Mass school walkout over Hanson + How sex work saved Bension’s career

**Sacha Barbour Gatt** (0:08)
Hey, Sacha Barbour Gatt with you. Welcome to The Briefing. Say the words, sex work out loud, and something springs to mind for most of us. A thought, a judgment, maybe even a price. For most people, that's where it ends. But for one former host of this podcast, it's the very thing he says saved his journalism career.

**Bension Siebert** (0:25)
When I did this first booking, it was kind of a very strange experience. I guess I dissociated a little bit. But when I finished that booking and I had $600 in my pocket and it was okay, you know, I was kind of surprised that it was okay.
I thought, well, maybe I can do this.

**Sacha Barbour Gatt** (0:49)
That chat with Bension Siebert and why he turned to sex work to fund his investigations is coming up in the second half of this episode. First, let's get into the headlines with Chris Spyrou. It is Thursday the 13th of August.

**Chris Spyrou** (1:03)
Morning Sacha. Thousands of Aussie school kids are planning to stage a mass protest today against Pauline Hanson and the rise of the far right. The Students Say No to Hanson event has planned rallies across the capital cities today, as well as Newcastle and Wollongong, with both high school and uni students to walk out of the classroom and march into their local CBD.

**Sacha Barbour Gatt** (1:23)
Now, the protest has drawn criticism from the Federal Education Minister Jason Clare, who says he wants kids at school and learning during the week, but they're free to do as they wish on the weekends. One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has also weighed in, claiming it was socialist left-wing teachers that have encouraged students to march. Someone who is in favour of the protest, though, is Green Senator Maureen Faruqi.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:45)
You're telling me that the far right is on the rise, that you're sick of One Nation's racist, sexist, anti-worker and divisive politics, and want to join thousands of students on Thursday 13th August in a protest around the country. And you want my permission?
Of course, hope you've made a big sign. Have fun.

**Chris Spyrou** (2:05)
Oh, that's, it's this reoccurring thing that Maureen Faruqi does where people come to her in this fictional scenario with a permission slip that she goes on to sign. So that's what she's doing there. Sticking with One Nation, a bizarre comment from Barnaby Joyce yesterday, and it's nothing to do with the protest.

**Sacha Barbour Gatt** (2:22)
I don't want to say it, but I think we're one of the gayest parties in Australia.

**Chris Spyrou** (2:25)
Yes, he says that One Nation, he thinks One Nation is one of the gayest parties in Australia. That was him on ABC's afternoon briefing program yesterday on the ABC. In relation to criticism about homophobic comments made by one of the party's failed WA candidates, Perminda Singh, he went on to say One Nation has quite a large proportion of gay people, and that the comments made by Singh were highly offensive. Interestingly, we've been asking you listening to reach out to us if you're a One Nation supporter.
There was a listener not too long ago who reached out to us who said that he openly identifies as gay and is a One Nation supporter. He goes, I know that I don't fit the stereotype, and he had a lot of insights to offer, so we're continuing to talk to him as well. If that call out still exists for everyone else, if you feel like you don't fit the stereotype of a typical One Nation voter, get in touch with us at The Briefing podcast on Instagram.

**Sacha Barbour Gatt** (3:20)
Overseas now, and to Indonesia, where a young woman has died and more than 200 people have been rescued from the water after a ferry travelling from Bali burst into flames. The fire tore through the boat just after 4.30am local time on Wednesday, and as understood, two Australians were among those who grabbed the life jackets and jumped, one saying he spent hours in the water waiting to be rescued.

**Chris Spyrou** (3:42)
Bigger flames I got on here, the fire. Mass big, and then everyone panicked and just ripped the life jacket.

**SPEAKER_4** (3:50)
No lifeboats. Four hours I think.

**Sacha Barbour Gatt** (3:59)
That was James Scooth speaking there, and that audio was thanks to Seven.

**Chris Spyrou** (4:02)
The ferry had left Bali's main public terminal and was bound for the popular tourist island of Lombok. It was loaded with 44 vehicles and 53 motorbikes, and survivors say that's where they believe the fire started. Rescue crews were alerted about half an hour in with videos showing passengers in life jackets crammed onto an inflatable raft in choppy seas as thick black smoke poured from the ferry.