The Briefing LiSTNR

Last night, Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down the Budget, aka the economic plan for the next four years and beyond. 

On the positive side, he delivered his second consecutive surplus and a bunch of cost of living sweeteners – including a new $300 payment in energy bill relief for every Australian household, which he reckons will help put downward pressure on inflation. 

We saw more detail on Treasury’s optimistic new forecast showing inflation will drop below 3% by Christmas, plus the things we knew already about like Stage 3 tax cuts and $3 billion in student debt being wiped. 

But on the negative side: critics have described it as a “band aid” budget that relies on a lot of variables for its economic outlook, benefits billionaires and multinationals and could actually make inflation worse. 

And while the Treasurer can pat himself on the back for this year’s surplus of $9.3 billion, looks like we’re heading deep into the red next year with a $28.3 billion deficit, followed by a $42.8 per cent deficit in 2025-26. 

With an election looming, the year ahead will be critical in determining if he hit the right note between bringing inflation under control without hurting the economy. 

 

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is threatening nuclear war as his invasion of the Ukraine continues.

Putin last week ordered Russian troops to perform military exercises to prepare for the use of tactical nuclear weapons. 

Tactical nukes are generally smaller and less powerful than traditional nuclear weapons, but use of such weapons would be catastrophic. 

It’s now been more than 800 days since Russia’s massive ground invasion of Ukraine, a military operation supposedly intended to only run for ten days. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Benison speaks to Dr Keith Suter, former President of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney about why Putin would make this new threat now, and just how worried should we be in this moment.
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It’s been a month since the horrific attack at Bondi Junction Westfield, during which a man stabbed 18 people, killing six. Most of his victims were women.

The event was heavily reported on by the media, and in the wake of the tragedy we’ve seen dozens more instances of violent knife crime right around Australia.

It may feel like we’re seeing an increase in these sort of attacks, but is that true? What do the stats tell us? And does more media reporting mean more people want to copy what they see?

Criminologist Xanthe Mallett from the University of Newcastle joins the Briefing to breakdown Australia’s knife crime.

Headlines:

NSW moves on new bail laws for domestic violence offenders 

X no longer forced to remove videos of Wakeley church stabbing 

Treasurer to announce $9.3 billion surplus in tonight’s budget 

#Blockout2024: Celebs lose hundreds of thousands of followers over their silence on Gaza and insane displays of wealth 

 

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Childhood and dementia aren’t two words you’d expect to hear together, but children are dying from this disease at the same rate as they are dying from cancer.  One in every 2,900 children are born with childhood dementia, a progressive disease that is caused by rare neurodegenerative genetic disorders  

It’s a heart-breaking condition that has historically received little attention and research hours. In this episode of The Briefing Antoinette chats to Meg Maack, Director and CEO of the Childhood Dementia Initiative, about what a new grant will mean for those suffering and their families.
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There’s a critical current in the Atlantic that moves heat, carbon, and nutrients from the tropics, which is cooled and sinks once it reaches the Arctic. The current is important because it helps regulate climate on Earth.

Now this current is slowing, and it’s impact on global climate could be disastrous.

At the same time we’ve seen the end of a hot, dry, El Nino weather pattern, which came after three back-to-back wet La Nina’s....and there’s a strong chance that we could see another La Nina next season too – a frequency and sequence that’s never been recorded before.

So are these two weather systems linked? Could this be a sign that things might be changing faster than expected? Professor Matthew England from the University of NSW joins host Simon Beaton to answer these questions and more.

Headlines:

Inflation could fall to within target range by the end of the year 

US steps up condemnation of Israel

Man who received first pig kidney transplant dies

Aussies go wild for Aurora Australis 

 

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For most families, Mother’s Day is about celebrating our mums and all they do for us. But for those whose Mum is no longer around, it can be a pretty tough day.

New research shows this is having a big impact on women, with over 1 million losing their Mum before the age of 44. Now there are fears their grief is being ignored with women reporting higher rates of depression, anxiety, prolonged grief and post-traumatic stress.

So, is their pain being ignored? And what can be done to raise more awareness to make sure they get the help they need? On today’s episode of The Briefing, we talk to Danielle Snelling – the Co-Founder of Motherless Daughters Australia to find out.
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