Life Matters - Full program podcast

Around the country, it's getting more expensive to get rid of rubbish... and there are fewer places to dump it. It is a warning the waste industry has voiced for a decade, but for many councils, the reality is about to hit. On the Gold Coast, rubbish tips will be exhausted within a decade ... it's a similar story across Australia. So ... when the landfill runs out ... what do we do with all our waste? And how do we reduce the amount we produce in the first place? Rick Ralph is CEO of the Australian Resources Recovery Council and Professor John Thwaites is the Chair of the Monash Sustainable Development Institute and Former Chair of the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group.At any given time there are 1,850 people waiting for a life changing organ transplant in Australia. What's it like to navigate the donation process? And what does it take to convince someone to make a donation that not only changes someone else's life, but theirs as well Rechelle Coombes is on waitlist for a pancreas and kidney transplant and Chris Thomas is CEO of Transplant Australia.The Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, especially for Chris Martin's family. The Coldplay frontman's daughter recently sung at a gig in Nashville - and reviews have been mixed.  So, is this an example of privilege and nepotism, or is Apple just following a time-honoured tradition ... and inheriting the family trade? Dan Woodman is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Melbourne.

If you don't own your home or if you live in an apartment and can't put panels on the roof, you've largely been locked out of the benefits of rooftop solar energy. In a small way, that changed this week when the government announced plans to give households access to free electricity for three hours every day ... in an effort to encourage energy use when excess solar power is being fed into the grid. Dr Saul Griffith is Chief Scientist at Rewiring Australia and Davood Dehestani is CEO and founder of energy start-up Smartizer.We're told it's getting harder to raise kids, amid a cost of living crunch. But that isn't what the numbers show. New research shows having kids is no more costly than it was a few decades ago ... so why does it feel that way?  And if you need to be frugal - where should you put your pennies? What's the best thing you can invest in Associate Professor Ben Phillips is a Principal Research Fellow at the ANU's Centre for Social Research and Methods and Robyn Titmus is the mother of Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus.A new report out of Europe has shown that a few big name companies are creating children's toys that have harmful levels of chemicals on them. It's obviously not good news, but at this point is it even possible to avoid nasty chemicals that are already out there in the world, for us and our kids? Dr Rachael Wakefield-Rann is research principal at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at Univeristy of Technology Sydney 

There are plenty of benefits to power-assisted pedal bikes, or "e-bikes", they're great for commuting or touring a new town. But not all e-bikes are created equal, some are so heavily modified they're basically motorbikes. One of the hardest things for parents to navigate is exactly what kind of e-bike might be safe for your child, and understanding the risks to their safety and others around them.If you've been diagnosed with coeliac disease, skipping gluten isn't a trend – it's a medical must. But for everyone else who swears they're "gluten sensitive" or "intolerant", is gluten really the villain it's made out to be? According to a new research review published in The Lancet, your gluten sensitivity could actually be something else entirely.Was your most picture-perfect holiday actually your best holiday? Science says we tend to conflate the two. So, why do perfect holiday photos make us feel we had a perfect holiday? And the book that changed Formula 1 engineer turned baking icon Kate Reid's life. 

The rise of apps linked to childcare centres gives crucial reassurance to worried parents that children are safe and happy at daycare. Throughout the day, educators snap pictures of activities and upload them to the app.But what happens to the pictures and sensitive documents accumulated over the years on these apps? Some parents, like Niels Wouters, are finding out that when your child graduates to big school, their data doesn't automatically go with them. Luci Pangrazio is an Associate Professor at Deakin University and Chief Investigator at the Centre for the Digital Child and Nesha Hutchinson is Vice President of the Australian Childcare Alliance.Four years after the Aged Care Royal Commission's final report, one of the cornerstone reforms came into effect on Saturday: a new federal Aged Care Act. So do these changes bring us closer to a system we can trust to care for our parents ... and ourselves? Debra Nicholl is CEO of Elder Rights Australia and  Lisa Backhouse has been advocating for aged care reforms and gave evidence to Royal Commission about the substandard level of care her mother experienced.In Australian primary schools, many tuckshops are struggling, teachers are paying for kids' lunches out of their own pockets, and some public primary schools are hiring chefs. And yet, many kids are still going to school hungry and without lunch. So, why is lunch a growing challenge for Australian schools? Bec Spink is the principal of Wirrigirri Primary School in Victoria and Rebecca Golley is Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at Flinders University.

