The Briefing

Friday Headlines: Deadline looms for Coalition reunion, Penny Wong defends Israeli President’s visit among death threats, Queensland man charged with 596 child abuse offences, child vaccination rates plunge to 30-year low and footy fandom has tangible impact on our stress levels.

Deep Dive: The Super Bowl halftime show is set to make history this year, with Bad Bunny becoming the first artist to perform solely in Spanish - sparking both celebration and backlash. 

From a supermarket job in Puerto Rico and SoundCloud uploads to Grammy wins and four years as Spotify’s most-streamed artist, his rise has reshaped global pop music. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Seany B from the HIT Network’s The Pulse to unpack Bad Bunny’s rise to superstardom, why this moment matters, and whether his Super Bowl stage could double as a political statement. 

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The findings of the coronial inquest into the Bondi Junction Westfield stabbing attack have been handed down, and they paint a devastating picture of a mental health system riddled with gaps. Six people were killed and ten others injured when Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing rampage in April 2024. The Coroner has now recommended the psychiatrist who treated Cauchi be referred to the Queensland Health Ombudsman.

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by the CEO of the Australian Society of Psychiatrists, Dr Pramudie Gunaratne, who unpacks the Coroner’s key recommendations and what they reveal about chronic underinvestment, fractured care, and missed opportunities across Australia’s mental health system. 

Headlines: Authorities have declared the attempted bombing of an Invasion Day rally in Perth a terrorist act, police say they have identified a suspect in the disappearance of four-year-old Gus Lamont, and the graves of more than 250 Australian soldiershave been destroyed by Israeli forces in Gaza. 

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Thursday Headlines: Future of Coalition in doubt after peace talks fail again, Donald Trump’s would-be assassin handed life sentence, Bill Gates denies ‘false’ allegations in new Epstein files, prominent neo-Nazi has become Australia’s first person to be jailed for performing a nazi salute, Australia’s Winter Olympics flag bearers named, and Draco Malfoy has become an unlikely Chinese New Year symbol.

Deep Dive: Political campaigns are known to be run on slogans, slick visuals and attack ads, but what voters don’t see is the money quietly powering it all.  

New Australian Electoral Commission data for the 2024/25 financial year shows millions flowing from well-known donors like Clive Palmer, Gina Rinehart and Climate 200, alongside tens of millions in legal but undisclosed “dark money.”  

With the rules set to change and questions over whether they’ll work, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with The Australia Institute’s Bill Browne in this episode of The Briefing. 

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Every year, hundreds of young Australians aged 15 to 29 take part in the Burnet Institute’s Sex, Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll survey - a look into the behaviours, attitudes, and well-being of our nation’s youth. First launched at the Big Day Out in Melbourne more than a decade ago, the survey covers sexual behaviours and alcohol and other drugs, giving us a rare, long-term look at how young people are living, thinking, and experimenting.  

In this episode, Natarsha Belling is joined by the study’s lead researcher, Megan Lim, who breaks down the latest findings, exploring what’s changing, what’s worrying, and what it all means for young Australians today. 

Headlines: The government will sell off more than $3b worth of defence land, Clive Palmer has announced he will launch a High Court challenge to Labor’s new electoral donation caps, the US Military says they’ve shot down an Iranian drone, and Bunnings may have a solution to the housing crisis. 

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Wednesday Headlines: Four major banks pass on interest rate hike, first senior royal publicly comments on latest release of Epstein files, Melbourne man charged over allegedly giving Nazi salute to Jewish schoolchildren, Sydney’s biggest Mardi Gras party cancelled, and Aussie teen hailed a hero after swimming 4km to save family swept out to sea.

Deep Dive: AI-generated inanimate objects have been dominating social media feeds in recent weeks, dishing out what seems like innocent health and home hacks. 

Pages generating this content have exploded in popularity as each post gets more clicks and more comments, but many are asking whether we can trust the content, but also who is behind it and what their goals are. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt sits down with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki to unpack it. 

Further listening from the headlines:
What to expect from interest rates in 2026

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Former Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi is the latest recruit to join One Nation as support for the party continues to soar. So, will the swing to the hard right One Nation party work in the long-term as disillusioned voters desert the major parties? 

In this episode of The Briefing Natarsha Belling is joined by ANU Political Expert Dr Jill Shepard to unpack the latest developments and why the major parties need to do better. 

Headlines: The Reserve Bank has announced it will lift the official cash rate, a last-minute deal to reunite the Coalition has collapsed, NSW Police have extended restrictions on protests ahead of Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit, Bill and Hilary Clinton have agreed to testify in the House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and investigators in the US say the mother of a high-profile TV host has been kidnapped. 

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Tuesday Headlines: Parliament back today with a split Coalition, Australia's political donors revealed, Trump threatens to sue Grammy host Trevor Noah, millions lost in daytime spending during recent heatwave, and nuggets revealed as the top Aussie canteen food.

Deep Dive: Anthony Albanese is weighing an invitation to join a group integral to Donald Trump’s plan to permanently end the war in Gaza - the so-called ‘Board of Peace.’ 

With major allies declining to take part and accusations that it’s a power grab laden with human rights risks, questions are growing over whether it’s a genuine security solution or simply a Trump vanity project. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Guardian Australia’s Ben Doherty about the Board’s proposed role, its prospects for delivering peace, and how Australia is likely to decide. 

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Another crazy day in Australian politics... The National’s Leadership spill fell over, the Coalition is apparently getting back together and now Pauline Hanson is Australia’s most popular leader.

A growing number of Australians are fleeing the major parties as support continues to soar for One Nation.

In this episode of The Briefing Natarsha Belling is joined by 7News political editor Mark Riley who explains just what is going on and why this political circus is detrimental for all of us.

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Monday Headlines: Leadership spills and poor polling for the Coalition as parliament resumes, Clive Palmer responds to mention in Epstein files, Gaza’s Rafah crossing has reopened, Carlos Alcaraz becomes the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, and The Grammys are on today. 

Deep Dive: The Reserve Bank will hand down its first decision of 2026 on the official cash rate tomorrow. 

While some economists had been predicting the RBA wouldn’t change the cash rate at all this year, a recent rise in inflation has poured cold water on that notion. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with economist and journalist Peter Martin about what we should expect in 2026, and why we should we care about interest rates. 

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You might know him as the conviction politician who speaks out on issues like poker machines, euthanasia and war.

But independent MP Andrew Wilkie first made national headlines as a whistleblower who took a very big risk in the name of truth.

As Australia geared up to join the US in the Iraq War in 2003, he was working as an analyst for an intelligence agency that reported to the Prime Minister. Here he says he found himself at an extraordinary ethical crossroads on discovering our government’s claims to justify the war were untrue. 

"The government was lying to the Australian people about why we should support to the US and join in the invasion of Iraq in 2003," Mr Wilkie says. "I felt ultimately I had a moral duty to alert people to this dishonesty."

In this interview with our colleague Joey Watson at Secrets We Keep: Uncovered, Mr Wilkie speaks candidly about whistleblowing against the official narrative, the personal cost of his actions and what it means to challenge power in the lead-up to war.

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