The Briefing

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We’re your friends in news. Sacha Barbour Gatt and Chris Spyrou wake up early to bring you all the important daily news headlines. Then, we deep dive on an essential news story that'll make you feel smarter about the world. Listen every weekday to know more in minutes.

20 hr ago

Our Take: HBO's Harry Potter, a kidney donation & Chris loses to English (again)

Well, well, well… fancy seeing you here. Welcome back to The Briefing: Our Take, our weekend hang-out where we loosen our ties and kick off our shoes to take you behind the scenes of the week that was, and what you (and we) made of it. This week Chris and Sach get into HBO's new Harry Potter series dropping on Christmas Day. They react to the latest trailer, dig through your comments on it, and discuss whether they’re going to watch it. They're also joined in studio by 2DayFM's very own Emma Chow, who steps up to The Weekend Quiz but somehow manages to get them talking about Tipping Point and Sach’s days as a court reporter. They also discuss Emma’s very exciting news she received this week! The Weekend Quiz (just questions, no answers): The government this week proposed new laws that could give us the power to opt out of, or switch off, the algorithm on socials. What's it called? Pauline Hanson was on ABC News24 this week and got into a bit of argy-bargy with Chris Kenny. What were they arguing over? We spoke to Greens Senator David Shoebridge on the pod this week. He was appointed the party's first-ever spokesperson for what? A Melbourne council this week announced it would be banning what from public pools and playgrounds? What subject did Chris and Sach admit on the podcast they cared the least about in school? The Weekend List: To watch: New Zealand Spy on ABC iview (thanks to listener Jay) To listen to: Harry Potter audiobook for free on Spotify Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 day ago

SPECIAL: The long shadow of 9/11 twenty-five years on

Twenty-five years ago, the September 11 terrorist attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and changed the course of history. The images of hijacked planes striking the World Trade Center, the collapse of the Twin Towers and the devastation left behind became defining images of this century. But the consequences of 9/11 reached far beyond the United States. The attacks triggered America’s longest war - a 20-year conflict in Afghanistan that began with the fall of the Taliban. This year also marks five years since the war came full circle: the Taliban returned to power as the US withdrew its troops. BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet witnessed that extraordinary arc. Drawing on almost four decades of reporting from Afghanistan, she takes LiSTNR Senior Journalist Claudianna Blanco from the aftermath of 9/11 and the hope that followed the Taliban’s fall, to the chaotic final days at Kabul Airport and the Afghanistan of today. This special episode of The Briefing looks back at the long shadow of 9/11, 25 years on. Lyse's debut book Lyse on The Weekend Briefing Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 day ago

Is Trump buying votes? + Insta warns killing the algo will 'overwhelm' you

Friday Headlines: Head of Instagram warns against turning off algorithm Barnaby Joyce apologises to Andrew Hastie over 'traitor' video Donald Trump accused of bribery over 5k election promise August declared hottest month on record Historic NFL game takes over Melbourne Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3 days ago

Aus readies fresh Israeli sanctions + Is the gov really taking on big tech?

Wednesday Headlines: Labor unveils new laws to govern social media giants Missing Australian found alive in Nepal Penny Wong prepares new sanctions against Israeli settlements One Nation Victorian leader says he's no angel, admits to previous drug use Aussie kids record their worst reading and maths results Further listening from headlines:How Australia funds Israeli settlements Deep Dive: Does Australia need a Minister for AI? That's the call from Greens Senator David Shoebridge, who this week was appointed the party's first-ever spokesperson for Digital Rights and AI. It comes as the government insists it's doing whatever it can to put big tech on a leash and keep people first - while at the same time selling Australia as the perfect home for the very infrastructure driving AI's expansion: data centres. In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Senator Shoebridge to discuss his new portfolio, whether Australia can pull itself back from being AI's wild west, and what it'll actually take to put people ahead of profit. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
4 days ago

