Fifth Iranian woman rescinds asylum + The problems with our new porn laws

The 98th Academy Awards are underway. Hosted by TV presenter and comedian Conan O’Brien in Hollywood, they honour the best films from 2025.   In this special Oscars coverage from The Briefing team, we unpack the latest from the red carpet, the big winners and how the internet is reacting in real time.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monday Headlines: Four more Iranian soccer players give up asylum in Australia Gov expects inflation to rise, while facing pressure to send warship to Middle East New leader has little impact on Coalition’s polling Vape catches fire on Virgin Australia flight Queen Mary and King Frederik tour Uluru Further listening from the headlines: Is it unethical for us to read the lips of famous people? Deep Dive:Porn sites like Pornhub, RedTube and YouPorn have gone dark for Australians, not because they were banned, but in protest of our new age-verification rules.  The government says it’s about protecting kids from “lawful but awful” content, but it could mean handing over your ID, credit card, or even your face just to access parts of the internet.  In today’s deep dive, Chris Spyrou chats with Dr. Giselle Woodley from the School of Arts and Humanities at ECU about how teens are reacting to the new rules and how it’s not just them that could be pushed to very dark corners of the web as they come into effect.    Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting ahead in the workplace is something many Australians aspire to - but for a lot of women, the hurdles can be higher and more complex.   So, what does it really take to succeed at work? How do you ask for a pay rise or a promotion? And why do so many of us still hesitate to put ourselves forward for leadership roles?   In this bonus episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Helen McCabe, who left one of Australian media’s most coveted roles as editor of The Australian Women’s Weekly to launch her own business, Future Women - a platform dedicated to helping women grow their careers and leadership skills.  Read about Helen in the The Nighty On Leadership here  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Okine’s resume reads like that of a classic overachiever. He’s a comedian, actor, writer, podcaster and radio host, with Logie and ARIA award nominations and a critically acclaimed TV show to his name. But after doing just about everything in Australian media, he’s returning to where it all started - stand-up, for the first time in six years, with his new tour No. 10 Hope St, which touches on everything from family to failure and full-body ringworm. In this chat with Sacha Barbour Gatt, Matt debates dogs versus cats, reflects on going bald, and gets really candid about losing his mum when he was just 12.  Weekend list with Helen Smith Listener Kate TO WATCH: Beetlejuice  TO EAT: Bingsu dessert TO WATCH: Taskmaster UK series TO BUY: Mode Mischief  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a 17-year legal battle, Australian fashion designer Katie Perry has finally won her David vs Goliath fight with international popstar, Katy Perry.  In this episode, Katie recounts the moment it all began in 2009 -- celebrating the launch of her clothing label before opening a shocking cease-and-desist letter that threatened to shut down her business.   What followed was years of legal fights, emotional setbacks, and a roller-coaster court battle that stretched all the way to the High Court.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday Headlines: Australian officials told to leave Israel and the UAE Australian towns run out of fuel amid Middle East crisis Families of Chinese backpackers killed in Queensland floods to travel to Australia Grace Tame says she has no more speaking engagements, blames ‘smear campaign’  How much Super you need to retire 'comfortably' revealed The Pussycat Dolls are reuniting Further listening from the headlines: Will petrol hit $3 a litre?BONUS: Inside the life of the 'difficult' Grace Tame Deep Dive: Last week we brought you an inside look at all the drama surrounding the shock axing of the Kyle and Jackie O show.   After 25 years on air, it seemed the pair were no more ...    But in the week and a half since we covered the story, a LOT has changed.   In today’s deep dive, Sacha Barbour Gatt welcomes industry insider Craig Bruce back to The Briefing to discuss all the latest developments on the Kyle and Jackie O saga, and answer the question: is this just a massive publicity stunt? Last week's deep dive: 'Inside the Kyle & Jackie no show'  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can gamble on anything. Now you can even bet on the war in the Middle East. Concern is growing over a dangerous new form of prediction markets, where users are anonymous, and crypto is the only currency. There are even claims of insider trading, where players make billions betting on military strikes and a country's next move in a major war...  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Karoline Thomsen from UNSW to explain how this popular platform works and the dangerous fallout.  Headlines:  Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced an extra 100 million litres of fuel a month will be made available as concerns grow over Australia’s fuel supplies in the wake of the Middle East war Australian software giant, Atlassian, has confirmed it’s slashing 1600 jobs Former ASIO boss, Dennis Richardson, has abruptly resigned from the Royal Commission into Antisemitism Melbourne has been crowned the best city in the world Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thursday Headlines: Iran accuses Australia of hypocrisy and kidnapping footballers Ships targeted in the Strait of Hormuz  Protestors arrested for using banned pro-Palestinian phrase Calls for NAPLAN test to be scrapped after test outage Aussie city crowned the best in the world Further listening from the headlines:  THE BEEFING: Sydney vs Melbourne Deep Dive: Israel and the US’s war on Iran has seen missiles flying across the Gulf, regional powers drawn in and Australia now sending aircraft, weapons and personnel to the Middle East.  While Donald Trump is suggesting the conflict could end soon, many analysts warn the reality is far more complicated, and that the roots of this war stretch back decades, long before the latest strikes began.  In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with foreign policy expert Trita Parsi about the history shaping the conflict: from a CIA-backed coup in Iran in 1953 to the 1979 revolution, the rise of Iran’s regional alliances and why attempts to overthrow the regime have repeatedly failed.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nationals have been rocked by a shock leadership shake-up after the sudden resignation of David Littleproud, just weeks after he survived a leadership spill. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by The West Australian Canberra bureau chief, Katina Curtis. They discuss why Littleproud really stepped down, the role of the surging support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in reshaping the political landscape, and new Nationals leader Matt Canavan -- an outspoken figure now tasked with reviving the party as it faces internal unrest, defections, and declining support in key rural seats. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wednesday Headlines:  Iranian women footballers defected to Australia last night US warn today will be the most intense so far in Iran Nationals to choose new leader after Littleproud’s shock resignation Lululemon cops $700k + fine for spam emails Australia’s favourite toilet paper revealed Deep Dive: Digital price tags that can change instantly, smart trolleys that track what goes in your basket and cameras that are monitoring more than just shelves.   The modern supermarket is evolving quickly as major chains invest heavily in automation, AI and data-driven systems designed to make shopping faster and more efficient. But while many of these changes promise convenience for customers, they also raise important questions about privacy, pricing and the growing power of Australia’s supermarket giants.  In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt and Chris Spyrou dig into some of the tech quietly reshaping our supermarket aisles and what it could mean for the future of shopping.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.