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Helping you figure out all the big stuff in life: relationships, health, money, work and the world. Let's talk! With trusted experts and your stories, Life Matters is all about what matters to you.
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A private college in Queensland has issued a list of banned hairstyles to its students ahead of the new school year, begging the age-old question: where does a uniform end and the student's self-expression begin?One researcher who's combed through the data from 50 Queensland schools explains how policies around hair reinforce power dynamics, gender stereotypes and cultural norms.
Conversations about masculinity are often heavy. We know how the rise of harmful content online amplifies violent misogyny, and how stereotypes contribute to heightened risk of isolation, loneliness and suicide among young men.But it can sometimes feel like the message boys hear is not just that there is a problem, but that they are the problem.So a group of educators and researchers have come together to talk about the idea of re-imagining boyhood — taking it back to basics to figure out how we can better prepare the next generation.
If you think of an aged care home, you're probably picturing silver hair and wise old faces – not teenagers.But one aged care home on the New South Wales central coast is bucking the trend, with a number of fresh high school graduates on their staff.For an industry that's struggled to find workers, they say this untapped workforce is not only helping fill roles but also bringing some youthful energy to the home.So could a younger workforce help staff our aged care homes?
There's something about the start of a new year that invites you to stop and reflect.Once the holidays are over and life settles back into routine, issues you've been avoiding can have a way of resurfacing – especially in relationships.So it may not come as a huge surprise that January is a peak time for separations.But if the new year has you reassessing your relationship, how can you tell whether it's a rough patch worth working through, or a sign it's time to part ways?
From the desks we work at, to the places we retreat to at the end of the day, the spaces around us quietly shape how we feel, how we live, and how we connect with each other.Good design isn't just about looks – it's about comfort, dignity, possibility, and the way a space can hold us, support us, even change us.So at a time when so many Australians are struggling to find four walls to call home, what can design teach us about building homes and communities that truly meet people's needs?
What was happening in your life in 2016?There's a viral trend asking us to look back at who we were a decade ago. Old photos. Old haircuts. Old versions of ourselves we'd maybe forgotten about.But was 2016 really that good? When we look back at the person we used to be, how reliable are the stories we tell ourselves about who we were and who we've become?
Volunteering is all about inclusion but what happens when you manage the volunteer roster and your fellow parents aren't happy about a particularly nit-picky volunteering grandma?The Aunties are here to help!
What was happening in your life in 2016?There's a viral trend asking us to look back at who we were a decade ago. Old photos. Old haircuts. Old versions of ourselves we'd maybe forgotten about.But was 2016 really that good? When we look back at the person we used to be, how reliable are the stories we tell ourselves about who we were and who we've become?
Have you considered taking up rollerskating? What about pickleball? Aqua aerobics? Whatever it might be, trying something new to get your body moving could be really good for you.A Harvard University study following 111,000 people over three decades has found that mixing up the types of exercise you do can significantly reduce the risk of early death.
If you're counting down the days to retirement, it could be further away than you think. Recent data suggests almost one in five Australians have postponed retirement or re-entered the work force in the past two years.For some, returning to work is a way to stay engaged, but for a growing number of Australians there's simply not enough in their nest egg to retire when and how they'd like.
Have you tried typing your name into an online search engine?It can be surprising what shows up – and even harder to figure out how to control or clean up the digital footprint you leave online.So is it even possible to reduce your online presence, or opt out altogether?
Volunteer numbers have been in steady decline in Australia recently, but the amount of work those volunteers need to do has stayed roughly the same.The result? Volunteer burnout.While the volunteering load is falling disproportionately on the older generations, don't write off the young ones just yet — the full picture isn't that simple.
Everyone's lonely but nobody can hang out. That's how New York-based writer and speaker Amanda Litman felt at the start of 2025. Her answer: to host weekly dinners — inviting friends, acquaintances and strangers alike — as a way to build a community and combat the loneliness she felt. A year on, she reflects on building community in a world that is so often geared to convenience and individualism.So what does it take, and what gets in the way of us doing it?
Weight loss drugs are in high demand across Australia, and it'll soon be a lot easier to get your hands on them. Changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme are set to allow more people to access GLP-1s at a subsidised price, specifically to manage obesity.So if the popularity of weight loss drugs means we're eating less, where does that leave the beauty of connecting over food? Will we see a cultural shift away from the shared table or will the menu just be a little different?
When comedian Craig Quartermaine applied for an arts grant to do a stand-up comedy project, the application was "deemed ineligible" because comedy wasn't on the list of accepted performing arts.Dance? Yes. Theatre? Yes. Opera? Definitely. Comedy? No.But if the purpose of art is to act as a mirror to society – to make us see ourselves, laugh at ourselves, think about ourselves – does comedy deserve a ticket to the show?
Multi-level marketing schemes have been around for decades — but things have shifted since the days of Tupperware parties and door-to-door Avon ladies.
Doctor Google is dead, AI has taken its place.Around 230 million people already turn to ChatGPT for medical advice — so they've created a whole new platform just for health searches.Will it actually make us healthier?
The Bondi terrorist attack has left the Jewish community and the nation at large reeling.We're in a time of profound grief, and even if you're nowhere near Bondi you can probably feel it.So how do you create space for grief — from memorials to days of mourning — to heal and move through tragedy?
Have you ever thought about quitting your job to do something totally different? Most of us will change careers at least once or twice in our working lives, but as we get closer to retirement, the idea of starting again can be terrifying. And if that career shift requires further study, the financial and logistical burden can be significant. But for those who do decide to take the plunge, the pay-off can be life-changing.
As if our phones weren't enough, it can feel like so much of our lives are mediated by touchscreens – and one of the worst offenders would have to be new cars.But that could be about to change, with Australia's independent car safety assessor now requiring physical controls for key features if new vehicles are to receive the highest safety rating.So are buttons making a comeback?
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When I was struggling with health problems while I had 3 children under 5, one of my good friends taught me a valuable lesson: "Any job worth doing is worth doing badly!" That freed me up to get everything done, because it took less time to just do them to the essential standard. It also freed me from my perfectionist mother's voice in my head with the converse saying ending with the word "well".
lots of corporate speak, which ordinary people find incomprehensible, you have not addressed the enormous difficulties most people face trying to negotiate the NDIS, many people are being asked to be administrators which they are not, & they get lost in trying to understand the paperwork, how they can access NDIS, and many other problems
This is incredibly frustrating hearing users who do not need these drugs. The wait and price neurodivergent people pay to actually get this drug, because of how these people are misusing and causing issues in regulations is just cruel. we need these drugs and have such a hard time attaining them because of this party crap. i need this medication as medocation to function; it brings clarity, i can finally read and write, listen and focus. i cried at the reaction my body had, i finally found something that saved my life, yet people are seriously ruining my ability to even get it legally. The statements made by these rec users is so disappointing and show little awareness of the real issues people face who need these drugs.
We know that people's health and wellbeing is better when they interact with other species in positive ways. Imagine creating an Aged Care facility adjacent to an Animal Shelter and there was a shared space for interaction. Even better, aged care, childcare and animal shelter! In some parts of Europe (Netherlands, Scandinavia) they have created co-facilities for aged care and childcare.
let's get more funding to fix this problem of mental health. I'm a hip hop artist and will work on improving awareness of this issue
I like it very much as I get more and more knowledge about health .
I love the Fitzroy Diaries. What a delightful writer!