Episodes
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Shaun Micallef is one of Australia’s most recognisable faces. He’s an actor, writer, television host and comedian.
Now he’s back with another show on the cards, Shaun Micallef’s Origin Odyssey on SBS - where he takes six comics ‘back to where they came from’ for want of a better expression.
In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Shaun explains how he keeps getting the top gigs in television and what he actually thinks of his reviews.
Weekend List
TO WATCH: The Perfect Couple on Netflix TO READ: A Periodic Tale by Dr Karl TO LISTEN: Rex Orange County album The Alexander Technique TO WATCH: Friends from College on NetflixSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Big Brother Australia is returning to Australian TVs in 2025 for the 3rd time. Will it be the show's final, ever?
After traversing three networks, being revived and killed twice, and now needing to compete with the dominance of ad-free streaming and reality TV juggernauts like Love Island, is there a place for a show like Big Brother anymore?
Returning to its original home – Channel 10 – it plans to bring back some of its iconic live segments like Big Brother Uncut and Friday Night Live to lure audiences back to mainstream television – but with rates of free-to-air TV viewership dwindling, it might be too little, too late. Entertainment and gossip correspondent and reality TV show veteran Richard Reid joins Chris Spyrou on this episode of The Briefing to unpack the Big Brother launch plan and if he thinks it will sink or swim.
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Dozens of people were killed this week in Lebanon in two separate attacks that were unlike anything the world has seen so far in warfare.
Pagers and walkie talkies belonging to militant group Hezbollah were set to detonate at the exact same time, injuring thousands of people.
It is yet to be explained who and how this attack came to be, but is it a sign of what wars will look like in the future? And what else can we expect from emerging technologies and strategies? On today’s episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Dr Keith Suter, Managing Director of Global Directions and an expert on global political risk to find out.
Headlines:
Hezbollah – Israel update
Greens defend housing position
Australia’s population has officially hit 27 million
Kylie announces massive world tour, with Australia the first stop
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This week Sean “Diddy” Combs, also known as P. Diddy and Puff Daddy, was arrested in Manhattan by federal agents and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution in the United States.
The rapper has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. It’s not the first time the artist has had his reputation come under fire in public - since 2023 various allegations against him have been made, including physical and sexual abuse.
What do these latest charges mean for his future, and what does the reaction from both the hip-hop and wider music industry say about the influence and power an artist can hold? Helen Smith is joined by hip-hop journalist and author Simone Amelia Jordan, who has sat down with Diddy himself in the past, to explore her perspective on this latest development.
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Groups of children and young people are trying to force their governments to do something about climate change, not through political campaigns, but by taking them to court.
Most recently, young climate activists have asked the US supreme court to revive their case against the American government on climate – but using the legal system for this purpose has had very mixed results around the world, including here in Australia.
Anjali Sharma was 17 years old when she led a case arguing the environment minister has a duty to protect children from climate change. The federal court ruled against her, but as the climate crisis continues to grow, the question remains – can kids in court save us from climate change?
She joins Bension Siebert to explain what’s happened to the global movement of kids suing their governments over climate change, and her perspective on the way forward.
Headlines:
Walkie talkies explode across Lebanon killing 14
Anthony Albanese threatens double dissolution over housing bill
Tupperware goes bust
Almost half of Aussies are unhappy at work
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With an advocate like Chanel Contos onboard, will learning about consent on Tinder actually work?
The dating app has launched a new Consent Course, created in partnership with sexual consent activist and founder of Teach Us Consent Chanel Contos, and women's domestic violence service WESNET. The course is only available on Tinder’s School of Swipe website - not via the app - though it will be promoted to users there from next week.
But what is the point? Do the people using these platforms need this? Will it actually do anything to help reduce sexual assault, or is this a dating app doing a PR exercise while the spotlight is on them from community and government to do more?
Bension Siebert and Helen Smith join to discuss the motivation and possible results, and speak to Chanel Contos on why she chose to be involved.
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Should we be weighing children at school?
Health experts have suggested we start weighing kids in schools to help tackle the obesity epidemic, but could this do more harm than good?
In this episode of the Briefing Bension Siebert is joined by obesity researcher and author of Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids Dr Nick Fuller to explain the pros and cons of weighing children at school.
