Space tourism: how long before ordinary Aussies blast off?
Briefing listener, Laura, contacted us asking for an episode on the commercial space race….and in particular, when Australians should expect to be able to fly on rockets at an affordable price. Professor Alan Duffy is an astronomer at Swinburne and Lead Scientist of the Royal Institution of Australia. He says there are three main players – Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic; Elon Musk’s Space X; and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. They’re billionaire’s competing for dominance in the burgeoning space tourism sector. So how long will it be before Australians can afford to blast off into space? And when seats are commonplace, how much will it cost. TODAY'S HEADLINES Nation’s eyes on NSW as state becomes first to live with Covid Melbourne men accused of WA Grand Final breach to face court Government, families disappointed by release of Afghan soldier-killer Prince Charles calls on Morrison to attend Glasgow climate summit Brisbane to get new NRL team Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11 Okt 202121min
Are we headed for a global economic meltdown?
Financial markets are jittery with at least four critical economic fault lines developing across the globe….Covid-19, the Evergrande crisis in China, the US fiscal cliff and concerns over rising inflation. James Thompson writes the daily Chanticleer column at the Australian Financial Review. We ask what’s driving the uncertainty…and if average Australians have anything to be worried about. They say if a butterfly flaps its wings in China, the rest of the world hears it. So what’s ahead….and are we headed for a global economic meltdown. TODAY'S HEADLINES Freedom Day dawns for NSW Farmers to call for Kyoto Protocol payback War of words between China, Taiwan and Tony Abbott US hold first meetings with Taliban, but no recognition for new government Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10 Okt 202119min
Harley Breen, the comedian who grew up without television and now graces our screens
Harley Breen has graced some of Australia’s most important comedy stages, fronted some of the country’s flagship radio shows and appeared on our screens as a revered host. He now embarks on a new gig as the co-host of Network Ten’s Making It Australia with Susie Youssef – a reality show that celebrates craftsmanship from pottery to crotchet and more. Jamila Rizvi discovers that Harley’s journey to his public-facing profession is a far cry from where he began in a household with little access to music and television. THE WEEKEND LIST with Tait McGregor: Listen: ‘Lunchtime’ by Spacey Jane Listen: ‘New Mum, Who Dis?’ podcast by Ash London Watch: Squid Game (why Jamila's anti-recommended last week was wrong!) Cook: Kale salad with pecorino and walnuts (Smitten Kitchen) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
8 Okt 202130min
Facebook’s week from hell
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus and Facebook Messenger crashed Tuesday morning. All the Facebook-owned sites were down for six hours. It’s been described as the company's worst outage since 2008 and Facebook lost $99.75 million in income during the downtime. The following day a Facebook whistleblower fronted a US Senate inquiry calling on the US government to do more to reign in Facebook. The Australian newspaper’s technology editor David Swan joins us to consider Facebook’s future. Is it on the wane….? Will a competitor knock it off its perch…? Or will Facebook begin to thrive so we can scroll for years and years to come…? TODAY'S HEADLINES PM, ministers foreshadow social media reform and responsibility for tech giants Accelerated NSW roadmap sparks backlash from teachers and doctors US judge blocks controversial Texas abortion law Kylie Minogue is coming home Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
7 Okt 202120min
Brendan Cowell; Game of Thrones, Avatar 2 ...and a new book
Brendan Cowell’s new novel is called “Plum”. It delves deep into the life of a former NRL player who’s forced to answer questions about his masculinity, his past and his future. After starring in Love My Way Brendan’s journey as an actor took him to London where he landed parts in Game of Thrones and Avatar 2. He says the quintessential Australian male actor is in demand more than ever. Brendan’s new book is called “Plum” about a former rugby league star who falls on hard times and discovers poetry as a means to reinvigorate his life. TODAY'S HEADLINES NSW first state or territory to reach 70% vax rate Banking regulator makes first moves on housing market Daniel Andrews refuses to comment on investigation reports Football Australia sets up investigation as abuse allegations continue Zuckerberg hits back at Facebook whistleblower Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
6 Okt 202122min
The David Attenborough of the Covid-19 pandemic
Professor Peter Doherty is a Nobel laureate …a world-famous immunologist. He’s been called the David Attenborough of the Covid-19 pandemic. He’s patron of the Doherty Institute, which publishes predictions on what’s on the horizon in terms of the pandemic. The Institute operates under his name. The 80-year-old has not been content to rest on his laurels….he’s decided to engage with anti-vaxxers on Twitter to dispel myths and propaganda. Professor Doherty talks to us about what the future looks like post-Covid-19, what he’s learned from the pandemic….and how and why he’s waded into the Twitter swamp to wage war with internet trolls. TODAY'S HEADLINES New NSW Premier Perrottet sticks with lockdown roadmap QLD hospitals sound alarm on crowding amid funding stoush Facebook whistleblower testifies before US Senate Hundreds rally in ‘Save Australia’ protest at New York consulate Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
5 Okt 202119min
Did Gladys have to go?
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian stunned the country in suddenly resigning last Friday. The state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating grants awarded to applicants in the rural seat held by Ms Berejiklian’s former boyfriend, Darrel Maguire. We’re joined by the ABC’s NSW state political reporter, Ashleigh Raper to try to understand why Gladys had to go. Do these corruption bodies have too much power by costing hard-working politicians their careers? TODAY'S HEADLINES NSW politics chaos ahead of Premier poll Australia orders experimental Covid pill for virus treatment Glasgow climate minister calls on Australia to attend summit Taiwan ready for war, calling on Australia to help Star Trek actor to join Aussie entrepreneur on latest space flight Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
4 Okt 202121min
Is your phone a super-spreader?
A microbiologist is sounding the alarm on the germs living on our smartphones, warning the devices we use every day are carrying deadly bacteria that could wreak havoc in our hospitals and with our biosecurity. The pandemic has made us all hyper conscious about hand sanitising and cleaning surfaces… but one Aussie microbiologist Dr Lotti Tajouri, from Bond University, is sounding the alarm about a major blind spot in our lives… and it’s actually thing we touch the most - our phones. We might wash our hands… but then we pick up our phones and touch our face. And this is a big problem according to an … he reckons our mobile phones are COVERED in bacteria, viruses and antibiotic resistant super bugs. TODAY'S HEADLINES Perrottet set to become next NSW Premier NRL overcomes lockdown fears to host Panthers final win Fremantle cargo crew in hospital as Perth records Covid cases Philippines' Duterte pulls out of politics in favour of daughter Follow The Briefing Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3 Okt 202121min