Barnaby Joyce isn't Jesus Christ + Opting out of the manosphere

Tuesday Headlines: One Nation has been forced into a quick defence of its plan for superannuation Australian bureaucrats want to ban videos from parliamentary hearings being shared on social media Trial of alleged killers of Australian brothers in Mexico gets underway Food prices could be pushed higher by record strength El Niño King Charles issues clarification on Harry and Meghan Deep Dive: For years, a secret formula has dictated everything we see on social media, hooking our attention spans at the expense of our mental health. Now, the federal government is unveiling a plan to let users opt out of the algorithm entirely and return to a chronological stream of accounts they actually follow. But with increasing pressure to protect young men from the insidious manosphere, how much will an opt-out actually change? In this episode of The Briefing, reporter Amber Schultz joins Sacha Barbour Gatt to detail her experiment posing as a 17-year-old boy online, where it took just 13 minutes to land on manosphere content, and what these proposed changes will mean for our feeds. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
5 days ago

Is banning the algorithm censorship? + The teens being hired to kill

Monday Headlines: Gov to strengthen teen social media ban as it looks to create an opt-out approach to social media One Nation reveals superannuation policy Coalition wants to ban flag burning Manhunt underway for Victorian man who allegedly attacked his family with an axe US envoys hold peace talks with Russia and Ukraine Lindsay Clancy trial ends in a mistrial Deep Dive: In Sydney, a staggering six cases of mistaken identity in the city’s bloody gangland war has left innocent people dead, exposing a horrifying shift toward young, inexperienced gunmen carrying out underworld hits. The body count stems from a bitter turf war which ramped up six years ago with the murder of Fares Abounader, which ignited a battle between rival crime families for Sydney’s billion-dollar illicit trades. In this episode of The Briefing, we trace with criminologist Dr Vincent Hurley how this bloody conflict has spiralled into 24 deaths, why the criminal underworld changed, and how cheap, reckless hitmen are firing at the wrong targets. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
6 days ago

BONUS: Why you need to think about donating blood

One in 3 Australians will need blood in their lifetime, but 1 in 30 donate across the country. Lifeblood says recent appeals have prevented supplies falling to critical levels but have not been enough to replenish low supplies of O-positive and O-negative blood types, which are the types used in emergencies. A-positive blood stocks have also dropped in recent weeks. In this episode of The Briefing, we talk about why our listeners should consider donating blood and we learn the extraordinary story of Krishan Lal who is the perfect example of how donating blood can change not just the recipient’s life, but the lives of those around them. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
4 Sept

Our Take: Raygun's doco, suburban slugs + Father's Day socks

Despite suffering through a week of technical failures, we're back for this weekend's instalment of Our Take - our looser, goosier look back at the week that was, and what you and we made of it all. We kick off by debriefing the Raygun doco on Netflix. Chris has watched it, Sach hasn't - and no spoilers, but prepare for your jaw to hit the floor. Then we dig through the Inbox, which was surprisingly dominated by your reactions to the KPMG scandal, and less surprisingly, your take on Pauline Hanson's claim that the PM was inciting political violence against her. We're also joined in studio by Angie from the tech team, who takes on the Weekend Quiz. To our shock, she walks away not holding the record for the lowest score! As always, we want to hear from you! Reach out to us on Instagram @thebriefingpodcast and feel free to leave a comment if you’re listening on Spotify. The Weekend Quiz: One Nation notched a major win this week. What was it? Anthony Albanese committed $600 million at the Pacific Islands Forum to help fight what? The Coalition has promised to legalise what if it's elected in 2028? Lionel Messi made a huge announcement this week, what was it? It was revealed Apple's new CEO will earn a whopping $81 AUD million a year. Who is he replacing? The Weekend List: To Watch: Gabriel Redback on TikTok Episodes mentioned: The KPMG deep dive The Jen Robinson chat Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpod Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Chris Spyrou

Host
Sacha Barbour Gatt

Host
Lyse Doucet

Guest
Josh Elliott

Guest
Lily O’Neil

Guest
David Shoebridge

Guest
Amber Schultz

Guest
Vincent Hurley

Guest
Alex Dyson

Guest
Allyson Horn

Guest

We’re your friends in news. Sacha Barbour Gatt and Chris Spyrou wake up early to bring you all the important daily news headlines. Then, we deep dive on an essential news story that'll make you feel smarter about the world. Listen every weekday to know more in minutes.

Channel

LiSTNR
Creator

LiSTNR
Years Active

2020 - 2026
Episodes

1k
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 LiSTNR - Text, image, music and sound comprising this podcast are owned by or licensed to SCA. By accessing, communicating or using this podcast, you agree to be bound by the terms available at https://www.listnr.com/terms
Show Website

The Briefing