Author of the international bestseller The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living, Dr Russ Harris says ruminating, over-thinking and worrying can all be kinds of "suffering."  Dr Harris says evidence shows that with practice, anyone can rewire their neural paths and dramatically shift their thinking patterns.  And in Ask Aunty, a letter-writer asks, can I set the rules when my grandkids visit? This is a dilemma about a clash of parenting and grandparenting and the issue at play is screen-time. Aunties Denise Eriksen, Screen Careers Training Manager, I’m a Celeb Get Me Out of Here (UK), and Joe Sullivan, Radio National producer, offer their insights on the drama. 

The Bureau of Meteorology has revamped its website and to say that people have strong opinions is an understatement. Whether you like or loathe it, the flood of reactions shows how the weather means so much more to us than small talk. So what is it about the weather... why are we so obsessed? Nate Byrne is ABC News Breakfast weather presenter and meteorologist and Lawrie Zion is professor of journalism at La Trobe University and author of The Weather Obsession.Commercial operators are using national parks for lodges, glamping, and private accommodation.New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service has called for expressions of interest from businesses to provide "supported camping" in 16 national parks and reserves across the state. So, is this a valuable source of revenue? Does it make our national parks more accessible? Or is this just privatising public space? Jessie Burke is President of Bushwalking NSW and Sonya Underdahl is Professor of Environmental Sociology, Edogawa University in Japan.Suzanne Somers was one of the biggest TV stars of the 1980s and 1990s... starring on sitcoms like Three's Company and Step by Step. She also made a name for herself marketing the iconic fitness gadget - the ThighMaster. Sadly, Suzanne died of cancer in 2023... but now her husband of 46 years has brought her back... kind of. Somers' widower Alan Hamel has created an AI clone of her and plans to upload it on her website, to be a 24/7 AI chatbot for her fans. So, is this ethical? Patrick Stokes is Associate Professor of philosophy at Deakin University.

In 2003, Courtney Act made a splash as a contestant on the first season of Australian Idol. And since then Australia's most famous drag queen has a string of achievements under her heels. But for many, Courtney made a more significant impact by educating people on queer issues such as gender fluidity and sexuality. Now the man behind Courtney - Shane Jenek - is stepping into the spotlight. And he's just released his first children's book titled Confetti and the Rainbow Garden.For many people, their bedtime involves tech... wearable sleep trackers like rings and watches... even gadgets for under the mattress. Sleep monitoring is a booming industry. People who are deep into analysing their shut-eye have even been labelled "sleep data nerds." But is all this extra data helping people get a more restful night's sleep? Dr Donald Lee is a respiratory and sleep physician at Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and  Dr Dean Miller is a sleep and circadian scientist at CQ University.It might be hard to believe but one of the biggest social media platforms Instagram turned 15 years old this month. From the carefree days of grainy filters and photos of Sunday brunch to influencers and doomscrolling, social media has shaped our lives in so many ways. So are our lives better or worse with social media? And with the growth of AI, what does the future look like on these platforms? Jean Burgess is a distinguished professor of digital media at Queensland University of Technology and Konrad Benjamin is a former teacher and founder of Punter's Politics.

Jimmy Wales might not have the name recognition of Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk, but his invention has been just as influential to the history of the modern internet. He co-founded a website you might have open in another tab on the device you're looking at right now: Wikipedia. He has written a new book called The Seven Rules of Trust: Why it is Today's Most Essential Superpower. Did you have a Facebook account around 2013? If you did... you may be eligible for compensation from its parent company Meta as part of a landmark $50m privacy breach payout here in Australia. The payments stem from Facebook's involvement in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a massive data breach in the 2010s. Dr Katharine Kemp is an Associate professor at the faculty of law and justice at UNSW.

