5G Conspiracy Theories (Part 2)

Australians think of ourselves as rebellious and free but has Covid-19 revealed who we really are? What have we learnt about what it means to be Australian in the time of Corona? Our guests include Merrick Watts (Comedian, Presenter, Broadcaster)and Dr Rebecca Huntley (Social Researcher) Today's news headlines: How Covid restrictions are lifting, state by state America slams Chinas threat to boycott Aussie exports Viral Tweet compares Captain Cooks arrival to virus Lawyer for gangland figures wins defamation payout over Google search results In today's Briefing we ask: We think of ourselves as relaxed, carefree and suspicious of authority. But are we? If we were relaxed... would we be panic buying toilet paper and pasta? If we were so carefree... why do we have so many laws? And if we were so suspicious of authority, why would so many millions of people have downloaded the tracing app so quickly? So who are we?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 Apr 202019min

The question is will Australia’s homeless be turfed back on to the street after this pandemic? Or will the minor miracle that they’ve been kept quite safe help us find a long-term solution? Our guest is Gareth Ward - NSW Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Service. Today’s news headlines: The Key Covid info you need to know today (COVIDsafe app, NewMarch House, UK reporting deaths) Australia - China Relations hit new low Australia’s Rental Affordability snapshot On today’s Briefing we ask: How did state governments around the country act quickly to put 2000 fought sleepers into accomodation? Why hasn’t there been a Covid-19 outbreak in our homeless population? What is it like to be homeless and then be put up in hotel accomodation? What is going to happen to our homeless when this month is up? Will they just go back out onto the sleep or can we make the most of this opportunity and help them turn their lives around? If we were able to scale up so quickly, why didn’t we do this before? What is the cost of putting up a homeless person into temporary hotel accommodation? What will the government be doing to keep people safe within the shelters?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 Apr 202019min

Vaccines usually take years (like, ten years...) but last week Oxford Uni researchers started testing a vaccine on humans they hope could protect us against Covid-19. The first two volunteers were injected last week and one of them is a Sydney PhD working in oncology medical research living in the UK. His name is Edward O’Neill he joins us from London. Today’s news headlines: Corona Wrap – Newmarch/Greg Hunt Community Transmission NRL/AFL season restarts Supermarket restrictions lifted In today’s Briefing we ask: why did Dr Edward O’Neill put his hand up to be an early tester for a vaccine? How much do you get paid to be a human guinea pig? What’s it like not knowing if you were injected with the control vaccine or the real vaccine? Is he confident it will be successful? What work has been going on to create the Coronavirus vaccine based on the MERS vaccine? What does he have to do now, and does he have to try and get the coronavirus to see if it works? Is he being hyper vigilant to symptoms, and what it like being part of a trial like this in daily life? Will he sign up for more trials in the future?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Apr 202018min

Young Australians have been hit hardest by job losses and short-term economic pain, but we’re also going to be the ones paying it back for decades. Today we find out what we should be doing first before we look at dipping into our super and how we can get through this as best as we can. Our guest today is Danielle Wood – Economist,The Grattan Institute. Today's News Headlines: COVIDsafe update & hoax text House prices could drop by 30% according to NAB Chinese scientists under Covid probe studied in Australia Vegemite Sales are up by 55% & Alcohol restrictions lifted In today's Briefing we ask: what is the impact of dipping into your super early? What things should we do first before taking our super? What could be the long-term economic impacts for young Australians? What is scarring? And how does it affect us beyond these 6 months and our long-term careers? How many years will it take to pay back the $200b the government has poured into the economy? What will the hit to this years budget be? What will the economic environment look like on the other side? How will this affect house prices? What should you do if you're thinking of buying a property?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Apr 202019min

There have been 270 reports of these horrific attacks so far. We speak to Rosa Do - a Vietnamese Australian who was the 19-year-old victim of a racial attack that went viral and Race Commissioner Chin Tan (from the Australian Human Rights Commission). Today's news headlines: COVIDsafe App is live Some states are rolling back restrictions Victorian Truck Driver Charged Harry & Meghan plan tell all book PM’s Ratings approval highest in almost a decade On today's Briefing we ask: Why are these race based Coronavirus attacks happening? What’s being done about it? What should you do about it if you witness one of these attacks? And what it’s like to be the victim of one of these attacks? How prevalent was racism against Asian Australians before Coronavirus?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26 Apr 202022min

You’d think that deadly outbreaks of Covid-19 on several cruise ships around the world would be enough to keep holiday makers away from taking a cruise for some time, but people are still booking cruises. A cruise booking site claims their bookings are up 40% from this time last year. Today we speak to a cruise-a-holic who isn’t cancelling her upcoming bookings and a passenger from the Ruby Princess who caught the virus. Today's news headlines: An update on Melbourne Officer Deaths The National Cabinet meets to update Coronavirus restrictions Anzac Day 2020: Driveways at Dawn In today's Briefing we ask: Why would you book a cruise? What's it like making friends on a cruise as a solo traveller? What's so great about going on a cruise? What does a healthcare worker think about the conditions on a cruise? What was it like on the Ruby Princess during the outbreak? What's it like to have asymptomatic Coronavirus? What was it like disembarking from the Ruby Princess? Can you avoid close contact with others on a cruise ship? Would a passenger on the Ruby Princess ever consider going on another cruise?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23 Apr 202017min

How do you go on a date when you can’t even go out to dinner? We take a look at what dating is like in an age of isolation. We talk to some singles trying to continue their romantic journey and relationships expert Dr Nikki Goldstein. Today's news headlines: Four officers killed in Victoria police’s single biggest loss of life Covid-19 update (0.2% increase, Ruby Princess, the PM speaks) 1in 3 Aussies have gained Quarantine Kilos In today's Briefing we ask: What is an 'exercise date'? Would you go on a first date if it was a 10k run? How do you deal with the expectation of a little kiss or a hug at the end of a date in the time of Corona? How hard is it to be single in this age of isolation? What are the biggest changes in dating now? How are people exploring connections on a deeper level now outside of the physical? If we're having Zooms and House Party dinners, what do we miss out on when we’re not in the same space as our date? Is dating in this time changing the outcome of peoples connections and how people are reassessing what is important to them in life? What are the long term effects of Coronavirus on dating? Will we see a huge spike in hook-up culture when this is over? How is Coronavirus a huge test for existing relationships and is it a make or break time?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23 Apr 202019min

They’ve been blamed for Covid-19 but what are wet markets and should they be closed altogether? Guests include Aussie Annabelle Brett, who has visited these types of markets backpacking across China and Dr Delia Linn (Senior Lecturer in Chinese studies) who grew up in Wuhan and believes we’ve got it all wrong. Today's news headlines: Young Aussies hardest hit by Covid-19 job losses South Korea and China have denied Kim Jong-Un is fighting for life. UK to trial human vaccine from Thursday In today's Briefing we ask: What are inside the wet markets? How have the traditional wet markets changed following the outbreak of bird flu, SARS and other viral outbreaks? Why doesn't the Chinese government itself want the wet markets? Are the wet markets to blame for Covid-19? What sort of animals can you find in the Wuhan wildlife market? Do Chinese people actually enjoy to consume wildlife or is it a common misconception? What is life like in the city of Wuhan (and why is it known as a 'city of rebels'?)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Apr 202019min