It’s being labelled as a major diplomatic blunder by the Albanese government, with Papua New Guinea pulling out of signing a key defence treaty with Australia at the last minute. While the federal government was confident of sealing the deal, the dramatic turnaround has raised serious concerns over Australia’s security and diplomatic future in the critical Pacific Region.

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Pacific Islands diplomatic expert Mihai Sora to unpack why the failed treaty is a concerning setback for Australia and an important win for China.

Headlines: Several protestors have been arrested in England after projected images of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were displayed on a castle, hundreds of jobs are set to go in one of Queensland's biggest coal mines, the NSW Government has announced the biggest overhaul of planning laws in half a century, and Virgin Australia has launched its 'Pet in Cabin' flights.

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Wednesday Headlines: Murder charges laid against Charlie Kirk’s accused killer, terrorism offenses tossed for Luigi Mangione, former broadcaster Alan Jones facing more indecent assault charges, thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City as UN report finds Israel is committing genocide, White House labels Aussie journo ‘foreign fake news loser’, Albanese government to invest $1.1 billion in sustainable fuels, and Coachella’s 2026 lineup is here!

Deep Dive: Some of our big banks have announced mass redundancies over the last month, impacting thousands of Australians, and the ripple effects for productivity could last for years.

ANZ said they are cutting around 3,500 jobs over the next 12 months and since then are now facing a record $240 million penalty for widespread misconduct. NAB also announced they will be cutting more than 400 roles and hiring more employees overseas.

In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Swinburne law and corporate governance expert Helen Bird to explain what happens in mass redundancies and why they aren’t always about cost-cutting.

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Sunscreen is back in the spotlight, with groundbreaking new research showing a link between daily sunscreen use and vitamin D deficiency. Earlier this year, several sunscreen brands were pulled from shelves over conflicting SPF testing results. Now, new Australian research has shown sunscreen use can also affect our vitamin D levels.

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by the author of the study, Professor Rachel Neale, who unpacks the new findings and explains why we should still be using sunscreen.

Headlines: At least one person has been killed and 7 others have been injured after a gas leak at a Sydney restaurant, guidelines for the under-16 social media ban have been unveiled, and the chief executive of one of Australia’s biggest retail groups has been sacked over an alleged relationship with a senior staff member.

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