The Daily Aus

Today's headlines include:

• Fresh polling has once again suggested that Pauline Hanson's One Nation is the most popular party in Australia. 
• Former Australian of the Year and pioneering melanoma researcher Professor Richard Scolyer has died, aged 59.
• Israel has struck military targets in western ‌and central Iran, despite reports that U.S. President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrai...

Australia’s online safety regulator received more than 3,300 reports of sexual extortion last year, with young men the most targeted group.

‘Sextortion’ is a form of online blackmail and sexual abuse, which experts warn is growing rapidly in scale and sophistication, partly due to generative AI. eSafety is now “turning the tables” on scammers by using AI itself for a new campaign.

To talk us throu...

Today's headlines include:

• A Melbourne teenager who allegedly attempted to hijack a plane may become the first child in Victoria to face trial on terror charges.
• Australians lost almost a quarter of a billion dollars to scams in the first three months of 2026, according to new data released by the ACCC's National Anti-Scam Centre. 
• Chinese President ‌Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong-un for ...

Over the last week or so, you may have seen news coverage or social media posts about a lawsuit from outdoor gear brand Patagonia against a drag queen named Pattie Gonia. 

Patagonia alleges Pattie (real name Wyn Wiley) is infringing on its trademark. Pattie says Patagonia is trying to “erase her advocacy”. 

In today’s episode, we’ll unpack this very full hiking backpack and give you a little lesson...

Today's headlines include:

• The NSW Government will introduce laws to scrap automatic drug-driving penalties for some medicinal cannabis users.
• The Federal Government's tax bill, which includes limiting negative gearing and removing the 50% capital gains tax discount, has passed the House of Representatives. 
• NASA has announced the end of its MAVEN spacecraft mission after losing contact with the robotic probe six months a...

Everywhere we turn, it seems like there’s talk of housing prices, the housing crisis and what’s actually going on.

This week, we received the latest figures on house prices across the country, and the stats included the fact that housing prices have actually gone DOWN in some cities. 

In today’s podcast, we’re going to unpack these figures, what’s behind the slowdown and what they mean for the bro...

Today's headlines include:

• Economic growth slowed to 0.3% in the first three months of the year, down from 0.9% growth in December. 
• The newly elected leader of the Solomon Islands has pushed for closer ties with Australia during a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra.
• The Trump administration is threatening to impose more import tariffs on at least 60 countries, including Australia. 
• And today&rs...

Can you sue a chatbot for helping a murderer? A first of its kind legal battle surrounding OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is unfolding in the U.S. state of Florida.

The suit claims the company and its CEO failed to warn users that ChatGPT could be dangerous. This case and other related ongoing action raise the same question: If AI helps someone plan a killing, who is actually responsible?

We’ll unpack everything you need...

Today's headlines include:

• Australia has recorded its first trade deficit in almost nine years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
• Lebanon has announced ‌a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.
• Victoria’s Youth Minister has apologised for providing character references for two men who had been convicted of domestic violence and sexual assault while they were appealing decisions about their a...

The HECS debts of around three million Australians went up by 2.8% this week. The system has undergone plenty of change in recent years, but one question remains the same: Why do debts rise on 1 June, and is the system doing what it's supposed to? Today we're going to explain what just happened, what it means given the changes the government has already made, and why the timing of this annual increase is still being debated.

Hosts:...

Today's headlines include:

• A woman accused of travelling to Syria to join ISIS has renounced the terror group, her lawyer says.
• A NSW coroner has made recommendations to prevent children being left in hot cars following two deaths in the state.
• The U.S. military says it has bombed Iranian military control sites after Tehran shot down an American drone.
• And today’s good news: A new study has found that chimpanzees and bon...

In case you missed it, the Federal Government has launched its largest ever court case against a company… and it’s all to do with forever chemicals.

The landmark $2 billion case deals with concerns around how forever chemicals impact local environments and the health of Australians that have existed for decades. 

So what even are forever chemicals? We’ll tell you what you need to know in today’s podcas...

Today, we're cutting through one of the most confusing conversations young women are navigating right now — fertility testing. There's more information about fertility testing available than ever before. There's also more misinformation. Today, we're working out which is which — and what it actually means for you.

To help us navigate this topic, we're joined by Dr Tessa Copp, a researcher at the University of Sydney who...

Today's headlines include: 

• An appeal date has been set for convicted mushroom murderer Erin Patterson, who was sentenced to 33-years behind bars without parole in September.
• The consumer watchdog has launched a landmark lawsuit against Amazon over button battery safety breaches.
• A group working to rescue seven people trapped ‌in a cave in Laos says more oxygen ‌tanks will be needed to complete the mission.
• And ...

Until the moment five villagers stuck in a flooded cave for more than a week were rescued, the group had no idea a rescue mission was even afoot.

It's a story with echoes of the famous Thai cave rescue of 2018 - and in fact, some of the same divers are involved. Today, we're taking you through what happened and where things stand. 

Hosts: Sam Koslowski and Billi FitzSimons
Producer: Rosa Bowden

Today's podcast was sponsored...

Today's headlines include: 

• A woman accused of joining ISIS has been charged with terrorism offences, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) has confirmed.
• The U.S. military has carried out new strikes in Iran targeting a military site that officials believe posed a threat to American ‌forces and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to an anonymous U.S. official speaking to Reuters.
• The World Meteorol...

There’s a common saying that there’s nothing certain in this world except death and taxes, and so today, we’re taking it one step further and talking about a death tax. That’s right. You might’ve heard the term ‘death tax’ in the news lately amid discussion on the Federal budget. 

In today’s podcast, we’re going to explain the proposed changes, which mean discretionary trus...

Today's headlines include:

• Annual inflation slowed to 4.2% in April after reaching a three-year-high of 4.6% in March, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
• Russia's ambassador to Australia has been called to the Department of Foreign Affairs to explain his country's most recent threats to Ukraine.
• Former President Joe Biden has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice, seeking to ...

The Enhanced Games, described by some as the Steroid Olympics, promised to shatter world records and redefine sport. Instead, a clean swimmer beat doped athletes, and Australia's biggest name finished last.

Today we’ll recap how we got here, and break down what actually happened at this week’s inaugural games in Vegas.

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Hosts: Emma Gillespie and Billi FitzSimons
Producer: Ro...