The Briefing

Smut used to be the kind of genre you’d find hidden away in the back corner of bookstores. But not anymore. Now, smut series are being featured on the New York Times Best Sellers list, and a quick search of #spicybook or #smut on TikTok will find hundreds of thousands of videos. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its issues. In this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert speaks with Esmé Louise James, author of “Kinky History”, to find out about the history of smut, discuss problematic characters, and get her personal smutty recommendations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since the Matildas world cup frenzy we’ve seen a rise in soccer participation numbers – not just for young girls – but also boys and older women too. The A League Women season will come to a close tomorrow with Melbourne City taking on Sydney FC in what will hopefully be a record-breaking crowd. On today’s briefing, we chat to Moya Dodd, lawyer, sports administrator and former Matilda, to find out if these numbers are sustainable. Headlines: Police dismantle UCLA pro-Palestine encampment as Biden speaks out  New ad campaign to show misogynistic social media feeds Aussie kids are seeing Australia’s housing crisis not going anywhere Sex scenes decline by 40% in Hollywood flicks Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Snus is a small tobacco sachet placed between your gum and upper lip. But now there’s a new form of ‘snussing’, with products that take out the tobacco and replace it with flavours like cool mint, espresso, or bellini, and leave in the nicotine.  Advertised on TikTok as an alternative to vaping, following a federal crackdown on non-prescription vapes, are these products just another sneaky way to keep the tobacco industry alive? In this episode, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with Associate Professor Becky Freeman, from the School of Public Health at Sydney University, to learn more about nicotine pouches and their growing popularity in Australia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A movement is growing around the world protesting Israel’s offensive against Palestine in the Middle East. This time it feels different. More than 100 students at Columbia University in New York were arrested last month when the college called in police to break up their protest, an encampment in the university’s quadrangle. Riot police were called in yesterday to remove students from a campus building. The arrests at Columbia marked a defining moment in the global protest – and similar protest encampments are springing up on campuses across the globe. In this episode of The Briefing, LiSTNR reporter Helen Smith visits an encampment at Sydney University to find out how and why the students have decided to join the global campaign.   Headlines: What’s come out of yesterday’s National Cabinet meeting on domestic violence? US Uni protests escalate into violence New AI chatbot launching on our iPhones    Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experiments on driverless - or autonomous - cars began 100 years ago, but only in the last twenty years have they become a genuine reality. Elon Musk's Telsa announced last month it was launching an autonomous taxi. How do they work? How safe are they? And how long will it be before we're all expected to share the road with autonomous vehicles? In this episode of The Briefing, we're joined by James Ward from Drive.com.au to discuss the latest developments in autonomous vehicles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the last few weeks, our national conversation has been heavily focused on the number of lives that have been taken by men because of domestic violence. Arman Abrahimzadeh lost his mother to domestic violence in 2010 when his father murdered her in front of 300 people. Since then Arman has dedicated his life to trying to end family and domestic abuse - talking to perpetrators in prisons, young people and across schools. On this episode, Arman joins us to discuss how we can stop the abuse, stop re-offenders, and protect victim-survivors. Lifeline - 13 11 14 1800RESPECT - 1800 737 732 Headlines: National Cabinet to discuss tracking DV offenders, online content   Donald Trump fined $13,000 and threatened with jail time over gag order  Bonza enters voluntary administration  King Charles returns to public duties    Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ozempic is the new wonder drug sweeping the world of weight loss. But now a new surprising side effect has potentially been uncovered. There's anecdotal evidence that semaglutide – the active ingredient in Ozempic, may also be able to reduce the desire for alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs. Now, research is being undertaken to find out if science can back up those claims. In this episode of The Briefing, Simon Beaton speaks with Dr Leigh Walker from the Florey Institute to find out what we know already, and how safe Ozempic could be to treat addictions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine going to your doctor and having treatment forced upon you. This is called compulsory treatment and in Australia it’s legal. Compulsory mental health treatment is when a psychiatrist believes that a patient is at a