The Bushfire Recovery effort: How are people doing?

Unlike a lot of other western countries, Australia has a forced saving system called superannuation. When the system was introduced back in 1992, 3% of your income went to your super, which is only accessible at the age of 66. Nowadays, that percentage is 9.5%, but there are plans to increase it so that by 2025, 12% of your pay will be put into your super. Should more of our money be put into super? Or would you rather have it now to buy a house? Senator Andrew Bragg and Executive Director of Per Capita Emma Dawson join The Briefing to discuss the opposing sides to the super increase. In today's news headlines: Western Australia delays easing restrictions after bulk carrier cluster Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry hones in on Brett Sutton NRL’s Dally M awards overshadowed by embarrassing leak UK accuses Russia of planning cyber-attack on the Tokyo Olympics Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 Okt 202019min

Conspiritualism is a blend of two words: Conspiracy and spiritualism and it describes a strange phenomena that you might have noticed on your social media feeds. It describes the wellness bloggers and influencers who’ve taken up the same causes as conspiracy theorists. This wellness community and QAnon conspiracy theorists have previously seemed worlds apart but according to Sarah Wilson they have quite a lot in common, and she joins us on this episode to explain. Sarah’s latest book ‘This One Wild and Precious Life’ is about coming together in a world determined to keep us apart. In today's news headlines: Melbournians regain some freedoms but retail, hospitality to wait Federal government told to do more after New Zealanders leave travel bubble states Jacinda Ardern’s caucus to meet after landslide election win Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Okt 202019min

What’s in a name when you’re applying for a job? Does your name impact your hire ability? In 2012 researchers conducted an experiment sending out fictional applications for real jobs. On some they used English-sounding names and on others they used names that sounded stereotypically Indigenous, Italian, Chinese and Middle Eastern. They found that these applicants were less likely to score an interview than those with English sounding names. Other research has found that when employers were presented with otherwise identical resumes, women were at least 30 percent less likely to be interviewed than men. So what can be about it? How do we take race and gender out of recruitment and out of the workplace - to ensure that everyone gets treated fairly and gets to be who they are? In today's news headlines: Top WHO scientist warns young, healthy people may not get vaccine until 2021 Discussions on plan to bring more stranded Aussies home delayed Victoria nudges Australian jobless rate up to 6.9 percent Biden, Trump field questions from voters in lieu of second debate Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Okt 202016min

Will COVID-19 be the ‘great accelerator’ in the death of the shopping mall? The mall has gone from the height of the social scene to struggle street in only a couple of decades, and the closing of shops amid the pandemic is leading to fears the “dead mall” phenomenon seen in the US could be in store for Australia. More than a third of all shopping is expected to be online by 2030 and big retail chains here in Australia are struggling. So in today’s Briefing, we ask: Is the mall dead? And is Covid-19 the final nail in its coffin? We speak to Gemma Acton, an economist for 7News who’s been watching retail trends very closely, and we find out what it’s been like to work at a mall and in retail during Covid. In today's news headlines: Queensland, ACT rush to trace Covid-19 case as NSW delays easing restrictions Revamped Virgin could become a budget airline Inquiry warns acquiring Aboriginal flag copyright sets “dangerous precedent” Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Okt 202019min

It’s easy to feel like we’re the first ones to go through a pandemic like this, and that the deprivations and constant state of underlying anxiety is unique to our generation. But while this is a once in a generation pandemic, Australians have lived through difficult times before and survived. And some of them are still alive to tell us about it. 86 year olds Dorothy McRae-McMahon and Val Reily have lived through and survived pandemics, recessions and moments of global upheaval and in this episode they share their wisdom and experience, and reassure us that we will get through the years that lie ahead. In today's news headlines: Hopes more states will join the trans-Tasman bubble days before launch “I’ll kiss everyone”: Donald Trump’s first campaign rally since contracting Covid-19 Two Australian Premiers face no confidence votes in just two days Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Okt 202019min

J.K. Rowling is one of the most famous authors in the world. The Harry Potter book series have sold more than 500 million copies across 80 languages. Potter isn’t just a series, it’s a phenomenon. Back in June, J.K. Rowling retweeted an opinion piece that used the phrase “people who menstruate”. Rowling -- who has over 14.2 million of followers on Twitter -- publicly took issue with the story not simply using the word ‘women’. “People who menstruate” is a commonly used term in the transgender community and many felt Rowling was mocking people who identify as a different gender to the sex they were born. She’s since compared hormone therapy to conversion therapy and expressed concern that young trans people are being pushed towards gender surgery against their best interests, prompting Twitter to “cancel” her. So what does this moment mean for trans people who love the Harry Potter series? Can you love the books while taking issue with their author? To answer these questions we speak to Dr Lauren Rosewarne (University of Melbourne's School of Social and Political Sciences) and Hayden Moon (he/they), author of A Letter To J.K. Rowling From A Young Transgender Person Who’s Sick Of Her S--- for Junkee. In today's news headlines: NSW Premier “stuffed up in her personal life” but refuses to resign Reported spike in dating app sex assaults Fake blood, fruit hurled at Scott Morrison in Queensland Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 Okt 202020min

Eighteen years ago today 202 people including 88 Australians were killed in a terror attack in the tourist district of Bali. A powerful car bomb, hidden inside a white Mitsubishi van, was detonated by a suicide bomber right outside the Sari Club, a renowned open-air thatch-roof bar in the Kuta district. The blast site itself has lain dormant for almost 20 years, and the question of what to do with it is at the centre of a bitter dispute. A group of Aussies are pushing for a permanent memorial in the form of a peace park or museum, instead of plans by landowners to redevelop the site into a five storey commercial complex of restaurants and bars. Carmen Jaques is one of those Australians. She’s also a researcher from Edith Cowan University who’s looking into the impacts of terrorism on communities. We’re also joined by Australian man Damien Murnane Australians who was in Bali that night. In today's news headlines: President Trump says he is “immune” to Covid-19 Big names want trolls locked up Search for Esperance shark attack victim called off High Court bid to end Melbourne’s lockdown Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Okt 202020min

Fast fashion is the rise of cheap, trendy, affordable and accessible clothes that turn catwalk trends into bargain buys in a matter of weeks. And while more fashion choices might seem like a good thing for consumers, it’s a bad thing for the planet. The average Australian buys 27 kilograms of clothes every year, and we throw away 23 of those, so 85 percent of what we buy ends up in landfill. On today's Briefing we ask: Just how much is fast fashion destroying the planet and what can we do about it? To help answer this question we speak to Clare Press – Sustainable fashion expert and presenter of the Wardrobe Crisis podcast and Lucianne Tonti, founder of sustainable fashion showroom and consultancy Le 31. In today's news headlines: Trump refuses second debate, labelling his Covid diagnosis “a blessing from God” Labor’s budget reply has big focus on women, families and blue collar workers Senator Jacqui Lambie refuses to support increase in Uni Degree Costs Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Okt 202019min