The Briefing

One of the greatest racehorses of all time was euthanised after a short illness over the weekend.

Australian thoroughbred Black Caviar was considered the world’s best sprinter, clocking up 25 wins for 25 starts over a career spanning 2009 to 2013.

But the champion died over the weekend, a few days before her 18th birthday and reportedly just hours after giving birth to her ninth foal. The death has sparked a conversation questioning the ethics of forcing retired racehorses to pretty much constantly be pregnant and giving birth until they die.

Walkley-winning author and investigative journalist Lucie Morris-Marr met Black Caviar during her retirement. She joins Bension Siebert on this episode of The Briefing to share what she thinks following Black Caviars death. 

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Cruise ships have doubled in size in the last two decades - and so has their impact on the environment.

A new report from European lobby group Transport and Environment is warning that by 2050, cruise ships will be eight times bigger than the Titanic and the industry’s emissions are getting “out of control”.

So, is the cruising industry doing enough to address these concerns? And how might travelling by ship look like in the future? 

Australian Traveller’s Quentin Long joins Sacha Barbour Gatt on The Briefing to explain. 

Headlines:

Antony Blinken arrives in Israel for Gaza ceasefire talks

20 scam websites being taken down a day by Asic

Logies wrap up

Man slapped in the face by a whale off NSW north coast

 

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We fell in love with Michael Theo on Love on the Spectrum and now he’s embarking on an exciting new career.

Since the show Michael has been busy hosting his podcast, doing Ted Talks and now is jumping into the world of acting, staring in ABC’s series Austin.

In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Michael explains the important of neurodiverse representation on screen and how his search for love is going.

Austin - Stream all episodes now on ABC iview: https://ab.co/Austin

Weekend List
TO WATCH - Scavengers Reign on Binge
TO TRY - Nimble Activewear In tempo range for running
TO EAT - Cashew Chicken from Recipe Tin Eats TO TRY - Epzen magnesium lotion and soak for running recovery
TO EAT - Logan’s cucumber salad

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An alarming new study our this week has found no baby or toddler foods in Australian supermarkets meet World Health Organisation standards.

But how can this be possible, and what does this actually mean? And is there anything the Australian government should be doing about it?

Daisy Coyle is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Research Fellow at The George Institute and an author of the paper. She joined Bension Siebert on this episode of The Briefing to unpack the findings, and to share her advice on what anyone with kids in their lives should consider following the results.

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Brooke Schofield has been cancelled. But in 2024, does that matter to anyone anymore?

Since the term entered the zeitgeist, 'getting cancelled' was once the worst thing that could happen to a public figure – and for some it still is. But in 2024 how do we decide who gets cancelled, and does it even matter anymore?

Cancel culture looks different for different people depending on their race, ethnicity, sex, gender and privilege - and when old tweets or posts online get resurfaced the response is swift and sometimes career ending.

In this episode of The Briefing Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Helen Smith to unpack where cancelling is at in 2024, following a spate of recent influencers and public figures feeling the sting.

Headlines:

Australian b-girl Rachel “Raygun” Gunn has broken her silence

Gaza death toll passes 40,000

Five charged over Matthew Perry’s death

NRL inducts first ever female players into the hall of fame  

 

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The federal government has advised Australians not to travel to Lebanon, and any Australians in Lebanon to return home due to a "volatile security situation and the risk of the security situation deteriorating further" in the region. 

There are currently 23 countries on Australia’s ‘do not travel’ list - places like North Korea, Russia, Mali, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says if you travel to those countries, you’re at a high risk of death, imprisonment, kidnapping or serious injury. But if you wanted to, could the government stop you going there?

In this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert is joined by Dr David Bierman from the University of Technology in Sydney, who actually advises the government on travel warnings, to explain what happens if you ignore the government’s advice and visit a country on its ‘do not travel’ list. 

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An inquest into the December 2022 Wieambilla police massacre has heard evidence the trio responsible – Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel Train – would have been ruled morally insane and unfit to stand trial had they not been killed in a shootout.

Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity is a legitimate legal defence in Australia and is thought to be used in as little as 1% of cases here. 

But what happens to those accused of some of the most serious crimes who escape jail time because of their mental fitness to stand trial? And can they ever be released back into society? 

On today’s episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro to learn more about what happens to the criminally insane in Australia. 

Headlines:

Majority of Palestinians fleeing Gaza have had visas refused to Australia 

Stabbing victim identified as 11-year-old Australian girl

NASA update on stuck astronauts

Tassie mum gives birth on the toilet not knowing she was pregnant 

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Everyone’s talking about Australian breaker Dr Rachael Gunn – aka Raygun – and her performance at the Paris Olympics less than a week ago.

Some think she is a national treasure who should be celebrated for her representation of the Australian ‘give-it-a-go' attitude on the world stage. Others say she’s embarrassed the country with a lacklustre attempt at breaking, significantly hurting its chances of being included in future Olympics, as well as the perception of the sport in Australia.

In the firestorm, how is the Australian breaking community fairing, and what do they think of the controversy that has unfolded?

Michael Fox aka B-Boy Flyin Foxy is an Australian Allstar and breaking champion, teaches breaking at Melbourne Break Dance and has been involved in the community for over 20 years. He joins Bension Siebert on this episode of The Briefing to give us his verdict on the performance, and what he thinks of the global conversation it has sparked.

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The algorithms that decide what we experience on social media, and on the internet in general, have a profound impact on the way we see the world.

Yet giant companies like Meta and Google keep the details of these algorithms and how exactly they influence each of us a closely guarded secret. 

Now, researchers across the country are working to change that. 

Daniel Angus is Professor of Digital Communication at the Queensland University of Technology and is part of a research partnership involving universities around the country called the Australian Internet Observatory. He joins Bension Siebert on this episode of The Briefing to unpack how they're beginning to crack the social media code.

Headlines:

Pilot of Cairns helicopter crash identified

Calls to ban Aussies from southern Lebanon

Melbourne bans e-scooters 

B-girls speak out about Raygun 

 

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Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made a significant (and significantly delayed) return to social media platform X, formally known as Twitter, in a ‘live conversation’ with the platform's owner and tech billionaire Elon Musk. Well over 1 million people tuned in to listen to what unfolded.

The two weren't always such good friends – Musk has previously called Trump “another bullshit artist”, and Trump has been openly skeptical of electric vehicle tech including Tesla's, another one of Musk’s key personal projects. But the two have reunited in a blaze of glory – or has it been madness?  

On this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert and Sacha Barbour Gatt bring you the what-you-need-to-know wrap of what was said, and how it might affect the 2024 US presidential race and the future of global democracy. 

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