Headlines:
At least nine killed as pagers explode across Lebanon
Diddy charged with sex trafficking
Instagram launches ‘Teen Accounts’
Glasgow swoops in to take 2026 Commonwealth Games
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Meet the woman who has helped spread claims that Haitian immigrants are eating people's pets in Ohio, Springfield.
Laura Loomer is a far-right activist and online personality who is feeding Republicans with extreme conspiracy theories and is seemingly influencing Donald Trump’s campaign.
In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt chats with Planet America’s Chas Licciardello to find out who exactly Laura Loomer is, how close she is with Trump and whether she has any bearing on swinging the upcoming election.
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Improving mental health is one of the most important aspects of rehabilitating offenders in incarceration.
It’s been the focus of a recent program at Wellington Correctional Centre – which was formerly branded the toughest country jail in NSW. More than 200 inmates and 70 staff have participated in mental health first aid training led by the National Wellbeing Alliance. What impact are they hoping it will have?
In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by the Centre’s Governor, Brad Peebles, to discuss the successes and findings of the program and what’s prevented its implementation in the past.
Headlines:
Trump’s latest assassination attempt
Housing policy wrap
Murdoch trial kicks off
Aussie school officially adopts four day school week
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You could call 2024 the year of the Mormon influencer.
The internet has become fascinated with the lives of #tradwives, and now The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is dominating the small screen.
So, what's behind our fascination? And how is this latest show contributing to a conversation about modern Mormonism and feminism?
In today’s episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt chats with journalist and writer for Marie Claire, Ruby Feneley. Ruby recently published a piece recently about the show in Marie Claire, you can read it here.
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PrEP is a miracle drug that is currently in short supply.
Full name pre-exposure prophylaxis, it’s a little blue pill you take once a day – or before and after having sex – that stops 99 per cent of sexual HIV transmissions.
It makes having sex a lot safer, especially for men who have sex with men, and it’s helped the rate of HIV diagnoses in this country plummet by about a third, and has been widely available across Australia for almost a decade.
Now a member of the South Australian parliament, then-Senator for South Australia Robert Simms successfully pushed for PrEP to be placed on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, or the PBS, meaning anyone can prevent themselves from getting HIV for about $30 a month.
But a supply shortage has hit – with multiple brands of the medication expected to be in low supply or unavailable until March next year. Rob Simms joins Bension Siebert on this episode of The Briefing to explain what might be causing the delay, and what he thinks the government should be doing about it.
Headlines:
US election update
Houthi strike reaches Israel for first time
Madison de Rozario backs up Paralympics with win in Sydney marathon
The Emmys are today
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We all feel in love with the Matilda's during the world cup last year and now besties, Matilda players Chloe Logarzo and Emily Gielnik are ready to win The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition.
After injury ruled out the duo in the most recent Olympics, the pair took their heartbreak and created a business together to inspire the next generation of Matildas.
In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Chloe and Emily share their new found love of reality TV and how they turned their FOMO into a positive.
Watch the The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition on 10 or 10 Play now
Weekend List
TO WATCH: Louis Theroux interview with Chelsea Manning on ABC iView TO WEAR: 7-Evelen sunglasses TO TRY: To Save Face Sunscreen from Mecca TO WEAR: Uniqlo basicsSend us your weekend briefing recommendations!
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This week, the Country Music Award (CMA) nominations were announced and Beyoncé was left off the list - despite her single Texas Hold 'Em spending 10 weeks at the top of the country music Billboard charts.
The mega star’s rocky relationship with the CMA’s is nothing new, and dates back to 2016 when her performance with The Chicks was met with backlash and racism.
So are there racist undertones to the nominations and has Queen Bey been snubbed?
In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Grammy Considered Recording Artist, corporate crisis fixer and podcast host of the Antoinettes, Azure Antoinette to unpack it all.
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Concerns and conspiracy theories about seed oils have been circulating on social media over the last few months – and the political-right have taken a surprising liking to them.
The most vocal of voices recently has been JFK’s nephew and former independent presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who says they are “the worst things you can eat,” linking them to chronic inflation, diabetes and cancer.
In this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert is joined by Professor Lauren Ball, Chair of Community Health and Wellbeing at the University of Queensland to unpack where these theories are coming from, if there’s any evidence behind them, and if we should all be worried about seed oils.
