The Briefing

US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, delivered his new set of directives for the US military, including that moving forward he only wants male standards for combat roles and suggested wokeness was infecting the department of war.   

During the hour-long speech in front of some of the country's top personnel, Hegseth told the crowd he’s tired of seeing ‘fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon, and leading commands around the country and the world’.  

In this episode of The Briefing Helen Smith is joined by Donna Manton, a former army major and the chairperson of the Athena project, who explains why the speech could be detrimental for the US military.

Afternoon headlines: Historic defence treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea approved, Global Sumud Flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters, thousands of Commonwealth Bank users unable to access their online banking and 32 Chunk wins Fat Bear Week contest for 2025  

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Thursday Headlines: Police are being called to scrap strip searches of young people after landmark win, sunscreen whistleblowers say testing company ‘cut corners’, Geelong Cats apologise for ‘inappropriate’ Mad Monday gags, large companies paying no tax in Australia hits record low, and James Tedesco and Tamika Upton win the Dally M.

Deep Dive: During his recent overseas tour, Anthony Albanese invited one of the Middle East’s largest retail chains to set up shop in Australia - pitching LuLu Hypermarket as a serious challenger to Coles and Woolies. 
 
So what exactly do we know about the Emirati chain, can it actually lower prices for Aussie shoppers and what does it say about the government’s strategy on cost-of-living?  
 
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Erin Turner, CEO of the Consumer Policy Research Centre, to unpack it all. 

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Donald Trump is eyeing off a Nobel Peace Prize, after scoring nominations from countries including Israel and Pakistan - a surprising nod for a president more often associated with confrontation than conciliation. 

Trump would join the likes of former Presidents' Barack Obama and Teddy Roosevelt, but was quick to brush off his nomination saying, 'I don’t seek attention. I just want to save lives.' 

In this episode of The Briefing, 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. 

Afternoon headlines: US government shutdown begins after funding deadlock, Australian government expresses safety concerns for Aussies on flotilla to Gaza and AFL scraps centre bounce for men's game.

Further listening: The reality of Trump's Gaza plan

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AFLW has exploded in growth and popularity over the past few years, elevating star players like Essendon FC captain Bonnie Toogood. But with that spotlight comes huge pressure to perform, which can impact players’ mental health. 

In today’s special episode of The Briefing, sponsored by Medibank, Helen Smith is joined by Bonnie, who shares her experiences and her tips on building mental fitness on and off the field.

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Wednesday Headlines: More sunscreens pulled from Aussie shelves, house prices climb for eighth month in a row as 5% deposits kick in, charges dropped for conspiracy theorist linked to Weiambilla attack, a medical breakthrough in the fertility sector and five stars for Aussie cops turn delivery drivers.

Deep Dive: Free speech has been at the heart of heated debates in recent weeks, off the back of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s death, and disagreement over immigration sparking racial tensions in public and online. 

So what’s allowed, and what crosses the line into hate speech, or censorship in Australia? 
 
In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy speaks with Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay about the importance of each, and how our laws and rights differ in Australia to our US counterparts.

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Antoinette Lattouf’s legal battle with the ABC has dominated the news cycle, but behind the headlines lies a story of broken trust and, in Antoinette’s own words, a deep sense of heartbreak.

In December 2023 Antoinette was fired by the ABC from a casual five day stint and what followed was a lengthy legal battle lasting over 20 months. 

In this episode of The Beefing, Helen Smith, Antoinette’s producer and collaborator, unpacks the complex court case, the subsequent ruling and the emotional fallout. Including an exclusive voice memo from Antoinette herself.

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Nearly two years into Israel's war on Gaza, more than 66,000 lives have been lost, and millions are on the brink of famine. Now, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have unveiled a 20-point 'peace plan' they say could end the bloodshed. But is it a genuine path to peace, or just political theatre?

In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Middle East expert Professor Greg Barton to break down what the deal really promises: a ceasefire, hostage exchanges, aid, rebuilding, and a controversial governing board featuring Trump himself and Tony Blair. 

Afternoon headlines: The RBA has held interest rates, the Taliban has imposed a nationwide shutdown of telecommunications in Afghanistan, YouTube has settled a multimillion-dollar lawsuit with Donald Trump, and Matilda’s star Mary Fowler has made her catwalk debut. 

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Tuesday Headlines: Trump announces 'historic peace plan' for Gaza, Optus executives to meet with Communications Minister after second 000 outage, Geelong Cats star Bailey Smith labelled a homophobic loser, new warning for melatonin users in Australia, and the Larrimah Hotel has been sold!

Deep Dive: When Sussan Ley stepped in as leader of the Liberal Party, the phrase “glass cliff” started doing the rounds. 

Now, one name is emerging as the most likely to push her off it: Andrew Hastie. 
 
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Nine’s Political Editor, Charles Croucher, to find out who the Shadow Home Affairs Minister is, whether he is making his move now and if so - who’s backing him and why? 

Further listening from the headlines: 
THE BEEFING: The AFL vs homophobia

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Calls are mounting to abolish the use of character references in court sentencing, following Queensland’s recent legislation restricting their use in cases involving convicted sex offenders. 

Character references have long played a controversial role in high-profile cases, including when former Prime Minister John Howard gave one to Cardinal George Pell, describing him as ‘a person of both high intelligence and exemplary character’. More recently in the case of paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith who has pleaded guilty to over 300 charges, also benefited from character references.  

In this episode of The Briefing Helen Smith, is joined by victim-survivor Josh Byrnes, the ACT representative from Your Reference Ain’t Relevant campaign, to explain how character evidence works in court and why advocates want them abolished.  

Afternoon headlines: Teens arrested in Melbourne CBD after a police pursuit, Opposition leader Sussan Ley calls for independent inquiry into the 'entire triple-zero ecosystem' and Bad Bunny to headline 2026 Super Bowl half-time show

Further listening: How to stop teen machete murders

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Monday Headlines: Anthony Albanese promises to "defend democracy" alongside "mate" Keir Starmer, Federal Budget in $18 billion better shape than expected, former Australian political candidate to front court over Nazi salute, Pfizer in court over contraceptive alleged to cause brain tumours and Brisbane sweeps the footy codes with four wins over weekend!

Deep Dive: A number of once common, and deadly, diseases have become rare in Australia, but with vaccine hesitancy on the rise, there are fears that could change. 

Measles, an illness that once killed hundreds of children a year, is now spreading in Australia and abroad, with experts worried we’ve forgotten what a vaccine-free world was like. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy speaks with Associate Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology Dr David Muscatello, about what’s ahead if we continue on this path.

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