In Victoria, some foster carers are reporting sudden reductions in their allowances for looking after children with high-level needs. It highlights the ongoing challenges around the country when it comes to finding foster carers for children who need safe and stable homes. So, what needs to change? Emma is a foster carer, Samantha Hauge is Chief executive of the Foster Care Association of Victoria, and Renée Leigh is CEO of Adopt Change, and member of the National Foster & Kinship Care Collective.In Queensland, it's illegal to feed or rehome stray cats.Councils favour trapping and euthanising - in a bid to protect wildlife. We could be about to see changes to the regulations. So, how do we strike a balance between kindness to all animals - and preserving our fragile ecosystem? John Tracey is CEO of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland and Jacquie Rand is the Executive Director of Australian Pet Welfare Foundation.There's a new type of consumer pricing that’s targeted just to you – personalised pricing. It’s a price set just for you, based on how much a company thinks you’re willing to pay for something because of your own distinct internet trail. So how do you know if this is happening to you? And is there anything you can do about it? Meg Elkins is an associate professor of behavioural and applied economics at RMIT University.

Do you feel like you are heard, appreciated and cared for? The concept of "Mattering" is increasingly seen as playing a key role in how positive you feel about your life. Professor Gordon Flett is at the forefront of research in this field. He is Professor Emeritus of psychology at York University in Canada and the author of The Psychology of Mattering: Understanding the Human Need to be Significant and Mattering as a Core Need in Children and Adolescents.And in Ask Aunty, when your family's bin is constantly overflowing… And there's one across the street that's consistently empty….. is that too good an opportunity to go to waste? So, does victimless bin appropriation exist? Today's aunties are comedian Geraldine Hickey and Simon Kennedy-Jewell, Ethi-Call counsellor for The Ethics Centre.

A new study from RMIT has found bringing residential speed limits down from 50 to 30 kilometres an hour would protect cyclists. Other studies show a drop in residential speed limits even more benefits, especially for our kids. So what do we need to do to make our streets safe, healthy and places that encourage us to get outside and play? Jennifer Kent is a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney's school of architecture, design and planning and Robyn Monro Miller AM is chief executive of Play Australia.Infertility is a taboo topic at the best of times, and when it comes to male infertility, the stigma can have big consequences for starting a family. New guidelines have just been implemented to inform and shape the care heterosexual couples going through infertility will receive. But will they reduce the stigma for blokes seeking help for infertility? Father-of-two Jason Wylie shares his story of infertility and Associate Professor Darren Katz, urologist and male fertility specialist, discusses the new guidelines.New research found one in seven adult Australians could imagine falling in love with an AI chatbot.  It comes as the world's most popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, prepares to roll out a new version that includes erotic conversations and the ability to "act like a friend." So is this innovation? Can a bot help alleviate loneliness? Or are there too many risks when you replace human connection with AI? Social media content creator Mia Anastasia says she treats ChatGPT as a friend. Professor Jeannie Paterson is Co-director of the Centre for AI and Digital Ethics, University of Melbourne and Scott Watters is CEO and Founder of the youth mental health service LifeChanger. 

Many people have mixed feelings about their smartphone. It's a convenience that is hard to put down. But it can make it challenging to be fully present with the people you're with. One coastal town south of Sydney has seen a grassroots movement to keep kids and adults off their devices. Instead, they're running phone-free events with board games, art, and even knitting! So, how do you find balance between your online and offline world? Jane Bourne is the founder of Kiama Unplugged and Australia Unplugged and Jocelyn Brewer is a Psychologist and founder of Digital Nutrition.Will coins and cash soon be just for collecting? The federal government has released draft legislation requiring supermarkets and service stations to accept cash for at least another three years. But there are plenty of exemptions. Jason Bryce is the spokesperson for Cash Welcome and Nicole Pederson-McKinnon is a financial literacy expert.Whether you've been pregnant or not, you're probably familiar with the term "morning sickness." But have you heard of Hyperemesis gravidarum? It's an illness that can have dire consequences for mums-to-be, so why don't we take it more seriously? Nicoles Rowles is a Brisbane mum who had Hyperemesis gravidarum and Caitlin Kay-Smith is the Founder of Hyperemesis Australia a charity supporting women with the condition.