severe risk of harming themselves or others, who can then be forced to take medication or undergo treatment. But how subjective is that decision on labelling the risk? And if the medical practitioner gets it wrong it means a loss of their rights, and quite often incredibly strong and debilitating medication. Dr Kay Wilson from the University of Melbourne joins the Briefing to explain how compulsory treatment works and the stigmas attached to mental health in Australia. Headlines: 30% spike in women killed by intimate partners last year US hopeful Hamas will accept new ceasefire offer Telcos to be forced to prioritise Triple Zero functions in outages News from the Royals Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At least 120-thousand people are experiencing homelessness in any given night in Australia. And this isn't a problem that only we are facing, with many countries around the globe struggling to tackle the homelessness issue.  However, this isn’t the case in Finland.   In their capital, Helsinki, the government aims to end homelessness – or get it down to where becoming homeless is likely to be very temporary for most people – by 2025.  So how are they doing this? And could Australia learn from what they’re doing right?  On this episode, Bension Siebert speaks with Juha Kahila, Head of International Affairs at the Y-Foundation, as he joins us from Finland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Huge crowds gathered at the weekend to protest laws that see high-risk offenders released on bail. As anger mounts over this year’s soaring domestic violence death toll, we speak with Kay Schubach, a domestic violence survivor about what really needs to change to stop more Australian women dying at the hands of offenders released by our courts. In this episode of The Briefing, Kay joins Sacha Barbour Gatt to talk about what we can all do – from the public to government and judicial system - to break the horrific cycle of post-custody attacks by high-risk domestic violence offenders. Headlines: Emergency National Cabinet meeting called after weekend of gender violence rallies Antony Blinken to travel to Saudi Arabia to help restart ceasefire talks Australia’s Defence Minister has spent the weekend in Ukraine Titanic watch breaks records at auction   Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you feel like you have a good work-life balance? It’s something that most people struggle with, particularly with current cost-of-living pressures. Tim Duggan is the co-founder of Junkee Media. As a young man who launched several digital media platforms he knows a thing or two about work life balance. He’s also the author of several books, his latest is called Work Backwards. In this interview with Tom Tilley he talks about what he did with the freedom to choose his work, after selling Junkee for around 15 million dollars. Send us your Weekend Briefing suggestions on Instagram at @thebriefingpodcast!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, she explains why you’ll never look back if you hire a lesbian and why her greatest achievement in life involves hanging upside down. Tickets to Nina's show here WEEKEND LIST TO LISTEN - Ushers album Coming HomeTO TRY - Foot lotion and socksTO TRY - Order coffee using fake namesTO LISTEN - Clara Bow Scandal series on Shameless Send us your Weekend Briefing suggestions on Instagram at @thebriefingpodcast!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 of Townsville, has been chosen for the launch site.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 why protest culture at our universities has changed and what it means for the future of dialogue on politics and culture. Headlines: Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction has been overturned E-safety: Dutton says we can’t police the world  Australians hit by biggest tax increase in the world 100 whales saved off the coast of WA The iconic Moulin Rouge sails have fallen off   Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 outback?  Ringmaster of two-up at the Palace Hotel in Broken Hill Fisk Nagas joins Bension Siebert to explain. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 change. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 like their favourite influencer. So, it’s no surprise that new research has revealed parents are looking to delay their children’s entry into the world of social media – but are they fighting a losing battle? Headlines: Donald Trump is back in court for day two of his criminal trial  200 days of war on Gaza Coalition to call for compulsory age verification on social media Indigenous spears returned from Cambridge University   Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 constitutionally legal for two people to run as a single federal member? And how would this actually work?  Joining Bension Siebert are the job-sharing independent candidates for the singular seat of Higgins in Melbourne, Bronwen Bock and Lucy Bradlow. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 country's biggest corporations. In our last part of Doctors Note - we find out the consequences for doctors who practice this kind of healthcare, and hear from the people meant to keep us safe about what they're going to do about it.   Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.