Richard Baker is one of Australia’s best investigative journalists, who has spent decades chasing stories.

The Walkley award winning journo is the host of LiSTNR's Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder, which explores a secretive religious group in Geelong where every aspect of members’ lives are tightly controlled by their hardline pastor.

In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Richard explains why he doesn't have any social media, what life is like as an investigative journalist, and how dangerous it is for whistle blowers in Australia.

Weekend List

• TO TRY: Vouchers with your private health insurance
• TO WATCH: Hair Theory by Emma Chamberlain on YouTube
• TO READ: BBC article 'Being a starlet was difficult': How Shirley Temple saved a Hollywood studio from bankruptcy
• TO WATCH: Bad Sisters on Netflix

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We’ve been captivated by the US election, horrified at wars overseas and have marvelled at the Olympics. There’s no doubt 2024 has been another massive year in news.

In today’s deep dive, Sacha Barbour Gatt and Bension Siebert talk through the biggest stories of the year and what they’ve meant to us, before looking ahead to what we can expect in 2025.

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Headlines: Man in French mass rape case that shocked the world handed 20-year conviction, Albanese government condemned for approving four coalmine expansions, first-ever estimates of LGBTI+ Aussies released and Raygun The Musical will be going ahead!

Deep Dive: 'The Briefing recaps 2024' in your feeds right now as a separate episode.

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Headlines: Penny Wong announces Australian embassy will re-open in Ukraine, Australian crews en route to Vanuatu, NSW Government approves pill testing trial and NASA's stranded astronauts to remain on the ISS until March.

Deep Dive: Have you cut meat out of your diet for ethical reasons, only to eventually return to that late-night cheeseburger or pub chicken parma?

There are plenty of good reasons for going vegan or vegetarian: the animals, the environment, the climate crisis, health, the cost of a steak – the list goes on.

But one in ten Australians is eating more meat this year, or planning to, than in previous years.

So why are some Australians turning back to meat and dairy?

On this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert speaks to several former vegans and vegetarians on why they chose to go back to meat, as well as experts on how to get the nutrients you need for health, fitness and muscle growth goals if you plan to go vegan in 2025. 

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Headlines: Australia stands ready to help Vanuatu after powerful earthquake, Qantas and Meta to pay massive fines, reactions to Victoria’s new protest laws and Bluey is heading to the big screen.

Deep Dive: As 2025 looms, are we watching major Western governments across the world collapse?

A possible resignation of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. A vote of no confidence for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. French government almost-shutdown narrowly avoided. What the hell is going on, what are the ramifications be for global stability into the new year, and does this say anything about what is coming our way in Australia and our own upcoming federal election?

In this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert speaks to Dr. Scott Burchill, honorary fellow at Deakin University, to get his take on what’s causing the sudden wave of change. 

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Headlines: Bashar al-Assad releases first statement since fleeing Syria, new poll shows Albanese’s disapproval at 50%, Australian teenager and mother hospitalised in Fiji return home and Prince Andrew disinvited from royal Christmas as spy saga deepens

Deep Dive: NRL club Melbourne Storm are scaling back Welcome to Country ceremonies and focusing on “action” rather than “words” to improve the lives of First Nations people. 

Is it the right call for the club to make? Why do we bother to acknowledge country at all – and does doing it distract us from real action institutions can take to fix inequalities between First Nations and non-Indigenous people in this country?  

Ian Hamm is a Yorta Yorta man and Chair of the First Nations Foundation. He joins Bension Siebert on this episode of The Briefing to unpack if he thinks Melbourne Storm has made the right call, and what impact this might have on other sporting codes and businesses and their relationship to First Nations Australians going forward.  

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Headlines: Remaining Bali Nine return home, four Australians hospitalised after suspected alcohol poisoning in Fiji, heat wave warnings issued across Australia and Adelaide Zoo welcomes its newest giant pandas.

Panda diplomacy deep dive: https://play.listnr.com/podcast/the-briefing/episode/panda-propaganda-why-china-is-sending-us-diplomacy?

Today's Deep Dive: For the first time in a long time, Saturday Night Live is having a bit of a cultural moment.

Currently in its 50th season the live sketch comedy show, which over the years has been created by comedy superstars like Will Ferrel, Eddie Murphy, Jimmy Fallon, and Tina Fay, has hit a milestone many dream of.

But it hasn't all been roses – in the last decade the show has fought off constant criticism about relevancy, lacklustre casting and jokes, and questions of possible cancellation. What's brought it back to leading the cultural comedy way? In this episode of The Briefing Helen Smith is joined by Jon Schneider, the creator and host of podcast Saturday Night Network to explain why SNL is more relevant than ever.  

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Narelda Jacobs is a trailblazer.

She’s a Whadjuk Noongar woman, journalist and presenter who’s changing the face of Australian media.

Over the past two decades Narelda has worked as a trusted news presenter and is a powerful advocate for First Nations rights, LGBTQIA+ inclusion and social justice.

In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Narelda opens up about some recent experiences that are both personal and painful tied to the colour of her skin and reveals a surprise of her own.

Weekend List

• TO FOLLOW: Hassan Hassan @hxhassan and Kevork Almassian @KevorkAlmassian on X
• TO EAT: Christmas brunch ideas tray bakes, savoury croissant and french toast
• TO BUY: Personalised toiletry bags for Christmas
• TO WATCH: Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey

Follow The Briefing:
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Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) is blowing up in Australia.

The fantasy table-top roleplay game is nothing new – it was first published in in 1974 – but Google Search trends in Australia show searches for DnD have been steadily climbing since about 2016.

What’s behind the hype? Should you be picking up DnD in 2025? And if you aren’t keen on the kind of effort involved in playing it, what board games should we instead try playing over the holidays? 

Justin Halliday is Game Designer for Hero Forge Games. He joins Bension Siebert on this episode of The Briefing to explain the growing hype.  

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Headlines: Coalition to unveil cost of bold nuclear plan, ‘Adult time’ youth justice laws pass Queensland parliament and Donald Trump named Time’s Person of the Year ... again

Deep Dive: It has been ten years since the Lindt Cafe siege, which took place on December 15, 2014.

Man Haron Monis took 18 hostages and held them for 16 hours in Sydney’s Martin Place. The 16-hour siege ended in the deaths of two hostages – Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson – as well as the gunman himself. Multiple others involved were injured by gunfire during the raid.

In this episode of The Briefing, we interview our very own Antoinette Lattouf, who was a television reporter at the time, and covered the harrowing developments from the scene that day. She joins Helen Smith to recount how the day unfolded, her thoughts on how our perception of terrorism has evolved over the past decade, and why the events of that day will never leave her. 

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.