The Briefing

Headlines: 

• Inflation drops to 4.2% in year to April 
• Biggest shake up in the employment system in decades 
• Westpac hit with 26-million-dollar penalty 
• Europe swelters in record summer heatwave 
• NASA reveals plans to settle on the Moon

Deep Dive: What caused the top boss of the National Anti-Corruption Commission to resign? We unpack Paul Brereton’s controversial tenure at NAC and who may be next to take on the top job... 

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by UNSW Law Faculty Prof. Gabrielle Appleby. 

Read her article here: We need a new anti‑corruption commissioner. Here’s how to pick the right one

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Wednesday Headlines:

• More ‘ISIS brides’ touch down in Sydney and Melbourne 
• More small businesses to be exempt from CGT changes amid backlash
• Australia records first diphtheria-related death in almost a decade
• Donald Trump to undergo third physical in 13 months
• Europe hit by unseasonal heatwave
•  Aussie wildcard downs former world number one at French Open

Deep Dive: The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail for Gaza two weeks ago with the intention of delivering aid to the people of Gaza, as Israel continues its land, air, and sea blockade of the strip. 

Instead, 428 activists on board 50 vessels were intercepted by Israeli forces and detained, with video footage of some of what they went through posted by far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, drawing global outrage. 

In this episode of The Briefing we speak with Neve O’Connor, one of the 11 Australians who were part of this group to hear her story of being captured and abused in Israeli detention. 

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Headlines: 

• Two men arrested in Victoria in connection to Dezi Freeman 
• Police renew search for missing four-year-old Gus Lamont
• Energy prices to fall for most households in NSW and QLD, with bigger drops for businesses
• US military unleashes new ‘self-defense' strikes on Iran, amid tense peace talks 
• The Australian share market tumbles, following news of US strikes on Iran
• Vivid Sydney drone shows cancelled, following technical malfunction 

 

Deep Dive: Following the death of former AFL great and charity campaigner Neale Daniher, many are asking what is Motor Neurone Disease (MND), what are the warning signs, and what can we do to help prevent it? 

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by MND Australia CEO Clare Sullivan.

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Tuesday Headlines: 

• Labor asks for donations to fight One Nation surge
• Tributes flow for Neale Daniher
• New group of ‘ISIS brides’ to return within days
• Ebola outbreak in Central Africa outpacing health response
• Aussie astronaut offered a spot on the ISS
• Enhanced Games finish with just one record broken 

Deep Dive: Is Australia about to get a brand-new political party? 

Canberra has been abuzz this week after reports surfaced over the weekend that the already elected Teal independents were gearing up to unite under one banner. 

In this deep dive, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sits down with Sacha Barbour Gatt to discuss the centrist movement and whether he'd consider joining it. 

Further listening from the headlines:
Footy's ice-cold ritual
How to be an Astronaut with Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg
Antisemitism Royal Commission returns + Did the ‘steroid Olympics’ flop?

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Headlines: 

• Budget legislation is coming Thursday, as CGT pushback grows 
• Steggall and Spender explain why they’re exploring a new political party
• Royal Commission hearings return with focus on Bondi attack
• Second person dies of diphtheria in the Northern Territory
• More Aussie flotilla activists return, and Israel’s president condemns poor treatment
• Guzman y Gomez faces US class action lawsuit over hasty exit 

Deep Dive: 

Can drugs make us superhuman? That’s one question behind the Enhanced Games, the juiced-up sporting event that took place in Las Vegas throughout today. Athletes were paid big money to compete, with US$1 million for anyone who broke a world record time. In the end, only one drug-enhanced athlete did.

In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Tom Decent, chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald, who was at the event in Vegas.

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Monday Headlines: 

• Flotilla activists claims of sexual assault while detained
• Trump says no rush for Iran deal despite it being ‘largely negotiated’
• Second Australian killed in shark attack in as many weeks 
• Independents in 'advanced talks' to create a new political party
• Animals thriving in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone 

Deep Dive: One of Australia’s biggest cocaine stings almost collapsed because of a behind-the-scenes turf war between Australian police and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). At the centre of it was a $1 billion shipment linked to a Mexican cartel and a covert operation that exposed deep fractures inside the agencies meant to stop it. 

Behind the White Line, published in collaboration with The West Australian on LiSTNR's Secrets We Keep feed, traces the journey of cocaine from narco to nostrils, uncovering the global syndicates, corruption and violence behind Australia’s appetite for the world’s glamour drug. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with investigative journalist Richard Baker about the extraordinary operation, the infighting that threatened to derail it, and the human cost behind Australia’s cocaine obsession. 
 
Listen to Rich’s latest season of Secrets We Keep: Behind the White Line here. 

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What happens when the Australian dream turns into a family nightmare? 

The new Australian film Birthright takes a darkly funny look at housing inequality, intergenerational wealth and the growing divide between baby boomers and younger Australians - as more adults find themselves moving back in with their parents. 

As Australia’s housing crisis deepens, the idea that hard work alone can secure a home is feeling increasingly out of reach, fuelling resentment, financial pressure and shifting family dynamics. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Zoe Pepper, writer and director of Birthright, to unpack the reality behind the satire and ask whether the ‘great Australian dream’ has become more myth than reality. 

Find Birthright in cinemas now 

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Lyse Doucet is a proud Acadian woman who was born in a small town in Canada and went on to become the BBC’s chief international correspondent - having just the other week returned from reporting in Iran. 
 
She's spent her career on the ground in some of the most dangerous and infamous war zones - ranging from Damascus to Tehran and the Ivory Coast to Gaza, but she’ll be the first to tell you that there’s a lot more to these places than the conflicts they become known for. 
 
In this chat with Sacha Barbour Gatt, Lyse unpacks her new book which takes place inside the walls of Afghanistan’s first luxury hotel, the importance of truth in journalism and how to make a home even in the midst of bombs and wars. 

You can see Lyse at Sydney Writers Festival on May 24

Weekend list with Helen Smith

• Listener Roxy TO WATCH: The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Disney+
  
• TO WATCH: Nakba video by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani 
• TO DO: Skin check!
  
• TO WATCH: At home with the Fury's on Netflix

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Headlines: 

• Australian man dies after fall on Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 

• Guzman y Gomez is closing its doors on US business 

• New Zealand’s Finance Minister invites Aussies over after latest budget changes 

• Stephen Colbert's Late Show finale begins 

Deep Dive: 

Kylie Minogue kept her second cancer diagnosis a secret – until this week. Australia’s pop princess has a tell-all Netflix documentary out now, which includes the stories of her 2021 diagnosis and her struggle to become a mum. Filled with home footage, the documentary gives an insider look at Kylie’s rise, her losses, her loves, and the music that helped her through. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by entertainment reporter Justin Hill. 

Follow The Briefing:  

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YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast 

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Friday Headlines: 

• Australian flotilla activists released
• More ‘ISIS brides’ heading to Australia
• Pauline Hanson announces Norway-inspired gas policy, staffer tells journalist to ‘shut up’ 
• New documents reveal Queen’s hopes for Andrew 
• Legendary BBC international correspondent Lyse Doucet on the Weekend Briefing

Deep Dive: The sudden departure of Kyle and Jackie O has triggered a power struggle in Australian radio, leaving KIIS’s parent company ARN on the hunt for listeners. 

In a surprising move, the network has gambled on television veterans Karl Stefanovic and Eddie McGuire to headline a brand-new national show. 

In this episode of The Briefing, industry expert Craig Bruce joins Sacha Barbour Gatt to break down the strategy behind the move and whether this controversial pairing can help save the embattled network. 

Follow The Briefing: 
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.