Teachers and schools are constantly trying to figure out the best way to handle challenging behaviour. One of the go-to tools? Suspension. One in five students in NSW has been suspended from school... and new research shows that being excluded not only affects academic performance ... but mental wellbeing as well. So when is suspension the right option? Mark Johnson is Youth Programs Coordinator for south west Sydney YMCA, Angela Falkenberg is the President of the Australian Primary Principals Association, and Professor Kristin Laurens is Program Co-Leader of the Health and Wellbeing Program at Queensland University of Technology's School of Psychology & Counselling.The ABC has launched a new interactive tool that brings together thousands of years of oral histories that have been passed down for generations. The Deep Time website tells the ancient story of our continent and its people... and explores Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture over 65,000 years. The site covers everything from how people migrated across the land, how they survived an ice age.. and how they lived alongside megafauna. Solua Middleton is co-executive producer of Deep Time and Dr Noel Nannup contributed to the project.Have you heard about the tiny bakery in Sydney that's supposedly selling cinnamon scrolls that are to die for? Every weekend, the lure of baked good from Sundays Bondi draws a line of people that stretches down the road. Are the cinnamon scrolls worth a one-hour wait? Who knows! Does the act of queuing for hours to buy something increase the thrill when you finally get it? Or are expectations sky-high and destined to result in disappointment? Dr Paul Harrison is a senior lecturer in marketing at Deakin Business School.

According to a new study, our overall mental functioning is at its highest between 55 and 60. Good news if the number of candles on your birthday cake is getting harder to count. You're about to hear from the man behind this research to unpack what this means... and from a specialist in older people's health on how to make the most of this peak. Gilles Gignac, from the School of Psychological Science at the University of Western Australia, unpacks what the research means for everyone.  Dr. Stephanie Ward is a geriatrician and voices the ABC TV series Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds.COVID completely changed the way many of us saw a doctor. Gone are the days of sitting in the GP's waiting room, flicking through old magazines as you waited to be seen. Telehealth is a great convenience for many of us, and especially if you're living in a rural community with less access to healthcare. But, does telehealth come at a cost? What are the benefits, and the risks, when we go online for our healthcare? Justin Untersteiner is the CEO of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and Dr Centaine Snoswell is a health economist at the University of Queensland.If you thought once the kids hit adulthood, then the family trip was done, you'd be wrong. Research shows multigenerational holidays and large group family trips are a popular trend. According to the Family Travel Association - over 50% of parents say they're planning to travel with both their children and kids' grandparents. And a new trend study by an international hotel chain... found that skip-generation travel is also popular....  That's when a grandparent and grandchild book a trip together... and leave the parents at home! Dianne Bortoletto is a freelance travel writer and Jackie O'Connor is co-founder and co-host of The Modern Grandparenting Podcast.

What does "relationship maintenance" look like for you and your partner? Do you consider a relationship to be a living thing that requires care? Or have you got more of a "she'll be right" mentality? Psychotherapist Marryam Chehelnabi is the therapist on SBS's Couples Therapy Australia.And in Ask Aunty, what should you do if your group chat mates have been laughing about you behind your digital back? After the initial horror -- would you call it out? Today's aunties are James Findlay, ABC broadcaster and journalist, and comedian Annie Louey.

Wealth inequality is worsening and new figures show 1 in 7 Australians now live below the poverty line. So what impact would introducing a universal basic income really have? Jessica Chew, co-director of Basic Income Australia, and Simon Cowan, Research Director at the Centre for Independent Studies, debate this thorny issue.Extreme weather events are becoming more common, and that's making insurance harder to afford - or in some places, impossible to get. Even if you are covered, payouts and repairs can take months... or even years. But what if you didn't have to wait at all? Paula Jarzabkowski, Professor in Strategy, School of Business at the University of Queensland, discusses parametric insurance. Voting has closed for ABC Radio National's Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. We've been asking some notable readers to share the book that changed their life. This week, Astrid Jorgensen, the founder and director of Pub Choir, discusses her special book.Recently in the United States, six former surgeons general -  their country's leading spokespeople on public health - joined forces to write an opinion piece for The Washington Post. They argued Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should not be in his current position as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Patrick Stokes, Associate Professor of philosophy at Deakin University, explores the ethics of speaking truth to power. 

