The Briefing

This week, Queensland’s long-serving leader Anastasia Palaszczuk announced her resignation, signalling the end of the reign of Australia’s pandemic premiers.Leaders of the states and territories became household names during the height of the COVID years between 2020 and 2022. People tuned in daily for their press conferences, their policies (and personalities) were the topic of dinner table conversations and they often found themselves splashed all over the internet in the form of Tik Tok dances or memes.In today’s episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with veteran political journalist Andrew Probyn about the big moments for the pandemic premiers and asking: what will their legacy be?   Headlines: Cyclone Jasper leaves 36,000 homes without power   Nations at the UN climate summit agree to transition away from fossil fuels  Tesla is recalling more than two million vehicles in the US    Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We cross to far north Queensland as locals prepare for the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Jasper. The category two system is expected to hit the coast later today, somewhere between Cairns and Hope Vale. The region is expected to receive 250mm to 300mm of rain in just six hours – and up to 500mm over 24 hours. We're joined by Helen Reed from the Bureau of Meteorology and Georgina Hill from Network Ten's north Queensland newsroom to get the very latest as the cyclone bears down on FNQ.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People have been doing things to their eyebrows for millennia; whether it’s plucking them, shaving them, colouring them or getting rid of them completely! But did you know eyebrows tell us a lot about society; from perceptions of beauty to socio- economic status to even reproduction! In this episode of The Briefing, Antoinette Lattouf and makeup historian Sara Long dissect why we’re so obsessed with our eyebrows. Headlines: Jasper Cyclone hitting Far North Queensland today  WHO says less than a third of Gaza's hospitals remain functional  Zara pulls ad campaign after calls for a boycott from pro-Palestine activists  Seafood prices set to drop going into the festive season     Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Already this summer season is proving to be dry, hot and dangerous for the risk of bushfires. And the future is looking bleak, with predictions that our bushfire season will increase in both length and intensity. But while we already undertake hazard reduction burns each year to reduce the fuel for fires to feed off, could we learn more from the cultural burning practices of Australia’s First Nations Peoples?  On this extra episode of The Briefing, we speak with former Emergency Management commissioner for Victoria, Craig Lapsley, and cultural burning practitioner Trent Nelson, to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coles and Woolworths are witnessing a surge in theft, which is being put down to the cost of living crisis. Despite this, the two big supermarkets are raking in profits and facing an inquiry into alleged price gouging. In this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert asks Fleur Brown from the Australian Retailers Association whether this spike in theft could be shoppers trying to get revenge against Coles and Woolies.   Headlines: Essential poll finds 57% of Aussies are financially struggling  COP28 draft resolution drops historic deal to “phase out” fossil fuels   Donald Trump says he will not take the stand in his fraud case  Golden Globes nominations have been announced   Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They’re the non-surgical cosmetic procedures that get spruiked and glamorised with hashtags like #BarbieBotox, #FoxEyes and #LipFlip by influencers on social media.  These procedures can be performed by non-medical practitioners like nurses, dental practitioners and pharmacists, and include injectables and fillers, cosmetic dentistry, hair transplants, fat freezing, and thread lifts (to only name a few). But now a national crackdown is coming, with a regulator releasing draft guidelines that would ban or restrict many common dubious advertising tactics. On this extra episode of The Briefing, we speak with the consumer advocate at Operation Redress, Michael Fraser, to learn more about how dangerous the advertising tactics around these procedures currently are, and just why reform is needed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many young people are struggling with the rising cost of living: rent, bills, groceries and transport. But imagine you’re doing it all alone, without the support of your parents or family. That’s the reality for young people who have grown up in care. And it’s a key reason so few make it into higher education. If you’re working all the hours you can just to get by, you don’t get the opportunity to study and break the cycle of poverty, irrespective of how bright you are. But a charity scholarship program is trying to change that. In this episode of The Briefing, Katrina Blowers speaks to former foster care kid Ruby Sait about her journey to university.   Headlines: New migration strategy and foreign investor reform  Annastacia Palaszczuk’s last week as Queensland Premier  Royals release Christmas cards   Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kath Ebbs is an accidental influencer, they was scouted on Instagram when they were just 17 and since then has dominated the social media scene.  Kath is a queer artist and actor and they grew up on the internet and their relationship with social media like many of us has changed throughout the years.  In this chat with Helen Smith, Kath explains the importance of pronouns, how we can make the film industry more inclusive and the impact social media has had on their body image.  Weekend list: Everyone and Everything by Nadine J Cohen Easy Red Pesto Gnocchi Antoinette’s ethnic mother cooking hack Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones audiobook by James Clear  Send us your Weekend List suggestions on Instagram at @thebriefingpodcast!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For those who celebrate Christmas, this time of year is sold to us as being all about togetherness, joy, gift giving and family – it's the most wonderful time of the year after all.  While we all love opening pressies and sitting down to a Christmas feast, there aren’t magical elves running around organising everything – it usually falls on the shoulders of women. Ask any woman in your life how long they’ve been thinking about all the things that have to be organised in the lead up to the festive season, plenty will tell you it’s been bubbling away in the back of their minds for months.  On today’s extra episode of The Briefing, hosts Sacha Barbour Gatt and Antoinette Lattouf are asking: why are women carrying most of the mental and physical load at Christmas? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission is cracking down on our online space. Two new reports flag major concerns when it comes to social media influencers disclosing advertising; and businesses commissioning and collating their own reviews. In this episode of The Briefing ACCC Acting Chair Catriona Lowe takes us through what we should be looking out for online. Headlines: New industrial relations reforms passed Heatwave hitting most of the countries east with temperatures in the 40s  Alan Jones lawyers issue defamation notice over assault claims  Scientists found a better way to grind coffee    Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.