Victoria’s bushfires turn deadly + Is bulk billing bouncing back?

Monday Headlines: Victoria’s bushfires turn deadly, thousands turn out for vigil one month on from Bondi attack, Iran promises retaliation if US intervenes over anti-government protests, board members of Adelaide Writers’ festival resign, and the Australian Open kicks off today! Deep Dive: A big Medicare promise dominated last year’s election campaign - with the government promising more funding, higher bulk-billing rates, and cheaper GP visits for families.   Health officials warned it could take years to see real change, but new data suggests the impact may already be showing.   In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Cleanbill CEO James Gillespie about what’s actually changed since the Medicare reforms rolled out and whether it’s helping or hindering.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah is back in the headlines after being removed from the Adelaide Writers’ Week 2026 program in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. Festival organisers say the decision wasn’t about linking Randa or her work to the attack, but about concerns that, based on her past public statements, her appearance could be culturally insensitive at this time. Randa has strongly rejected that explanation, accusing the festival of anti-Palestinian racism, censorship, and of trying to associate her with the Bondi massacre. Dozens of high-profile authors, including Zadie Smith, Helen Garner, Hannah Ferguson and Peter Greste, have pulled out of the festival in solidarity. In this episode, we revisit Antoinette Lattouf’s conversation with Randa on The Weekend Briefing, where she spoke candidly about a similar controversy at the Bendigo Writers Festival, the personal cost of sustained public attacks, and what it’s like to keep speaking out amid public scrutiny. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rachel Perkins is one of Australia’s most formidable directors, whose work has reshaped how this country tells its own story. A powerhouse of Indigenous storytelling, Perkins has spent decades bringing truth to the screen where silence once stood. The Indigenous filmmakers latest project, The Australian Wars, tells the true story about the bloody battles fought to establish a nation from both perspectives of the coloniser and colonised - challenging the myths many Australians were taught to accept. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Rachel shares why she co-chaired the Yes campaign, her career forged through purpose rather than permission and how she found her way back to creative work when hope felt fragile. Weekend list with Helen Smith and Chris Spyrou TO WATCH: Stranger Things season 5 TO READ: Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men TO EAT: Paprika and fish TO DO: Create a collaborative note in the notes app Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Firefighters are currently battling two emergency-level blazes in central Victoria, where homes have already been destroyed and three people, including a child, remain missing. These are the worst conditions the country has faced since the deadly Black Summer fires that tore through Victoria in 2019 and 2020. Experts warn that, without urgent action, our risk of more frequent and devastating fires will only increase. In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy is joined by climate criminologist and Director of the Future Emergency Resilience Network, Dr Paul Read.  Headlines: Queenslanders have been told to prepare for the high chance of a tropical cyclone, US Federal Immigration agents have shot two people in Portland, and one of Australia’s deadliest spiders could soon be saving lives.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday Headlines: Firefighters bracing for ‘a very bad day’ as heat engulfs parts of Australia,  Jewish groups welcome PM’s announcement of a Royal Commission, Trump defends ICE agents who killed US Citizen Renee Nicole Macklin Good, authors boycott Adelaide Writers' Week after pro-Palestine advocate Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah removal and Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA potentially found on artwork. Deep Dive: The rules of the music industry are shifting again, and in 2025, the balance of power seemed to tilt towards artists.  Some experiments paid off and opened new ways for fans to connect - from Justin Bieber livestreaming online to Charli XCX building direct channels with fans.  Others, however, exposed just how risky it can be to step outside industry norms.  In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with music journalist Sam Murphy about who’s really setting the rules and how that will shape the artists, sounds, and stories we hear in 2026.  Further listening: Randa Abdel-Fattah had her name written on a bomb Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After weeks of mounting pressure, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reversed his decision and announced a royal commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack that claimed 15 lives and left many injured. Former High Court justice Virginia Bell has been appointed to lead the inquiry, despite objections from prominent members of the Jewish community. In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy is joined by Associate Professor of public policy Deirdre O'Neill, who explains the unique powers of royal commissions, who leads them, what makes them effective, and whether this is the strongest path to answers, accountability, and prevention.  Headlines: A woman has been shot dead by a US ICE officer during an operation in Minneapolis, Australia is in the grip of its worst heatwave since Black Summer, with catastrophic fire conditions across parts of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales, and NASA has been forced to postpone its first spacewalk of 2026.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thursday Headlines: PM expected to announce Federal Royal Commission into the Bondi terrorism attack, US seizes Russian-flagged vessel linked to Venezuelan oil, thousands of Aussies hit with highly transmissible flu strain, Grok under investigation by Australia’s online safety watchdog over deepfakes, and Warner Bros rejects ‘inadequate’ $160bn Paramount bid. Deep Dive: In 2025, the architects of artificial intelligence were named Time’s Person of the Year - making the question no longer whether AI will shape our future, but how fast and on whose terms.  What started in our feeds is now reshaping classrooms, the economy and the physical world around us - with massive AI data centres now being built in Australia.  In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Toby Walsh, Chief Scientist at the UNSW AI Institute, to break down what to expect from the tech in 2026.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why does Donald Trump keep talking about Greenland, could the US really try to take it, and what does it all mean for Australia?  In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy is joined by defence and security expert, Jennifer Parker, who explains why Greenland has become such a fixation for the US president, and why this isn’t as unprecedented as it might sound. Jen explains the strategic value of the Arctic, the role of NATO and Denmark, and why Trump’s rhetoric is alarming key allies.   Headlines: US President Donald Trump says Venezuela will turn over at least 30 million barrels of oil to the US, inflation has slowed to 3.4 per cent, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has attended a Bondi terror attack victims' funeral for the first time. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wednesday Headlines: Multiple states on high alert amid forecasts not seen since Black Summer bushfires, Venezuelan opposition leader vows to return as the country cracks down on Maduro critics, Swiss ski bar not inspected for five years before deadly fire, and Tomorrowland's inching a little closer to Australia. Deep Dive: January is the rude awakening after the break - routines and alarms return, and exhaustion sets in fast.  Sleep is often the missing link, with the way we treat it affecting our energy levels, mood, and ability to retain information.   In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with neuroscience expert and host of Do You F*cking Mind, Alexis Fernandez-Preiksa, about what actually happens in the brain during sleep, why falling asleep can feel so hard and how small changes can reset your energy in 2026.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deposed Venezuelan authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have faced a New York court, pleading not guilty to multiple drug and weapons-related charges. Maduro’s lawyers are expected to argue his arrest was illegal, and he's immune from prosecution. In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy is joined by Colombian-born legal scholar Juan Zahir Naranjo Cáceres to unpack the latest developments.  Headlines: Senior Labor figures expect Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to back down on his opposition to a royal commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack, millions of Australians living on the outskirts of major cities could face bushfire risks similar to the deadly 2025 Los Angeles fires, and exciting news for Lego lovers.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.