The Briefing

While climate change can feel overwhelming, a bold group of young Australians is turning anxiety into action. They call themselves the Future Council - and they’ve travelled the world challenging global leaders and top CEOs to do better.

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling speaks with filmmaker Damon Gameau and 15-year-old climate activist Ruby Rodgers about their powerful new documentary and the movement they hope will inspire the rest of us to act.

Headlines: Australia has escaped a feared jump in US tariffs, A Western Australian woman found guilty of giving birth to a baby that was later discovered in a freezer has avoided going to prison, and Father Chris Riley, founder of charity Youth Off the Streets, has died aged 70.

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Friday Headlines: ASIO boss says foreign spies targeting defence employees working on AUKUS, 91 people killed by Israeli fire waiting for aid as US envoy arrives in Israel for ceasefire talks, MMA fighter Conor McGregor loses appeal to overturn a civil rape case, Australia's towns with most Airbnb's and Bonnie Blue doco ‘1000 Men and Me’ causes outrage.

Deep Dive: Imagine if you couldn’t brush your teeth, put on your mascara or gel your hair because the products you wanted to use weren’t accessible to you.  

This is the reality for 20% of our population who live with disability, but only 4% of products are accessible, according to a global study on the accessibility of personal care products.  

In this episode of The Briefing Helen Smith is joined by Storm Menzies, founder of ByStorm Beauty, to explain the importance of accessible beauty tools for both mental and physical wellbeing.  

Further listening: Nest of Traitors - Episode 1 - Operation Liver and ‘I'm not a predator’: OnlyFans' Bonnie Blue defends Schoolies sex plan and What a survivor of sexual violence thinks of Bonnie Blue

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Another twist in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, as the family as Australian victim Virginia Guiffre releases a new statement lashing out at the US President. 

They say the family and survivors deserve answers as pressure grows on the US Administration to reveal who was involved in one of the greatest sex trafficking rings in history. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by journalist Lucia Osborne-Crowley who reveals who really knows the truth and why she believes convicted offender Ghislaine Maxwell will walk free after receiving a Presidential Pardon.  

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Pressure is mounting on the US government to name names in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case. It comes as the family of Australian victim Virginia Guiffre who died earlier this year releases a new statement lashing out at US President Donald Trump. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by journalist Lucia Osborne-Crowley to unpack who Jeffrey Epstein is, his powerful friends and the question we all should be asking. 

Headlines: The identity of a Sydney childcare worker charged with more than a dozen child sex abuse offences has been revealed, Melbourne’s gangland war has erupted again, with a 21-year-old man shot dead in Melbourne’s outer north, and the family of Virginia Giuffre has spoken out after bizarre new allegations from Donald Trump. 

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Thursday Headlines: Tsunami alerts lifted as record earthquake causes millions to evacuate, Ozzy Osbourne fans flock to Birmingham paying tribute to the Prince of Darkness, convicted triple-murderer Erin Patterson restricted from selling home, cars sold in Australia using more fuel and emitting more toxic fumes than advertised and Katy Perry spotted with former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.  

Deep Dive: The Sydney Harbour Bridge has been closed for reconciliation in 2000, World Pride month and even for a Hollywood movie, but what about Gaza? 

The Palestine Action Group are planning to defy police this weekend by marching across the Harbour Bridge over concerns of mass starvation in Gaza. But authorities have denied the request and threatened prosecution of protesters who attempt to cross the bridge.  

In this episode of The Briefing Helen Smith is joined by David Mejia-Canales, Senior Lawyer at the Human Rights law Centre, to explain what our rights are to protest in Australia.  

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Why are we forced to hand over so much private information when all we want is a receipt? As cyber-attacks become more commonplace, protecting our private information is more important than ever. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by consumer advocate Chandni Gupta who unpacks your legal rights and the need for an overhaul of privacy regulations to better protect consumers.  

Afternoon Headlines: Millions of residents across the Pacific are on tsunami alert after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Russia, Donald Trump claims Jeffrey Epstein was stealing female staff from his Mar-a-Lago resort, and inflation has eased for the June quarter. 

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Wednesday Headlines: Israel accused Anthony Albanese of lying about Gaza, a Liberal MP’s made some divisive comments about gender quotas in parliament, a New York gunman who killed four people was meant to target the NFL headquarters, ChatGPT has announced they're launching a “study mode” to encourage responsible academic use of the chatbot, and apparently Sydney Sweeney has great jeans!

Deep Dive: The Gen Z stare is taking over our algorithms, but what is the blank expressionless look young people are serving up trying to tell us?  

Millennials have the ‘millennial pause’, that happens before they record a video and baby boomers even have their own version of the stare, known as the "lead paint stare" allegedly from the amount of lead they consumed over the years.  
 
In this episode of The Briefing Helen Smith is joined by TikTok expert Susan Grantham from Griffith University to unpack why the Gen Z stare is dividing the Internet and if there’s any scientific evidence to back it.  

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In another twist in the US trade war, US President Donald Trump has flagged some countries may face new penalties of 15 to 20 percent on their exports into the US. 

Our Trade Minister Don Farrell says the government is still assuming Australia’s tariff is 10 percent, but will watch and wait. In this Episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by international trade expert Dr Scott French to unpack today’s developments and whether Australian exporters should be concerned.   

Headlines: Authorities in the US have identified the gunman responsible for a mass shooting in a New York high rise, more than 40 jobs to be replaced with AI at the Commonwealth Bank, and Sir Michael Hill has died aged 86.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

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Tuesday Headlines: Trump will ‘bring an end to the misery' in Gaza, New child safety bill could see providers feel force of law within weeks, Equality body to argue over whether sex is ‘binary biological reality’, Webjet has been hit with a $9 million fine from the ACCC, and Bend It Like Beckham is set for a re-boot.

Deep Dive: Would you pay for a second chance at life after death? 

Many Aussies are, having already signed up, and now paying to be the next to undergo cryogenic freezing when they die. 
 
Two people have undergone the procedure at a cryonics facility in Australia so far, and while it's drawn its critics, enthusiasts say most of history’s greatest achievements first endured similar sentiment. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy speaks with South Australian resident Alex, a Southern Cryonics member, who’s signed up to see what the future holds.

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It’s being reported as the biggest GST scam in Australian History. Tonight, the ABC is running a special investigation into how everyday fraudsters allegedly ripped the ATO off billions of dollars through an apparent loophole. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling speaks with Tax expert Ali Noroozi, about how the scam happened, what it means for the ATO and what happens next. 

An ATO spokesperson said, "Through Operation Protego, we stopped $2.7 billion in false refunds quickly, raising nearly $2 billion in liabilities, and secured over 120 convictions – while strengthening our systems and pursuing every dollar owed."

PM Headlines: Barnaby Joyce introduces bill to scrap net zero target, Celebrity Crocodile Wrangler, Matt Wright, has plead not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice & a video of Donald Trump allegedly cheating in golf has gone viral. 

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