How will our pets fare when lockdown lifts?

Maddy MacRae has over 3.5 million followers across her social media accounts, but surprisingly has spent years facing rejection and chasing acting gigs. With $15k debt, multiple hospitality jobs, and a faltering passion for her acting career, she broke into the influencer space almost by accident. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Maddy explains how she turned her stomach into viral content, and what it was like when she finally landed a role in a TV series. Weekend list with Helen Smith TO DO: Send us your recommendations to try on insta @thebriefingpodcast TO DO: Running with a mate or joining a run club TO TRY: Countdown app for goal setting TO TRY: Brown eyeliner to you waterline Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @listnrnewsroom Instagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Feb 202533min

Is Australia’s biggest reality TV show unethical? Married at First Sight – one of Australia's most popular reality TV shows, currently in its 12th season – amasses millions of viewers each year. This season it has also garnered major controversy in its airing of toxic behaviour from various members of the show. In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Alexandria Funnell, ex MAFS post producer and co-host of That’s Show Biz Baby, to unpack what really happens behind the scenes, if MAFS has crossed an ethical line this season, and if we should still be watching. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @listnrnewsroom Instagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Feb 202520min

Headlines: Peter Dutton holds rare press conference calling for inquiry into PM’s knowledge of explosives caravan, Trump restates plan for Gaza, ABC staff ‘disgusted’ by broadcaster’s handling of Antoinette Lattouf’s Federal Court case and 61% of you say you'll be voting for an independent candidate. Deep Dive: Mastercard will remove the 16-digit number from their credit and debit cards by 2030 and replace them with tokenisation and biometric authentication. The move is designed to crack down on identity theft and the fraudulent use of cards, with card fraud in Australia being over $868 million in the last financial year. In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Gary Mortimer, a professor of marketing and consumer behaviour at the QUT Business School, to unpack what it all means. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @listnrnewsroom Instagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Feb 202521min

Are you satisfied with the Government right now? If polls are anything to go by, Australians are increasingly getting over being led by majority governments on the left or the right. Labor and the Coalition are unsurprisingly not keen on sharing power with independents and minor parties – and have responded by pushing legislation through parliament to reform our national elections. The Government says this new law would stop billionaires having too much influence on our elections – but independent MPs say it’s really aimed at making it harder for them, and new independents, to be elected in the future. It’s a battle over the future of the country. Who’s going to win, and what should you do about it? Allegra Spender is the Independent Member for Wentworth, and Kate Chaney the Independent Member for Curtin. On this episode of The Briefing, they join Bension Siebert from parliament house in Canberra. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @listnrnewsroom Instagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Feb 202517min

Headlines: Labor agrees to minimum jail sentences for terror crimes, the world reacts to Trump’s Gaza plan, Sam Kerr’s trial continues, and 50,000 people say life feels best in the morning. Deep Dive: Are Frequent Flyer programs, and supermarket loyalty programs, a scam? If these airlines and big supermarket chains are constantly pressuring us to join up can that really be in our best interests? On this episode of The Briefing, we dive deep into whether these programs are a genuine savings opportunity – and what mistakes you might be making if you’re trying to make your points convert to real life value. Bension Siebert chats to “points whisperer” and founder of I Fly Flat, Steven Hui, about the upsides and downsides of frequent flyer programs and the best strategies to save serious cash on an overseas trip. Further listening from the headlines: Yesterday's special breaking news edition following Trump's Gaza announcements is available on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts now. 'How to retrain your brain in 2025' is available on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @listnrnewsroom Instagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Feb 202522min

"The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too. We'll own it.” US President Donald Trump has just announced his intention to expel all Palestinians from Gaza and claim ownership of the land for the United States. To forcefully and permanently exile more than 1.7 million people to neighbouring countries would have huge implications for global community – and potentially Australia, as a key ally to the USA. Has the world just witnessed the end of the two-state solution? In this special breaking news episode of the Briefing, Bension Siebert speaks with Chair in Global Islamic Politics at Deakin University Greg Barton to get his immediate reaction, and explain what this means for the Middle East, the world and Australia. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @listnrnewsroom Instagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Feb 202514min

Headlines: Australia to ban DeepSeek from government devices, China hits back with retaliatory tariffs on US goods, FBI enlisted in case against Melbourne’s Pam the Bird graffiti artist and Putin moves to revive Soviet-era Eurovision rival.You can catch last week's deep dive on DeepSeek on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts now. Deep Dive: How did Elon Musk become one of the most powerful men in the world? The tech billionaire is best known for being the CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX. But his involvement in politics - and new position within the Trump administration - is turning heads in the tech world. But who is Elon Musk, really? What drives him, and what do you need to know about his past to understand his future? In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Mike Isaac, a technology correspondent for The New York Times, to unpack who Elon Musk is behind closed doors. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @listnrnewsroom Instagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Feb 202527min

Learning a new language is famously very hard and usually takes years. Could all that be about to change? While we now have apps like Duolingo to help, it’s still likely to take a long time and a lot of effort to be anything close to fluent. What usually helps is spending time in a country where everyone speaks the language you’re learning – but one group of Australian researchers says virtual reality and AI could step in for those who aren’t able to make the trip. Brodie McGee from the University of Southern Queensland is one of them. In this episode of The Briefing Bension Siebert chats with the Australian teacher and researcher on how you could be supercharging the process of learning a new language. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @listnrnewsroom Instagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Feb 202514min