- 23 minutes 50 secondsForced quarantine returns to Aus + Should GPs be diagnosing ADHD?
Tuesday Headlines:
- Aussies on hantavirus cruise ship board flight back home
- Pauline Hanson says she’ll ‘never ever’ give Coalition a preference deal again
- Police find body believed to be Lake Cargelligo triple murderer
- Alleged white house dinner shooter pleads not guilty
- Trump says Iran ceasefire on 'life support'
- Dua Lipa sues Samsung
Deep Dive: Australia is on the brink of a major shift in ADHD care, with GPs across the country now able, or soon to be able, to diagnose the condition for the first time.
But questions remain about whether the system is ready to do it well.Prescription rates have surged elevenfold in 20 years, access has long been unequal across regions, and each state is rolling out its own rules with little consistency in training requirements or funding.
In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Leanne Maskell - author, ADHD and autism advocate, founder of ADHD Works, and adviser to Australian state governments on this rollout- to explain what getting this right actually looks like in practice, and what's at stake if it goes wrong.
Further listening from the headlines:
Our chat with Pauline HansonFollow The Briefing:
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11 May 2026, 8:19 pm - 16 minutes 45 secondsOur chat with Pauline Hanson + Delta’s Eurovision mission
Headlines:
- One Nation aims for Western Sydney next, says Barnaby Joyce
- Media boss Catalano faces court over assault allegations
- Trump calls Iran peace plan “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”
- Australian pharmaceutical giant CSL suffers 17pc one-day drop
- Delta Goodrem walks the ‘turquoise carpet’ for Eurovision
Deep Dive:
Pauline Hanson joins Natarsha Belling for a conversation about the wipeout election in Farrer. One Nation won its first lower house seat in the federal parliament, and is already aiming for more. How does Hanson feel about the Liberal Party? Should Australians trust someone who has been to prison? Are her supporters racist? Senator Pauline Hanson responds.
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11 May 2026, 6:03 am - 24 minutesPauline Hanson’s warning after historic win + The truth about the flu jab
Monday Headlines:
- Coalition leadership questions after Farrer by-election loss to One Nation
- Melbourne ‘ISIS brides’ to apply for bail
- Aussies stuck on hantavirus ship set to fly home tomorrow
- Woman charged after allegedly making antisemitic comments at junior netball game
- Best place to live in Australia revealed
Deep Dive: As we head into winter, Australians are being told the same thing: get your flu jab.
But how much do we know about the vaccine we’re encouraged to get every single year? And how effective is it really?
The science behind the flu jab is more nuanced than the public messaging often suggests - and that’s something infectious disease expert Professor Peter Collignon thinks we need to talk about more honestly.
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with the ANU Medical School professor, physician and microbiologist about how the flu spreads, who benefits most from vaccination, and whether public health messaging around the flu shot has become too simplistic.
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10 May 2026, 8:15 pm - 11 minutes 44 secondsBONUS: The other side of Mother's Day
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.
Research shows more than 1 million women lose their mums before the age of 44. 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?
In this rewind episode of The Briefing, we talk to Danielle Snelling – the Co-Founder of Motherless Daughters Australia to find out.
If this episode has raised any issues for you, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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9 May 2026, 8:00 pm - 57 secondsBREAKING: One Nation's David Farley wins Farrer by-election
Multiple outlets project he will claim the victory over Independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe.
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9 May 2026, 10:24 am - 35 minutes 25 secondsDasha on Dolly Parton, a billion streams & prison fans
Imagine writing a song in just a couple of hours that ends up with over a billion streams on Spotify, making you the second solo female country artist in history to hit that milestone. That's the story of Dasha.
The country artist freestyled the now viral line 'did your boots stop workin'?' and it changed her career trajectory - earning her fans from Australia to Europe, and even inside prison walls.
Dasha is rewriting what it means to be a woman in country music as she does shooeys for the crowd and follows the lead of the great Dolly Parton on how to break every rule with a smile.
In this chat with Helen Smith, Dasha opens up about navigating overnight success, what she learned about gut instinct and trusting yourself and why she believes the girls are officially taking country back.
Weekend list with The Briefing Mums and Helen Smith
- Helen's Mum: French toast!