Today’s young travellers are chasing something very different when they head overseas. Sunrise yoga, ‘run club’ tours, and meaningful cultural experiences are replacing the boozy bus tours of the past. Quentin Long, Managing Director, Australian Traveller Media and Dean Vowles, Contiki Brand Partnership & Product Manager, discuss how coming-of-age travel is evolving. Israel and Hamas have both released captives, to long-awaited hugs, tears, and relief. But these moments don't come easy. Negotiations are fragile and hard-fought - when every message, every word, carries the weight of human life. So, what's it like to negotiate the release of hostages? Stephen Davis is an Australian hostage negotiator and shares his experiences.Ending a relationship shortly before you're set to say "I Do" can be complex. It's an emotionally charged time, family and friends are invested in the big day.... not to mention the financial fall-out and tricky logistics. Phoebe Rogers broke up with her fiancée two months before the big day. Psychologist and Policy Coordinator at the Australian Association of Psychologists, Carly Dober, explains the emotional factors at play when you have second-thoughts. 

In less than two months, being a teenager in Australia will change in a big way. Kids under 16 will be kicked off most social media platforms - under a new government ban... which is supposed to protect the mental health of young people, and limit their exposure to harmful content. But some are already finding ways to stay on the platforms. In some cases, their parents are supporting their mission. Crikey tech reporter Cam Wilson discusses how effective the ban will be.Four million Australians work between 6pm and 6am - from nurses and cleaners to delivery drivers and security staff. But the people who keep our cities running after dark are largely invisible in planning. Researchers from the University of Melbourne’s Night Shift project say it’s time to design cities that better support night-time workers. So what would that look like? Dr Anna Edwards is a Research Fellow in Urban Studies at the University of Melbourne's Centre for Cities and Andrew Copolov is the founder of the Gig Workers Hub.This year multiple stories of embryo mix-ups and surprise donor-conceived siblings have come to light, highlighting issues in the assisted reproductive technology sector. It's led to a rapid review of the IVF industry, and now that report is in. Although there are wins for strengthening oversight of the sector, some are saying it doesn't go far enough. Karin Hammarberg is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in the School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine at Monash University.When two people marry, they'll bring with them different hobbies, different expectations, and different ways of communicating. So, it's unlikely you'll mesh perfectly, 100 per cent of the time. But - those disconnects can leave you feeling... well, lonely. Psychologist Christine Bagley-Jones discusses whether some level of loneliness in a marriage is to be expected.

Nowadays it seems like there's a dietary supplement for everything. To ward off potential illnesses. To support mental wellness. To help with weight loss. And to enhance your fitness regime. So what's fueling supplement culture? And is it really making us healthier? Dr Michael Bonning is a GP and Chair of Public Health for the Australian Medical Association and Emma Fernance suffered vitamin B6 toxicity after taking iron supplements.Agrihoods are booming in the US, and several projects are now in the early planning stages in Australia. Advocates say they bring farm-to-table living to suburban communities and reconnect people with where their food comes from. Steve Grist is an agrihood advocate and founder of Arkadian Developments and Dr Jason Hilder is an urban geographer and Chair of Co-Housing Australia.Financial Counselling Australia has just released a set of principles aimed at guiding organisations to better respond to financial hardship. So if you find yourself in financial stress, what should you do? And how should you expect a business to treat you? Dr Domenique Meyrick is CEO of Financial Counselling Australia, which runs the National Debt Helpline.Actor, artist and author of "Say Everything: A Memoir", Ione Skye reveals how she makes and spends her money in In My Two Cents.

In a conversation on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, Madonna opened up about making peace with her brother Christopher Ciccone before he died in 2024. The pair had been estranged for many years. So, how can you reconnect with estranged family? And how do you know if it's the right decision for you? Naomi Mourra reconciled with her family after years of estrangement. And Dr Zoe Krupka, psychotherapist and senior lecturer at the Cairnmillar Institute, explains how you can safely take the first step.It can be awkward to split the bill with friends. But when you’re at a new friend’s birthday dinner and you think it's their shout, then get handed a massive bill…What do you do? Aunties Jenny Valentish, journalist and author of The Introvert's Guide to Leaving the house, and Nate Byrne, weather presenter and meteorologist on ABC News Breakfast, share their insights.