Nina Oyama wants people to hire more lesbians. She also has a fondness for iPads over mobiles. But most of all, Nina is funny. She’s a comedian, actor and award-winning writer and director who can go from smutty stand-up to sweet characters on screen. Her portrayal of the uptight eco warrior Courtney in Utopia or the anxious policewoman Abby in Deadloch being some of her stand out performances. Her latest live show is called 'Nina Oyama is Coming' and in this chat with Antoinette Lattouf,...

A rocket is set to take off soon from North Queensland, becoming the first locally made orbital rocket to blast off from Australian soil. It will also mark our country as one of only twelve around the globe that can boast space launch technology that goes from build to launch. Yet, strangely enough, this rocket is highly likely to fail. On this episode, Bension Siebert speaks with LiSTNR journalist, Courtney Thomas, to discuss why it’s so significant, and why the small town of Bowen, south...

Columbia University in New York this week called in police to arrest pro-Palestinian protestors. Universities have always championed free speech. Is Columbia a sign of the changing nature of protest in our tertiary institutions? Once places that encouraged challenging discussions on politics and culture. In this episode of The Briefing, we’re joined by Tim Briedis, an academic and historian from the University of Sydney who specialises in the history of student activism, to discuss how and...

At pubs around the country, people are watching pairs of coins tossed in the air for the classic ANZAC Day tradition of playing two-up.  In most parts of Australia it’s illegal to play this quintessentially Australian game any day other than ANZAC Day.  But one pub in Broken Hill – the far west New South Wales mining town near the border South Australia – it's played legally every Friday night.  So how is it that two-up is legal any time of the year are mid-sized pub in the middle of the...

On this Anzac Day morning, we reflect on the rise and rise of Anzac Day and how only a generation ago, it was declining before a huge upsurge in interest and favour in the late 1990s. The day has not always been as revered as it is today. We’re joined by Anzac historian Mat McLachlan to discuss the current popularity of Anzac Day, and whether it will survive into the future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the beginning of this week, a woman was allegedly murdered by her former partner while he was out on bail. He’d been charged with her rape as well as intimidation. The alleged incident has thrown our bail laws into sharp relief, with both federal and state politicians pledging to do more to keep women safe.   In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with Dr Terry Goldsworthy, an associate professor in criminology at Bond University, about whether our bail laws need to...

Social media has become entrenched in our society, replacing town squares and the water cooler as the place we come together to share our lives, our thoughts and our ideas. But the internet can be a dangerous place, especially for kids, where predators lurk, scams are rife and content inappropriate for young eyes is readily available. Even innocent trends can prove dangerous; think intense skincare regimes designed for 30- somethings becoming popular among little kids who just want to be...

For the first time, two independent candidates are attempting to run for federal parliament as ‘job-sharing candidates’.   Lucy Bradlow and Bronwen Bock want to run for the Melbourne seat of Higgins as a single candidate on the ballot paper. They claim that they could do the role like any other job-share – splitting duties, making join decisions, sharing the salary – and that allowing job-sharing would make parliament more representative of modern Australian society.  But is it...

Today, we bring you the final episode of our exclusive, three-part special investigation into the risky new frontier of Australia's healthcare system. The Briefing's investigative team went undercover online to expose the risks Australia's government, medical regulators and doctors' groups are only now beginning to realise. The investigation reveals how the crisis in Australia's GP practices has degraded the way healthcare being is done online - including by doctors working for one of this...

Today, we bring you the second part of our exclusive, three-part special investigation into the risky new frontier of Australia's healthcare system.   The Briefing's investigative team went undercover online to expose the risks Australia's government, medical regulators and doctors' groups are only now beginning to realise.  The investigation reveals how the crisis in Australia's GP practices has degraded the way healthcare being is done online - including by doctors working for one of this...

Today, we bring you the first part of our exclusive, three-part special investigation into the risky new frontier of Australia's healthcare system.   The Briefing's investigative team went undercover online to expose the risks Australia's government, medical regulators and doctors' groups are only now beginning to realise.  The investigation reveals how the crisis in Australia's GP practices has degraded the way healthcare being is done online - including by doctors working for one of this...

Alone has been dubbed the most successful original commission in SBS history. The series is a reality show like never before, where 10 people get dropped into a remote environment completely alone to see who can survive for the longest. Andreas Lundin, a former model, personal trainer and hunter, was part of Australia's season two. In this chat with Tom Tilley, Andreas explains the strategy he used and what a possum tastes like.   Send us your Weekend Briefing suggestions on Instagram at...