- Jade's Mum: Frozen Portuguese Tarts from Aldi
- Sacha's Mum: The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
- Kurt's Mum: Kick your shoes off, be in the moment and do something you love
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8 May 2026, 5:00 pm - 20 minutes 8 secondsUS and Iran exchange fire + Inside the hunt for Dezi Freeman
Headlines:
- Renewed fighting in the Strait of Hormuz
- NT announces review into child protection system
- Julie Bishop resigns as ANU Chancellor
- ‘ISIS brides’ charged, and are set to apply for bail on Monday
- More budget announcements: $3.8bn for Melbourne’s rail project
- ... and talk of a French Open boycott
Deep Dive:
Months after Dezi Freeman escaped into the bush after killing two police officers, nobody was sure if he was even still alive. One journalist, Cassie Zervos, followed the case even as the trail went cold. Then, months into the hunt, Zervos received two text messages from her police contacts: “DF found”, and “DF dead”.
In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Cassie Zervos to talk about the search for Freeman, and the speculation about how he might have survived on the run for so long.
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8 May 2026, 6:04 am - 26 minutes 38 secondsBehind the scenes with David Attenborough + ‘ISIS brides’ arrested
Friday Headlines:
- ‘ISIS Brides’ arrested and expected to face court today
- Vigils held across the country to honour five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby
- WHO assures the world hantavirus outbreak isn’t the next Covid
- Man arrested after allegedly threatening former Prince Andrew with a weapon
- Parasitic wasp named after David Attenborough for his 100th birthday
Deep Dive: David Attenborough is 100 today, and to celebrate a century of extraordinary storytelling and wildlife filmmaking, we’re taking a look back on his career.
From the accidental presenter of Zoo Quest in the 1950s, to the most trusted voice in the natural world, he’s also received two knighthoods, has had 30 species named after him, and is a fierce advocate for action on climate change.
In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by science broadcaster, journalist, and longtime host of ABC RN's The Science Show, Robyn Williams AO, who has known and worked alongside Sir David for decades, to discuss the documentarian’s incredible life.
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7 May 2026, 8:17 pm - 17 minutes 4 secondsMassive education data breach + Who’s going to win Farrer?
Headlines:
- ‘ISIS brides’ and children landing around 5:30pm AEST
- Education platform Canvas hit by global data breach, with Aussies affected
- Apparent Epstein suicide note is unsealed
- Melbourne reverses course on Fed Square FIFA matches
- ... and French professor investigated for awarding fake prize to himself
Deep Dive:
When the Liberal Party dumped Sussan Ley as leader, they inadvertently set up a direct challenge with One Nation. Ley’s old seat of Farrer is going to a by-election this weekend, and One Nation is aiming to win its first seat in the House of Representatives. The Liberal candidate isn’t even a frontrunner; instead, the competition is between the independent Michelle Milthorpe and One Nation's candidate David Farley. Is One Nation about to become an existential risk to the Coalition?
In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Tony Barry, an expert political consultant from the Redbridge Group.
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7 May 2026, 6:08 am - 23 minutes 12 secondsIcy blast hits millions of Aussies + Wtf is a critical mineral?
Thursday Headlines:
- US-Iran deal could be closed soon
- Deadly hantavirus outbreak spreads to Europe
- Three states to cop snow in cold snap
- Legal warnings as One Nation backs Ben Roberts-Smith
- One Nation volunteer clashes with Liberal senator James Paterson
- Public FIFA screenings banned in Melbourne ahead of the World Cup
Deep Dive: Critical minerals are being sold as the backbone of Australia’s future, and right now, countries around the world are scrambling to secure them.
But what exactly are they? Why have they become such a major economic and national security priority? And what does Australia, a country built on digging things up and shipping them overseas, stand to gain?
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Professor in Global Governance at the University of Sydney Susan Park to unpack it all.Follow The Briefing:
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6 May 2026, 8:25 pm - 14 minutes 43 seconds'ISIS brides' returning to Aus + Should we be worried about hantavirus?
Headlines:
- Police investigate swastika wearer outside Royal Commission
- Three NT child workers stood down over Kumanjayi Little Baby case
- Islamic State wives and children book return to Australia
- Fuel update: $10bn in budget for fuel security
- Trump steps back Hormuz hostilities, pauses Project Freedom
- ... and the Pope calls customer support
Deep Dive:
There's a cruise ship off Africa that’s infected with hantavirus – but what exactly is hantavirus? How does it spread? Should we be worried about this disease?
In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Professor Meru Sheel, an epidemiologist from The University of Sydney, to get the facts about hantavirus.
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6 May 2026, 6:09 am - More Episodes? Get the App