The Briefing

Former PM Kevin Rudd has resigned as US ambassador a year early. His reign has been filled with plenty of controversy, including critical comments about US President Donald Trump. So, why did Mr Rudd leave early, who are the frontrunners to replace him, and what does this latest move mean for our fragile alliance with the US, in very uncertain international times?

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by political reporter with 7NEWS, Josh Martin, to unpack all today’s developments. 

Headlines: Adelaide Writers Week has been cancelled after days of controversy, Adelaide United has strongly rejected allegations from former player Joshua Cavallo that the A-League club is homophobic, and Etihad Airways has been named the world’s safest full-service airline. 

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Tuesday Headlines: Labor facing pushback against Bondi terror law reforms, man killed in Victorian bushfires named, Jacinda Ardern pulls out of Adelaide writers’ week, Grok blocked in Malaysia and Indonesia, and Australia’s women’s cricket captain is retiring. 

Deep Dive: Protests in Iran’s capital which started over rising inflation have turned into a nationwide challenge to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.  

As the regime cracks down, cutting internet access and killing hundreds, tensions are rising at home and abroad amid talk of US intervention.  

In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou chats with Middle East expert and former Iranian political prisoner, Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, to explain what’s unfolding on the ground. 

Further listening from headlines:
Alyssa Healy's retirement call

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ICE agents are under the spotlight in the US after the shooting death of a mother of three in her car in Minneapolis. Concerns and protests are growing over their actions, with a concerning lack of transparency.

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Associate Professor David Smith from the US Studies Centre, who explains what ICE is, who controls it, and the training they receive. 

Headlines: The Prime Minister has recalled Federal Parliament for next week to introduce new hate speech legislation, the heroic police officer who shot dead the Bondi Junction Westfield attacker has been diagnosed with cancer, and Aussie Rose Byrne has won her first Golden Globe. 

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Monday Headlines: Victoria’s bushfires turn deadly, thousands turn out for vigil one month on from Bondi attack, Iran promises retaliation if US intervenes over anti-government protests, board members of Adelaide Writers’ festival resign, and the Australian Open kicks off today! 

Deep Dive: A big Medicare promise dominated last year’s election campaign - with the government promising more funding, higher bulk-billing rates, and cheaper GP visits for families.  

Health officials warned it could take years to see real change, but new data suggests the impact may already be showing.  

In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Cleanbill CEO James Gillespie about what’s actually changed since the Medicare reforms rolled out and whether it’s helping or hindering. 

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Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah is back in the headlines after being removed from the Adelaide Writers’ Week 2026 program in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

Festival organisers say the decision wasn’t about linking Randa or her work to the attack, but about concerns that, based on her past public statements, her appearance could be culturally insensitive at this time. Randa has strongly rejected that explanation, accusing the festival of anti-Palestinian racism, censorship, and of trying to associate her with the Bondi massacre.

Dozens of high-profile authors, including Zadie Smith, Helen Garner, Hannah Ferguson and Peter Greste, have pulled out of the festival in solidarity.

In this episode, we revisit Antoinette Lattouf’s conversation with Randa on The Weekend Briefing, where she spoke candidly about a similar controversy at the Bendigo Writers Festival, the personal cost of sustained public attacks, and what it’s like to keep speaking out amid public scrutiny.

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Rachel Perkins is one of Australia’s most formidable directors, whose work has reshaped how this country tells its own story. A powerhouse of Indigenous storytelling, Perkins has spent decades bringing truth to the screen where silence once stood.

The Indigenous filmmakers latest project, The Australian Wars, tells the true story about the bloody battles fought to establish a nation from both perspectives of the coloniser and colonised - challenging the myths many Australians were taught to accept.

In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Rachel shares why she co-chaired the Yes campaign, her career forged through purpose rather than permission and how she found her way back to creative work when hope felt fragile.

Weekend list with Helen Smith and Chris Spyrou

• TO WATCH: Stranger Things season 5
• TO READ: Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
• TO EAT: Paprika and fish
• TO DO: Create a collaborative note in the notes app

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Firefighters are currently battling two emergency-level blazes in central Victoria, where homes have already been destroyed and three people, including a child, remain missing.

These are the worst conditions the country has faced since the deadly Black Summer fires that tore through Victoria in 2019 and 2020. Experts warn that, without urgent action, our risk of more frequent and devastating fires will only increase.

In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy is joined by climate criminologist and Director of the Future Emergency Resilience Network, Dr Paul Read. 

Headlines: Queenslanders have been told to prepare for the high chance of a tropical cyclone, US Federal Immigration agents have shot two people in Portland, and one of Australia’s deadliest spiders could soon be saving lives. 

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Friday Headlines: Firefighters bracing for ‘a very bad day’ as heat engulfs parts of Australia,  Jewish groups welcome PM’s announcement of a Royal Commission, Trump defends ICE agents who killed US Citizen Renee Nicole Macklin Good, authors boycott Adelaide Writers' Week after pro-Palestine advocate Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah removal and Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA potentially found on artwork.

Deep Dive: The rules of the music industry are shifting again, and in 2025, the balance of power seemed to tilt towards artists. 

Some experiments paid off and opened new ways for fans to connect - from Justin Bieber livestreaming online to Charli XCX building direct channels with fans. 
 
Others, however, exposed just how risky it can be to step outside industry norms. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with music journalist Sam Murphy about who’s really setting the rules and how that will shape the artists, sounds, and stories we hear in 2026. 

Further listening: Randa Abdel-Fattah had her name written on a bomb

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After weeks of mounting pressure, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reversed his decision and announced a royal commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack that claimed 15 lives and left many injured. Former High Court justice Virginia Bell has been appointed to lead the inquiry, despite objections from prominent members of the Jewish community.

In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy is joined by Associate Professor of public policy Deirdre O'Neill, who explains the unique powers of royal commissions, who leads them, what makes them effective, and whether this is the strongest path to answers, accountability, and prevention. 

Headlines: A woman has been shot dead by a US ICE officer during an operation in Minneapolis, Australia is in the grip of its worst heatwave since Black Summer, with catastrophic fire conditions across parts of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales, and NASA has been forced to postpone its first spacewalk of 2026. 

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Thursday Headlines: PM expected to announce Federal Royal Commission into the Bondi terrorism attack, US seizes Russian-flagged vessel linked to Venezuelan oil, thousands of Aussies hit with highly transmissible flu strain, Grok under investigation by Australia’s online safety watchdog over deepfakes, and Warner Bros rejects ‘inadequate’ $160bn Paramount bid.

Deep Dive: In 2025, the architects of artificial intelligence were named Time’s Person of the Year - making the question no longer whether AI will shape our future, but how fast and on whose terms. 
 
What started in our feeds is now reshaping classrooms, the economy and the physical world around us - with massive AI data centres now being built in Australia. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Toby Walsh, Chief Scientist at the UNSW AI Institute, to break down what to expect from the tech in 2026. 

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