The Briefing

In a rare national address, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has attempted to reassure Australians as the war in the Middle East hits home, sparking the biggest spike in fuel prices in history and pushing up grocery prices. 

He outlines temporary measures the Federal Government is taking to ease cost‑of‑living pressures, while imploring Australians to "do their bit" by resisting the urge to stockpile and taking public transport where possible.

Acknowledging the coming months "may not be easy" and these are "uncertain times", Mr Albanese says we will deal with these global challenges "the Australian way".

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A comprehensive review led by cancer researchers at UNSW has found that vaping is likely to cause lung and oral cancer, even before long-term studies can confirm the exact risk. 
 
The study analyses a wide body of global research to assess the ability of vapes to cause cancer on their own, rather than as a gateway to smoking.  
 
The analysis draws together clinical studies, animal experiments and laboratory research examining the chemicals produced by e-cigarettes. 

In this episode of the Briefing, the study’s lead author Bernard Stewart, an Adjunct Professor in the Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health at UNSW Sydney, joins Natarsha Belling to discuss "by far the strongest evidence" that vapes are likely to cause lung and oral cancer. 

Headlines: 

• PM to address the nation on war in the Middle East
• ATO hands small business tax relief in wake of Iran war
• Double demerits in NSW/ACT kick in tonight for the Easter long weekend.
• Tiger Woods stepping away from golf to focus on his health 

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Wednesday Headlines:

• Trump tells allies to ‘get your own oil’  
• Israel's ambassador defends new death penalty for Palestinians
• Dezi Freeman’s family speaks out after his death
• Hip pocket changes coming in from today
• Kris Jenner becomes Chinese cultural icon

Deep Dive: Despite its insanely strict, all-encompassing rejection of meat and animal by-products, veganism was once the darling of sustainable and ethical consumption. 

But lately, many are reporting a decline in interest in the lifestyle, with areas once dominated by vegan restaurants and stores now seeing a move away from it. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by freelance food journalist Quincy Malesovas to try to answer the question – is veganism in Australia dying? 

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Dezi Freeman was shot dead by Victorian police early Monday morning. He’d been on the run for almost seven months after shooting and killing two police officers outside the regional Victorian town of Porepunkah in August last year. 

Police are now trying to determine if he was helped by anyone else. Freeman considered himself to be a sovereign citizen, so he believed Australian laws didn’t apply to him. 

How did he survive for so long on the run, how did he evade police for all that time, and what can we learn from the investigation now underway? 

In this episode of The Briefing Natarsha Belling is joined by Macquarie University’s Dr Vincent Hurley, one of Australia leading policing and criminological academics… 

Headlines: 

• RBA scraps card surcharges in big win for consumers
• Jackie O sues ARN Media
• Iran says there have been no negotiations with US + Further Attacks
• Celine Dion to return to live performing

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Tuesday Headlines:

• Cheaper fuel could take weeks to flow despite excise cut
• Albanese calls on Donald Trump to be clearer about his war plans
• Vaping likely causes cancer
• Five social media platforms are being investigated for potentially failing to comply with the social media ban
• Latest additions to the National Film and Sound Archive revealed

Deep Dive: A landmark US court ruling has found Meta and Google legally responsible for the way their platforms are designed, declaring Instagram and YouTube addictive by design. 

The decision is being framed as big tech’s “big tobacco moment,” raising the prospect of global lawsuits while intensifying pressure on governments, including in Australia, to regulate algorithms before more harm is done. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young about her party’s proposed ‘Fix Our Feeds’ bill, how it would give users control over algorithms, and whether Australia is ready or even capable to take on the power of big tech. 

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Deep Dive: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced he will halve the fuel and diesel excise, after a National Cabinet meeting this morning over the fuel crisis.   

In this episode of The Briefing Natarsha Belling is joined by Katina Curtis, Canberra bureau chief at The West Australian, to bring you everything you need to know and the PM’s plans for the nation for challenging times ahead.

Headlines: 

• Dezi Freeman shot dead in rural Victoria after seven months on the run
• Trump claims Iran has agreed to most of 15-point peace plan
• One Nation wins third seat in South Australia
• ARN to call Jackie O as witness in case against Kyle Sandilands  

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BREAKING: Dezi Freeman, the man at the centre of one of Victoria’s most extensive manhunts, has been shot dead by police, ending a six-month manhunt.  

In this breaking news update from The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt gets you up to speed on what we know so far. 

Further listening: 
Inside the hunt for Dezi Freeman

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Monday Headlines:

• National Cabinet to discuss fuel crisis today
• Iran says it will ‘rain fire’ on US troops
• Emergency relief announced for residents after tropical Cyclone Narelle
• Australia to play a key role in this week’s moon expedition 
• Kylie Minogue to headline AFL grand final

Deep Dive: The state of democracy is always up for debate here in Australia - whether it’s the rise of One Nation, the influence of Donald Trump and his “voter fraud”, social algorithms, or just how well our democratic society is really functioning. 

While democracy is often seen as stable or even untouchable, that may not actually be the case. So, what does it take for a democratic society to function successfully? 

In this episode of The Briefing, David Moscrop, a Canadian political scientist and author of Too Dumb For Democracy, unpacks what happens when factors like emotion, technology, AI and our values begin to work against it. 

David Moscrop appears at Melbourne Writers Festival (7-10 May) and Sydney Writers' Festival (17-24 May)

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The multi-billion dollar fertility industry brings joy to so many who need medical assistance to have a baby. But it's also described as the "Wild West" for a lack of regulation.

In the latest case to make headlines, twin sisters discovered they weren't biologically related to their parents following a DNA test. The woman they knew as mum had been implanted with the wrong embryos in an IVF mix-up 30 years ago in Sydney.

They're not alone. In this bonus episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling talks with Amelia Oberhardt, who investigated the fertility industry for her podcast Secrets We Keep: By Any Means

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Katherine Bennell-Pegg is the 2026 Australian of the Year and the first person to qualify as an astronaut under Australia’s own space program.

She’s an engineer, a space leader, and one of just a handful of people on the planet to complete astronaut training with the European Space Agency selected from more than 22,000 applicants.

In this chat with Helen Smith, Katherine unpacks what it really takes to become an astronaut, the invisible ways space technology shapes our everyday lives, and whether we’ve truly made progress for women in STEM.

Find Katherine on Insta @aussieastrokatherine

Weekend list with Dan Mullins

• Listener Zoey TO WATCH: Australian Survivor
• TO WATCH: Project Hail Mary 
• TO DO: Walk 🚶🏼‍♂️
• TO WATCH: The Magic Faraway Tree

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