The Briefing

Good news! Your mobile phone isn’t giving you brain cancer! Decades of worry about radio waves travelling out of our phones and into our skulls have apparently been put to rest with a massive World Health Organisation review published today, finding zero link between mobile phone use and brain, head or neck cancer. However, different groups of scientists conducting different kinds of studies on mobile phone radiation and possible health effects have suggested the opposite previously – so how are most of us non-scientists meant to tell who’s right? Assistant Director of Health Impact Assessment at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency Ken Karipidis joins Bension Siebert on this episode of The Briefing to unpack the findings, and what we should take from them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The situation for women in Afghanistan right now is bleak. After retaking control of the country in August of 2021, the Taliban has wasted no time reinstating a raft of rules stripping away the rights of females. A week ago, a decree made it illegal for women to speak outside their homes. Alongside having to completely cover their bodies head-to-toe in thick fabric, they’re also banned from working and can’t look directly at men they aren’t related to by blood. Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are banned from attending school after completing the sixth grade. For activists and advocates, what’s happened since the Taliban came back into power is not surprising - but that doesn’t mean they’ve given up hope. On this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Shabnam Safa, a refugee advocate in Australia who here herself as an Afghani refugee, to hear what she thinks of the latest developments in the country. Headlines: Paralympics - Aussies have netted more gold Australian ambassador to Iran recalled after post supporting LGBTQIA+ community Two sailors have been rescued hundreds of kilometers offshore from Sydney Queen Camilla gives rare King Charles cancer update Follow The Briefing:TikTok: @listnrnewsroomInstagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroomFacebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom   More info on Afghanistan from Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/afghanistan-0  International campaigns:The End Gender Apartheid campaign is run by experts and advocates from Afghanistan and Iran. https://endgenderapartheid.today/  - https://www.instagram.com/endgenderapartheid.today/  Follow and support journalism in/from Afghanistan Rukhshana Media - a women-led online news agency for women and children in Afghanistan - https://rukhshana.com/en/  - https://www.instagram.com/rukhshanamedia/  KabulNow - https://kabulnow.com/  - https://www.instagram.com/kabulnow.af/  In Australia: Action for Afghanistan campaign by the Afghanistan-Australian Advocacy Network - https://www.actionforafghanistan.com.au/  - https://www.instagram.com/actionforafghanistan/ Australian Hazara Advocacy Network - https://www.hazaraadvocacynetwork.com.au/  - https://www.instagram.com/hazaraadvocacyau/?locale=kk-KZ&hl=af  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever found yourself endlessly scrolling through TikTok being bombarded with food reviews? Sometimes they appear organic, with creators hopping on a trend or trying a viral product for their followers. Other times, these creators are being paid by restaurants and cafes to plug their businesses or products. There are legal and ethical guidelines in place to stop this content from appearing organically in your feed – but why are they being so rarely followed, and even more rarely enforced? In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by TikTok lawyer Jahan Kalantar to find out exactly how online creators are sidestepping consumer laws and what more, if anything, can be done.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much of Israel’s economy ground to a halt overnight, during the country’s first major workers’ strike since the start of the war. The strike shut down Israel’s international airport and disrupted banks, manufacturing facilities, healthcare facilities and businesses, as Israelis expressed their anger over six Israeli captives of Hamas found dead in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political career has survived major demonstrations before, but could this strike finally force him to agree to a hostage swap deal and a ceasefire? On this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert is joined Dr Eyal Mayroz, a Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney to provide some insight into what impact it might have.  Headlines: Paralympics Update Britain is suspending dozens of weapons sales to Israel Wild weather wrap Famous Beluga whale found dead  Follow The Briefing:TikTok: @listnrnewsroomInstagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroomFacebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Renting in Australia can really suck. With winter over and the end of 2024 approaching, we’re heading towards peak moving season. Moving house can be one of life’s most stressful events – made even more stressful by the process of trying to get your bond back. In this two-part feature, The Briefing investigates the messy world of rental bonds. In Part Two, Bension Siebert speaks to Leanne Pilkington, President of the Real Estate Institute of Australia, on what the experience is like on the landlord and agent side of the bond system, and what she thinks might make the system fairer overall. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Renting in Australia can really suck. With winter over and the end of 2024 approaching, we’re heading towards peak moving season. Moving house can be one of life’s most stressful events – made even more stressful by the process of trying to get your bond back.  In this two-part feature, The Briefing looks into the messy world of rental bonds. In Part One, Bension Siebert speaks to CEO of the New South Wales Tenants’ Union Leo Patterson Ross on how to stop your landlord stealing your bond, and whether there’s a way to run this system that’s better for everyone. Headlines: Paralympics update Israeli military recovers bodies of six hostages in Gaza Australians advised to work from home due to wild weather  New survey asks Aussie teens what they want to be when they grow up Follow The Briefing:TikTok: @listnrnewsroomInstagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroomFacebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senator Fatima Payman first won office in 2022 and dominated headlines this year when she crossed the floor over Labor’s refusal to recognise a Palestinian state. Her life since then has been a self-described “whirlwind.” Fatima now sits as an independent, and in this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, she reveals the inner workings of the Albanese government that led to her resignation and whether she was prepared for the wave of bigotry and intense scrutiny she and her family experienced. Her story begins in Afghanistan in the 1990s where she and her family fled the Taliban to Pakistan, before starting a new life in Australia. As a proud and determined independent voice for Western Australia, Fatima is committed to breaking stereotypes, saying she is “more than a Muslim senator.” Weekend List TO BUY: Sticky grippy phone stickers TO DO: Bye-bye text messages and hello voice memos! TO TRY: Korean skincare TO WATCH: Fatima Payman on Australian Story See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a big week of debate over the 2026 census and a handful of questions that might – or might not – be added to it. This episode, we speak to one of the Labor MPs who rebelled against the Government’s decision to exclude questions about LGBTIQA+ Australians from the Census – and get his take on a partial backflip from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this morning.   Labor's Federal Member for the Melbourne seat of Macnamara, Josh Burns, joins Bension Siebert for this episode of The Briefing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The AFLW 2024 season kicks off today – but not everyone’s happy with the fixtures.  As the AFL works to manage the men’s finals being played alongside the start of the women’s game, fans and key stakeholders are asking why logistical confusion remains as the competition heads into its ninth season. Georgia Rajic is a sports commentator and reporter – on this bonus episode of The Briefing, she joins Helen Smith to unpack the complex start to the AFLW this year, where the competition is at almost a decade into running, and who looks set to top the ladder in 2024.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spring brings with it some pretty wonderful things; blooming flowers, warmer weather and longer days. But it also means another thing that can strike fear into the heart of nearly every Australian – magpie swooping season.  From August to October, the black and white birds are nesting, which means they’re feeling extra protective and have been known to fly at humans as they pass by their babies.  Today on The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt, self-confessed magpie lady, is joined by Sean Dooley, conservationist and birdwatcher with Birdlife Australia, to break down the facts and myths around these fabulous birds, and encourage you to think differently about them this swooping season. Headlines: All the action from day one of The Paralympics  Israeli forces have carried out raids in the West bank for a second day in a row Labor party under fire for census   ABS Data shows more women than men in Australia Follow The Briefing:TikTok: @listnrnewsroomInstagram: @listnrnewsroom @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroomFacebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.