Dolly Parton ain’t dead + The price of a Saudi punchline

Headlines: Australia joins Canada and the UK in formally recognising Palestine, Charlie Kirk's funeral service is underway at a stadium in Arizona, at least five people tried to warn telco giant Optus of an outage that impacted 000 calls, Tony Abbott, Liz Truss, and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price headline a conservative conference in Brisbane, and it turns out plenty of Aussies are willing to risk a fine when catching public transport. Deep Dive: The fatal stabbings of two boys, aged 12 and 15, in Melbourne’s west shocked the nation and put a spotlight on youth violence across Victoria. Police have since arrested seven teenagers over the brutal attack, but deeper questions remain about what’s fuelling this trend and whether government responses are helping or harming. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with criminal lawyer and forensic psychologist Dr Brianna Chesser to unpack it. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Sep 23min

The Coachella 2026 line-up has officially dropped, featuring major headliners like Justin Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter, but one Aussie act also taking the stage is Royel Otis. Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic make up the pop duo, who recently went viral for their covers of Linger by the Cranberries and Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Murder on the Dancefloor. In this bonus episode of The Briefing, we’re revisiting a chat from last year with Tom Tilley and Royel Otis who explain how they came together and the story behind their debut album, Pratts & Pain Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Sep 30min

Gwilym Lee is a proud Welshman and self-proclaimed ‘pretender’, best known for portraying Queen guitarist Brian May in Bohemian Rhapsody. The actor grew up in Birmingham and began his career on stage before staring in television dramas like The Great, Midsomer Murders and Top End Bub - alongside Aussie actor and co-writer Miranda Tapsell. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Gwilym shares what it was like filming in the Northern Territory and playing Ned, the ‘confused white guy’, while gaining insight into First Nations culture, community, and art. Weekend list with Helen Smith TO WATCH: Mr Fantasy music video TO EAT: Musashi protein bars TO EAT: Potato salad party TO READ: Zeteo news Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 Sep 36min

The race is on to find the next NSW Police Commissioner, but the top candidate is already plagued with controversy. The NSW Premier says he’s willing to overlook bad decisions and that the NSW police commissioner did not need to have a “lily-white record”. It comes at the end of a massive week for the NSW government... after it passed groundbreaking legislation that could set a precedent across the country. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by NSW Minister Rose Jackson to explain the new deepfake laws and housing planning overhauls and also her reaction on who will be the state’s next Police Commissioner. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 Sep 17min

Friday Headlines: Donald Trump says Jimmy Kimmel being taken off air is not a free speech issue, Queensland becomes the first state to ban pill testing, doctor who treated Erin Patterson reprimanded by medical board for 'crazy bitch' comments, Brigitte Macron to submit 'scientific evidence' proving she is not a man and a new survey for dog-obsessed Aussies! Further listening from the headlines: The Macrons vs Candace Owens Part I on Apple Podcasts and Spotify PART 2: French president sues podcaster over claims first lady is a man on Apple Podcasts and Spotify The drug report the government won't release on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Deep Dive: A UFO sighting confirmed by hundreds of Australians has been shrouded in secrecy for decades. Now there are fresh calls for the government to hold a parliamentary inquiry into the Westall incident, as well as the government cover-up that followed. In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy speaks with UAP researcher and activist Grant Lavac, who started the petition, about why the public and the government need to follow the US’s lead in taking UFO sightings seriously.Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Sep 23min

Donald Trump’s war on the media has just escalated, with the Jimmy Kimmel Show cancelled after the late-night night host made comments about the US President’s reaction to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. President Trump today also banned Australia’s ABC from attending a news conference after a 4 Corners journalist questioned the US leader over his family’s business dealings. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Crikey journalist Charlie Lewis to unpack what these latest developments mean for the independence of media and freedom of speech. Headlines: A major court win for former broadcaster Alan Jones, the federal government has handed down its long-awaited emissions reduction target, and retail giant Kmart has been found to have unlawfully used facial recognition technology. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Sep 16min

Thursday Headlines: Thousands protest in London as Donald Trump receives a royal welcome in the UK, Vic Police warn of fake cop collecting donations for Porepunkah victims, Australian-first trial to combat gender-based violence to launch, Ben & Jerry's co-founder quits over Gaza dispute with parent company, and Gout Gout qualifies in Tokyo!Deep Dive: Influencers and content creators are facing backlash for ‘Taliban tourism’, accused of accepting paid trips to militant-ruled Afghanistan. Australian blogger Chloe Baredinsky made national headlines over her two-month trip to the country, where it was later revealed she accepted payments toward accommodation, food, permits and guides. In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by two Afghan women, Senator Fatima Payman and former worker in Afghanistan's Ministry of Women's Affairs, Nasima Kakaea, to discuss the controversial tourism trend. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Sep 24min

It’s being labelled as a major diplomatic blunder by the Albanese government, with Papua New Guinea pulling out of signing a key defence treaty with Australia at the last minute. While the federal government was confident of sealing the deal, the dramatic turnaround has raised serious concerns over Australia’s security and diplomatic future in the critical Pacific Region. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Pacific Islands diplomatic expert Mihai Sora to unpack why the failed treaty is a concerning setback for Australia and an important win for China. Headlines: Several protestors have been arrested in England after projected images of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were displayed on a castle, hundreds of jobs are set to go in one of Queensland's biggest coal mines, the NSW Government has announced the biggest overhaul of planning laws in half a century, and Virgin Australia has launched its 'Pet in Cabin' flights. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Sep 15min