History is a lot of things. Fascinating, confronting, sometimes shameful, often brutal, and also incredibly kinky. Esme Louise James is a sex historian – her work explores the history of human sexuality – including hidden queer histories, plus kinks and fetishes throughout the ages. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Esme reveals her favourite historical kinky and her TMI moments whilst working with her Mum.   WEEKEND LIST WATCH- Esme Louise James TedX EAT- Glass noodle jar...

This spring, up to 16 states across the US will see a natural phenomenon of spectacular proportions not seen in over 200 years, as an estimated trillion periodical cicadas emerge in the same season. While there are over 1,500 different species of cicada, only seven emerge as a brood every 7 years, 13 years or 17 years. Because these cycles are all prime numbers, it is incredibly rare that the different broods emerge during the same year. But 2024 is one of those years. The Briefing's Simon...

This week lawyers in New York are trying to pick the jury for Donald Trump’s trial. On the first day more than 50 potential jurors were dismissed, with many saying they couldn’t be impartial. In this episode of The Briefing we ask Chief Justice Lucy McCallum about the future of juries. Justice McCallum presided over the trial between Bruce Lehrmann and Brittany Higgins— that case ultimately had to be abandoned due to juror misconduct. Headlines: 16-year-old charged with terrorist...

Australia was shocked as a mass stabbing event unfolded at Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre at the weekend. The centre reopened today for quiet reflection. Retail outlets did not open, trade will recommence tomorrow. The 40-year-old Queensland man Joel Cauchi, who was responsible for the attacks was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager, and spent more than 20 years trying to navigate life while suffering from schizophrenia. In this episode of The Briefing, we’re...

The health issues associated with long-term lead poisoning are not secret and governments around the world have been making moves since the 1970s to limit our exposure to the element. But there’s a theory floating around that the damage has already been done and its impacts are being seen clearly on an entire generation – the Baby Boomers. The ‘Boomer stare’ is a trend that’s taken off on TikTok and today we’re going to find out if we really can blame lead for changing the personalities of...

Malware, spyware and stalkerware programs give unauthorised and undetected insight into another person’s device. All too often, they are used as an insidious tool for domestic violence offenders. Installed without consent or knowledge of the victim, the software gives the perpetrator control to track the user, read their messages, or even discreetly activate the phone's microphone or camera. In this episode, Bension Siebert speaks with cyber forensic expert, Rose MacDonald, to find out how...

Iran dropped 300 missiles and drones on Israeli territory over the weekend after an air strike on Iran’s consulate in Syria last week. Most were intercepted – as many as 99% according to Israel – but it is being deemed a watershed moment in the conflict. Professor Michael Humphrey from the University of Sydney joins the Briefing to explain the significance of the strike globally. Headlines: An update on Sydney’s stabbings A blow to Julian Assange’s bid to avoid extradition to the...

The National Institute of Dramatic Art has launched a new course to help teach Gen Z how to be in an office environment after they came of age during the pandemic. The course called ‘Prologue’ was created off the back of research showing younger workers have a skills gap when it comes to offline interaction, like picking up a phone instead of sending an email or text.  In this episode of The Briefing, we speak with researcher Claire Madden about the skills Gen Z are apparently lacking, and...

Sex work is often referred to as the world’s oldest profession, and our attitudes to it are rapidly evolving. The language around it has changed, and public figures from politicians to influencers are being more open about it than ever. The shame and stigma around the profession seems weaker now than even a few years ago. So, what does sex work look like in Australia in 2024? In this four-part series, The Briefing dives deeper into the profession, where it’s been and where it’s going. In...

Bruce Lehrmann has lost his defamation trial against Lisa Wilkinson and Channel Ten. The court today found that, on the balance of probabilities, Lehrmann did rape Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.  The former Liberal Party staffer sued Channel Ten and Lisa Wilkinson over an interview in 2021, in which Brittany Higgins claimed she was raped by a colleague at Parliament House.  Lehrmann, who denies the allegations, says while he wasn’t named, he could have been...

Australia stood still on Saturday afternoon when news reports started to feature reports of a stabbing at the Westfield shopping centre at Bondi Junction in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.  We now know seven people died in the attacks – including the man responsible, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi from Queensland.  In this extra episode of The Briefing, we discuss what we know so far, what Queensland Police know of Cauchi, and what his possible motivation was.    Follow The Briefing:Instagram:...

Sex work is often referred to as the world’s oldest profession, and our attitudes to it are rapidly evolving. The language around it has changed, and public figures from politicians to influencers are being more open about it than ever. The shame and stigma around the profession seems weaker now than even a few years ago. So, what does sex work look like in Australia in 2024? In this four-part series, The Briefing dives deeper into the profession, where it’s been and where it’s going. In...