Headlines:
The first-ever private spacewalk
Six UN workers killed in Gaza strike
Dementia prescriptions jump 46% in Australia
Taylor Swift has become most decorated solo artist of the VMAs
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Violence has erupted in Melbourne’s CBD.
Over 1,500 anti-war protestors yesterday descended on the Land Forces expo, the largest event of its kind in the country where businesses and start-ups spruik their products to defence forces and contractors.
Those rallying were there to protest not only the war in Gaza, but also the wider implications of war – from human rights violations to its impact on climate change.
Footage of the clashes showed aggression on both sides, with officers and protestors both needing medical attention after day one of the three-day event. Over 1,000 officers were involved in the response, with rubber bullets, tear gas and flash bangs used on protestors, and there have since been calls for an independent review of police actions towards those involved with the protesting.
Given high tensions since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, and wider conversations about war and the place it has in our modern world – these protests were almost guaranteed to be a tinder box of emotions. So, who is to blame for the violence we witnessed? And what exactly where these protestors hoping to achieve? For this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert speaks to those attending the rally on day two of the event, to speak to protestors involved on what they think about the violence.
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House prices are surging across the country.
It’s been particularly extreme in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, where prices have risen by closer to 60 per cent over the same period.
It’s making it nearly impossible for many young people to get into the property market and part of the reason comes down to how many homes we’re building in Australia compared to the number of people who need to live in them.
On this episode of the Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt and Bension Siebert explain why Australia is not building houses faster and what could be done to fix it.
Headlines:
Melbourne protests
Harris, Biden, Trump and Vance attend 9/11 memorial
New survey shines light on the gambling habits of young Aussies
MTV VMAs are on today
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Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have faced off in what could be the final debate before the election in November.
The polls are neck and neck, both at the national level and in key swing states – and almost everyone likely to cast a vote in the US already has a strong opinion about Donald Trump.
But plenty of people were still making up their mind on Kamala Harris, so the pressure was on her to define herself and convince undecided voters.
The stakes were incredibly high - and meanwhile, outside the debate studio, pop superstar Taylor Swift made a surprise intervention.
On this special US presidential debate edition of the Briefing, Bension Siebert interviews Washington journalist Dave Levinthal about all the key moments, and his verdict on who won.
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A two-week blockbuster trial with Rupert Murdoch is getting underway in Nevada today. It’s set to decide the fate of some of the world’s most famous news brands, and who gets to control them.
The 93-year-old media mogul, wants to give his voting power in News Corporation and Fox Corp to his oldest son Lachlan, stripping that power from his three other children.
In scenes reminiscent of the hit tv drama Succession, Elisabeth, Prudence and James are fighting this move in court.
In this episode of The Briefing, we’re speaking with award winning journalist and author Paddy Manning to break down everything you need to know.
Headlines:
Two boys found dead; mother arrested in NSW’s Blue Mountains
US Debate is happening today
600,000 turn out in Timor Leste to see the Pope
Charles and Camilla Aussie itinerary revealed
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Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming intertwined within our day-to-day lives.
But it’s not just simply helping us set our nightly alarms or adjust the tone of our emails anymore. For some, it’s offering intimacy and companionship in a way that’s challenging the conventional ways we understand love, relationship and sex.
In the (not too distant) future will we be cheating on partners with AI? Will non-monogamy be the new normal, and where will sex-bots fall into the mix?
In this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert chats with futurist Dr Ben Hamer to explore what modern relationships might look like in 2045.
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Pianist Jayson Gillham made international headlines last month after dedicating a performance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) to journalists who have been killed in Gaza.
The backlash from MSO was swift, resulting in Jayson’s performance being pulled. The MSO later admitted it "made an error”, but maintains the concert was not an appropriate place to express personal views, and an external review into the MSO is now underway.
In this episode of The Briefing, Antoinette Lattouf sits down with the pianist at the center of the headlines, to discuss what’s happened since his performance and the legal battle he now faces as a result.
Headlines:
Federal Government to ban social media for children
Princess Kate ‘cancer free’
Opposition at odds over whether to break up Qantas and Jetstar
Apple introduces AI iPhone 16
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