Driverless cars. Would you climb into an autonomous vehicle?

For over half a century, the US and Australia have operated Pine Gap - a joint top-secret spy base at Alice Springs in the heart of outback Australia Today, concern is mounting that spies at Pine Gap may be eavesdropping on the Middle East and passing critical information on to the Israeli Defence Force. This would mean Australia is playing a role in the conflict, raising serious questions about the public’s right to know how our land, resources and geographical advantage is being deployed, especially when it makes us a nuclear target for foreign powers. Today we’re joined by Alice Springs journalist Alexandra Barwick, host of new ABC podcast Spies in the Outback, to assess the evidence and get a local perspective. Headlines: Sydney council reverses same sex parent book ban Slovakia PM shot in assassination attempt  Labor senator breaks ranks to label Israel’s war in Gaza genocide Gina Rinehart has demanded the National Gallery of Australia remove a portrait of her   Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you take a gulp of bottled Mt Franklin spring water, you might imagine it comes from a pristine and abundant water source in an exotic wilderness location.  But In reality, Coca-Cola has been legally pumping groundwater for free out of a bore on the outskirts of Perth in WA to sell as bottled water for 32 years.  And now residents have had enough. They’re worried about the amount of water being extracted without obvious oversight in a region that’s drying out and prone to fire. WA Water Minister Simone McGurk talks to Simon Beaton about what she's doing to hold Coca-Cola to account.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.    Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Keiynan Lonsdale grew up in Sydney’s Western suburbs, with 11 siblings and a dream to make it in Hollywood. From the small screen with shows like ABC’s dance academy to the big screen with Love Simon – he’s ticking off his bucket list. Now after being in the music industry for 16 years Keiynan is embarking on his first headline tour. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Keiynan breaks down his latest role in SBS a Swift Street and what it was like to come out on Instagram. You can find a Swift Street on SBS on demand here WEEKEND LIST TO EAT - Eggplant and meatball pasta from Antoinette's adopted Nonna TO WATCH - Unfrosted on Netflix TO EAT - Deconstructed sushi bowls TO LISTEN - Any soundtrack from Lin-Manuel Miranda See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year marks the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. Starting out as an expression of unity and goodwill after WWII and a technical experiment to create a live televised music competition across so many borders, Eurovision now features 37 countries, including Australia.  So what happened with our entry for this year? And what else has been most controversial throughout the competition?  In this episode, Bension Siebert and Chris Spyrou unpack the history, the scandals, and what’s been most topical so far in this year’s Eurovision event. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.