the truth? Chris is joined by Jenny Telford, General Manager of the Census and Population Division at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Kochie on the first home buyers' 5% deposit scheme
1w ago00:07:33Tap to summarizeFresh data shows nearly 1,500 homes purchased under the federal government's 5% deposit scheme have been flipped into investment properties. It’s a bit of a plot twist for an initiative built on a very specific promise: helping everyday Aussies get onto the property ladder as owner-occupiers with just a fraction of the usual deposit and zero lenders mortgage insurance. In this episode of The Briefing we revisit Helen Smith's chat with David Koch from last year about the scheme to get you across how it all works and what you need to know about it. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Our Take: Kmart’s ‘pedo’ glasses, Kyle feedback + Delta Goodrem’s in GTA?!
1w ago00:35:53Tap to summarizeWe're back with The Briefing: Our Take, our weekend hang-out where we loosen our ties and kick off our shoes to take you behind the scenes of the week that was, and what you (and we) made of it. This weekend Chris is joined by Justine Landis-Hanley and they unpack how Miles Phillips and his Eastern Rosellas went from a backyard novelty to the ARIA record books. Chris answers your questions about the Kyle Sandilands interview, before they dig into your thoughts on Kmart's knock-off Meta glasses (+ the bird flu conspiracy theory we didn't know existed). We’re also joined in studio by LiSTNR entertainment executive producer Elise Cooper for The Weekend Quiz, who brings more live vocals to the show than actual recording artists. Plus we cap it all off with the Weekend List. The Weekend Quiz (just questions, no answers): Which airline announced it will start charging passengers to put carry-on luggage in the overhead lockers? Which former NRL player and viral book-tokker alleged this week that gambling company promoters would supply him with drugs and alcohol to keep him betting? Who said this and who was he talking about? "What single answer does she have to any of the list of problems and challenges which I went through before? Zip is the answer to that.” What crashed into the moon this week? Name one song Delta Goodrem performed in the Comm Games closing ceremony. The Weekend List: To Watch: Enola Holmes 3 (listener Georgie) To listen to: Dungeon Crawler Carl (listener Narikka) To read: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Dr Fauci found in contempt of US Congress + We need to talk about Ariana Grande
1w ago00:23:22Tap to summarizeFriday Headlines: US Senate committee votes to hold Dr Fauci in contempt of Congress 15-year-old charged with manslaughter over death of Melbourne shopkeeper Alan Jones’ alleged victim denies making up sex abuse claims for money ABC Apologises to Gina Rinehart over ‘violent’ skit Millions of Aussies told to brace for icy temps Brisbane’s Ekka kicks off tomorrow Deep Dive: Discussion around Ariana Grande’s weight reached a fever pitch this week. Photos from her tour, press appearances, and her new music video for Petal, show her shrinking frame, prompting fans to worry over what is going on behind the scenes. The public discourse hasn’t gone unnoticed. Also this week, Ariana announced that she will be taking a break from public life at the end of her album tour in September. Her representative told People Magazine that this decision came after “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”. Do we have a responsibility to raise concerns over Ariana’s weight loss? Editor of Mediaweek Natasha Lee says yes. In this episode of The Briefing, Natasha sits down with Justine Landis-Hanley to discuss her article in Mediaweek, in which she shares her experience dealing with an eating disorder while working on Australian television, and argues that we’ve been scared into silence. Link to the article: https://www.mediaweek.com.au/silence-isnt-always-kindness-ariana-grande-debate Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Gov sets up data centre showdown + ‘It’s a clusterf***’: How we're failing DV victims
2w 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
2w 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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