The Briefing

The collapse of key parts of the federal government’s legislation on hate speech is now raising serious questions about the Prime Minister’s leadership. Concerns have already been raised about key aspects of the proposed overhaul, with the Greens and Coalition stating they will not support it. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Crikey’s political editor Bernard Keane, who explains why rushing through the changes was a mistake, and why this political disaster is one of the worst he’s seen in Australian history. 

Headlines: An emotional tribute for the victims of the Bondi Terror attack in parliament, at least 21 people have been killed and many more injured after two high-speed trains derailed in Spain, and Sydney’s Dee Why Beach has been closed after another shark attack. 

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Monday Headlines: Politicians return to Canberra today ahead of contentious vote on hate speech laws, boy critical after Sydney shark attack, Anthony Albanese asked to join Gaza ‘Board of Peace,' Trump threatens tariffs on Europe over Greenland bid, and round one of the Aus Open is underway!

Deep Dive: In the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack, questions are being raised about how far governments should go in the name of security. 

One company that’s surfacing in those conversations is Palantir - a powerful and controversial data firm used by both companies and intelligence agencies around the world.  

In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with journalist Paul Gregoire about Palantir’s origins, its role in surveillance, and why its possible expansion in Australia is contentious. 

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Donald Trump has been eyeing off a Nobel Peace Prize, after scoring nominations from countries including Israel and Pakistan - and it looks like he’s finally gotten one.

The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has “presented” her gold Nobel peace prize medal to the US President in a meeting at the White House - nearly a fortnight after he ordered the arrest of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro.

In this bonus episode of The Briefing from 2025, Helen Smith is joined by Allan Behm, a special advisor at the Australia Institute, to unpack what a Trump win would mean for the award’s credibility, and whether he could be ruled out of the race altogether. 

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In 2020, at just 22 years old Hannah Ferguson launched Cheek Media Co - an independent news platform designed to break down big, complex issues and speak to people who feel alienated by traditional media.

Since then, she’s built a media empire: publishing two books, launching a hit podcast, speaking at the National Press Club, interviewing the Prime Minister and even designing a vibrator - all while advocating for social change.

In this chat with Sacha Barbour Gatt, Hannah unpacks why talking politics at the dinner table actually matters and the role Cheek Media played in shaping the 2025 election result.

Weekend list with Helen Smith

• TO WATCH: Marty Supreme 
• TO EAT: Sacha’s easy take on bruschetta   
• TO DO: What's your best TK Maxx find? 
• TO READ: Books by Jodi Picoult, like Mad Honey

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20% of Aussies with depression don't respond positively to antidepressant medication. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Co-Director of Health and Policy at The University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Centre, Professor Ian Hickie, who explains why antidepressants work well for many people — and fail badly for others. Drawing on new Australian research, involving more than 15,000 Australians, Professor Hickie unpacks the evidence that shows depression is not one condition, but many, each with distinct biological drivers.

Headlines: Some of Australia’s most prominent religious leaders have urged the government to halt their hate speech reforms, Venezuela’s opposition leader has presented her Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump, and the mother of one of Elon Musk’s fourteen children is suing X. 

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Friday Headlines: Cars, caravans and tents swept out to sea as flash flooding hits Victoria, millions of accounts deactivated after world-first social media ban, British band agrees to play Adelaide Festival after apology to Randa Abdel-Fattah, astronauts splash down to earth after first medical evacuation in the International Space Station’s history and Australia’s first Trump Tower could be built in the Gold Coast.

Deep Dive:
A24’s Marty Supreme has become one of the most talked-about films of the awards season and is proving that buzz can be just as powerful as trophies.   

Starring Timothée Chalamet and directed by Josh Safdie, the film has had a chaotic, headline-grabbing PR campaign, and its limited release has already broken records for the independent studio, setting a new benchmark for how hype is built in 2026. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by senior producer Holly Mitchell, who attended the Australian premiere, to unpack how the Marty Supreme hype has worked and when it hasn’t in the past. 

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Australia’s largest Neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Network, has announced its disbanding ahead of the proposed overhaul of hate speech laws by the federal government. But there are concerns that this latest move will not see the extremists disappear, with some experts warning it will only fuel further hate and unify more dedicated followers. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Dr Kaz Ross, a researcher on far-right extremism, who unpacks these latest developments and shares her analysis on what may happen next. 

Headlines: The federal government’s hate speech bill appears to be on shaky ground, with both the Greens and the Coalition refusing to back it in its current form, there’s been another shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, and authorities in Canberra are investigating after 11 explosive devices were found in the city.

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Thursday Headlines: Coalition set to vote against new hate speech laws, Iran fast-tracks trials and possible executions, JD Vance meets with foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland, Victorian schools students’ details leaked in major hack, and Aussie amateur wins $1 million at Australian Open ‘One Point Slam’.

Deep Dive: Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is under renewed scrutiny after it emerged it could be used to digitally undress women and children and manipulate images into sexually suggestive content. 
 
While the tool stops short of generating full nudity, it has sparked concern from regulators worldwide, reigniting questions about platform responsibility, AI guardrails, and whether Musk’s push for “unsanitised” technology has gone too far. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with The New York Times’ Silicon Valley correspondent, Mike Isaac about Grok, how it fits into Elon Musk’s wider tech empire, and why this latest scandal may be less an anomaly and more a pattern. 

Further listening from headlines:
Trump vs Greenland explained

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Victoria Premier, Jacinta Allan, is under increasing pressure over a funding crisis for firefighters. Firefighters and volunteers say they’ve been calling for more money for years, with their trucks and equipment out of date - putting lives and property at risk. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Peter Marshall from the United Firefighters Union, who claims Jacinta Allan is lying, warning lives will be lost as a horror bushfire season continues.  

Headlines: Palestinian Australian Author, Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah has threatened the South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas with legal action, Tom Silvagni has applied to appeal his rape convictions, and Bill & Hilary Clinton have refused a congressional subpoena linked to an investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

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Wednesday Headlines: New hate speech laws trigger the disbanding of neo-Nazi group, Trump says killers of protesters in Iran will ‘pay a big price,'  acclaimed Australian author charged with child exploitation material offences, threatened habitats approved for land clearing in Australia hit 15-year high, and the creators of Stranger Things have been accused of using ChatGPT to write the last season.

Deep Dive: Free speech has surged back into the spotlight in Australia after Palestinian Australian author and academic Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah was removed from Adelaide Writers’ Week. 

Her axing triggered a mass boycott by writers, culminating in the event’s collapse. And the controversy raises bigger questions about how we navigate polarising debates in Australia. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Dr Denis Muller from the Centre for Advancing Journalism to discuss free speech in Australia and how we regain the art of having tough discussions respectfully. 

Further listening from headlines:
'The child experiments that inspired Stranger Things: The Montauk Project explained' is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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