How you can help Australians doing it tough this festive season

It’s Christmas day! And while it’s often seen as a time of joy and togetherness for many Australians, it can also be a period of deep hardship.  With the cost-of-living crisis and record rental and housing prices putting unprecedented pressure on Australians, more people are experiencing homelessness.   In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Ben Kharblas, Deputy CEO of Mission Australia, who explains what Christmas looks like for someone experiencing homelessness, why loneliness and mental health challenges spike over the holiday season and how you can help.   Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wednesday Headlines: Anthony Albanese has delivered his official Christmas message to Australians, Canterbury-Bankstown Council shuts down prayer hall linked to Naveed Akram, and Aussies expected to spend nearly 4 Billion dollars this Christmas. Deep Dive: The Christmas break often brings families together and with that can come awkward, uncomfortable, or even confronting conversations.  From navigating tense dynamics with relatives you’d rather avoid to responding to racist or misogynistic comments at the dinner table, these moments can be hard to handle in the heat of the moment.  In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Carly Dober, Director of the Australian Association of Psychologists, about why these conversations tend to surface during the holidays and how to tackle an unwanted comment thrown your way.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tuesday Headlines: 3/4's of Australians want tougher gun laws, Britain wants to follow our under 16 social media ban, New warnings to keep Christmas snacks away from pets. Deep Dive: Australia has recorded one of its worst road tolls on record this year. New data from the National Road Safety Hub shows 1,340 people died on our roads across the country in the 12 months to July 2025.  In this episode, we’re joined by the NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison, who explains why the death toll is so high and her important message for every driver this holiday season.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monday Headlines: Albo booed at Bondi memorial a week after terror attack with his approval rating plunging, Red Cross see a spike in blood donations, and Interest rates likely to go up twice in 2026. Deep Dive: Christmas leftovers are often one of the best parts of the holidays, but they can also make you wonder, is this still safe to eat?  Every year, hospital emergency departments across Australia see a spike in food poisoning cases over the Christmas and New Year period, often linked to improperly stored leftovers.  In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by food technologist Cheryl Hughes from Facts on Food who explains how to safely store, freeze and reheat leftovers, what the ‘sniff test’ can tell you and how to avoid getting sick while still making the most of your festive food.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For centuries, Christmas at the White House has been the gold standard of tradition with elaborate gingerbread houses and classic spruce trees. But for Melania Trump, the festive season sparked something else entirely: a meme jackpot of controversy online, leaked audio and public backlash.  In this episode of The Beefing, Helen Smith unpacks the most chaotic holiday in the White House, from the infamous ‘blood-red’ trees to the secret 2018 recording where the First Lady famously asked, ‘Who gives a f*** about Christmas stuff?’  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phoebe Santillan-Stocks has spoken to some of the most powerful right hands in the world - the people operating just out of sight, shaping history from behind the scenes. The founder of Missing Perspectives and author of The Right Hand, explores what it’s really like to be a chief of staff or adviser to global leaders from Nelson Mandela to Jacinda Ardern and even Kamala Harris.  In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Phoebe Santillan-Stocks shares what she learned by asking big questions in her twenties, why she’s driven to amplify overlooked voices, and the lessons that stayed with her long after the interviews ended. Take part in The Briefing survey HERE.  Weekend list with Helen Smith TO EAT: Panettone tiramisu TO EAT: Fruit kebabs  TO DO: Ette Media Live Show tickets here TO DO: Gift an experience over a material item Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of Australians turned out this morning for an emotional paddle out at Bondi Beach, with a powerful message of healing, unity and hope just five days after Australia's worst terror attack.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by one of the organisers and members of the Bondi Jewish community, David Solsky, who explains why today was an important step forward. Headlines: The Prime Minister has announced the federal government will launch a new national gun buyback scheme, the NSW Government has announced the details of its gun reform legislation, and Bondi hero, Ahmed al-Ahmed, has been presented with a cheque for more than $2.5 million in hospital.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday Headlines: Anthony Albanese facing increasing anger from Bondi victims' families, heavily armed tactical police arrest seven men in Sydney’s southwest, migrant intake hits three-year low, Australia facing storms and heatwaves today as Christmas Day forecast drops and our fav stories of 2025! Take part in The Briefing survey HERE.  Deep Dive: Australia has a long track record of world-changing research, from Wi-Fi to the bionic ear, and now one Melbourne academic thinks the next frontier might be in comedic robots.   University of Melbourne researcher Dr Robert Walton has received more than half a million dollars in public funding to explore whether AI and robots can perform believable comedy, and what it can teach us about humour and human-machine interaction.   In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Dr Walton about what this research could mean far beyond the stage.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NSW Premier has announced a major overhaul of gun laws in the wake of the Bondi Terror attack. We unpack the proposed changes as the rates of gun ownership soar across the country.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Rod Campbell, a gun ownership researcher at the Australia Institute, to discuss why this overhaul is needed and how governments have become too complacent about the number of weapons in our community.  Headlines: The Prime Minister has announced tougher hate-speech laws targeting preachers who promote violence,  Optus has released a damning review into September’s network outage, and the son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner has appeared in court for the first time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thursday Headlines: Charges laid in Bondi Beach terror attack, pressure mounts on Anthony Albanese in the wake of the Bondi attack, teens clash with police on popular beach after storming Melbourne supermarket, search history of some Pornhub users hacked and the first trailer of Melania Trump’s Amazon doco is here. Take part in The Briefing survey HERE.  Deep Dive: Does it count as cheating if it’s with AI?  A recent YouGov survey found one in seven adult Australians could imagine falling in love with a chatbot, with one in six preferring to stay home and talk with it over going out with friends.   In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Raffaele Ciriello an expert in AI companions from The University of Sydney to discuss how worried we should be about AI relationships, romantic or not. Further listening from headlines: How the Philippines became a terrorist training ground Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.