Life Matters - Full program podcast

Could innovative Scandinavian housing solutions work in Australia? Former Colombian senator Ingrid Betancort on being held captive by terrorists. And, a growing cohort of experts say we need to re-think the posture narrative.

Australian households have seen significant societal change since Life Matters first began in 1992. From roles within families, to work and relationships, and big shifts in housing, we look at the trends that have shaped the lives of Australians over the last 30 years.

Rural health practitioners argue that staff shortages have reached such a crisis point that patients’ lives are being put at risk. How did things get so bad, and what, if anything, can be done to fix a broken regional health system? From the Life Matters archives, a 2004 interview with Shirley MacLaine, and an apparent snub from a neighbour in this week’s Too Hard Basket.

It's 26 years to the day since the Port Arthur Massacre. So where is gun control in 2022? From our 30th birthday archives, the late Tasmanian poet Margaret Scott reflects on the impact of the tragedy, and two brothers share the joy and love that comes with food passed over the fence by their neighbour in the wake of loss.

Is Twitter really the best place for global public debate, or could we design a better way to discuss important issues and build community? Plus tips to manage your debt levels as the cost of living increases, and for Life Matters 30th birthday celebrations, an interview with Jess Thom, who manages her Tourette Syndrome by using humour.

We’re in the middle of an election right now, but how engaged are we in the political process? Some figures suggest Australians are increasingly disengaged from politics. We explore that contention on Life Matters today.

Gary McKay MC reflects on the physical and emotional scars left by war and why we should do more to support veterans and serving members of the defence forces. Plus for Life Matters 30th birthday, we revisit an interview about redemption. And former Life Matters book reviewer Jon Appleton on pen friends.

Author Susan Cain explains why it’s important to feel sadness, melancholy and heartache in a world of ‘toxic positivity’. From the Life Matters archives, the late John Hinde, beloved film critic, chats to Geraldine Doogue in 2002. And in The Too Hard Basket, what to do when you feel excluded by your partner’s family.

How intertwined is men's body hair and how they're perceived as public and private figures? We examine the ability of our education systems to play to the strengths of individual students, and whether anything has changed between 2009 and 2022.

What are the pros and cons of casting your vote for a micro-party at the next election? Plus a Life Matters interview from 2013 about open relationships, and some tips on preparing meals in advance.

Not long ago, COVID daily case numbers in double figures were a cause for alarm, but these days cases are in the thousands. So, how are we all feeling about this new experience of life with COVID, and what might lie ahead, as winter approaches?

Indira Naidoo on losing her sister, and how time spent in nature helped her through the grief process. Plus journalist Gina Rushton spent nine months reconsidering her earlier decision not to have children, after a medical emergency threatened her own fertility.

The power and sheer entertainment that comes from setting creative tasks for older Australians. Plus in our 30th Birthday archival interview former host, Natasha Mitchell talks to then 23-year-old actor and disability advocate R.J. Mitte about his role in Breaking Bad and beyond.

What are the long term housing solutions for flood affected communities in NSW and Qld? We dig into the archives for a famously prickly conversation with Angie Bowie, and for 23 years, Sally Warriner worked on a huge cattle station in the Northern Territory. Her title for this role? "Wife of the general manager."

Reports of students taking toilet breaks to vape and even using them in classrooms are alarming. We find out how to tackle addictive vaping behaviour in young people. Plus interviews, then and now with refugees from Afghanistan who attended Holroyd High School in 2005, and their former principal, Dorothy Hoddinott AO.

With the cost of living going up and people worrying about making their mortgage repayments in the coming years, what strategies could help you cope? And, how might the 'Great Dunny Hunt' help those with incontinence move about the world?

With a federal election called for May 21, voters now face a six-week campaign of party pledges, pitches, and polls. But what issues matter the most?

Peak medical groups argue that the country’s primary health care system is in crisis. And the consequences could be catastrophic for patients. From the Life Matters archives, a 2007 interview with lead singer from the Models, James Freud, a few years ahead of his untimely death. And the Too Hard Basket considers what to do when someone crashes your community choir.

What are the impacts of scare campaigns on election outcomes and voter intentions? In our 30th anniversary series, former PM the late Malcolm Fraser opens up about his new life to Norman Swan, and what relationship lessons, if any, can we take from watching reality tv?

Prolonged grief was recently added to the US psychologist's diagnostic manual and is now considered a mental health condition. So, how long should you grieve for? Plus, the legacy of Dolly the sheep and the future of cloning.

As people around the world experience climate change, the push for 'climate justice' intensifies. But where does that term come from and what does it mean? Also, what's it like to parent when you have ADHD, and a Life Matters 30th anniversary interview from the archives with Ireland's first female president, Mary Robinson.

With unemployment rates relatively low, there many be an opportunity for people in middle age and older who can often experience age discrimination when looking for jobs. But how realistic is it to expect long held views about older workers to change?

How to talk to teenagers about why sleep matters, in a way that won’t get them rolling their eyes at you. In the Too Hard Basket, is it fair enough to feel annoyed when your younger colleague calls you, and everyone else, love, hon or darl? And from the Life Matters’ archives, Pamela Stephenson reflects on life with Billy Connolly.

New research indicates many of our larger towns and cities are failing to provide adequate public transport to those who need it most, our 30th birthday archive interview features former PM Paul Keating, and a long time angler and fish scientist discusses his history and our sustainable future.

The 2022 Budget has delivered more than eight billion dollars of cost of living relief including a $250 one-off payment for people on pensions and welfare, a $420 tax offset for low and middle income earners and the fuel excise is being halved for six months. Will it be enough to persuade voters and as part of Life Matters 30th birthday celebrations a little chat with Jane Fonda.

Many of us have romanticised ideas about the community spirit of a life in the bush, but what does life really look like for children growing up in regional, rural and remote Australia? Also, Life Matters kicks off its 30th anniversary special series remembering and re-examining the threat that, in 1999, had the whole world in a panic - the Y2K bug.

From socially distanced mourners to funerals held over zoom, the pandemic disrupted the grieving process for many families and changed longstanding traditions to mark the passing of, and celebrate, loved ones. What will this mean for the future of how we grieve and honour the deceased?

Household mould has been linked to everything from asthma to depression, but what does the science say about the real harms of these kinds of fungal outbreaks? Who do children perceive as leadership material? And in the Too Hard Basket, who gets the cat?

The role animals play in our lives has changed markedly over the centuries. So what values do they represent for us these days? The utter destruction of roads in floods and fires has prompted the question; is it time to rebuild using a more resilient, but more expensive material, concrete?

One in five Australians live in outer suburbs but liveability isn't keeping up with housing growth, so how do you smash the soulless stigma and foster a sense of community and why some people have food baggage or hang-ups well into their adulthood.

Lateral violence is when people in the same group bully their peers, or those further down the hierarchy. How is this playing out in the healthcare profession? Also, as the conflict in Ukraine continues, can consumer boycotts influence how things play out? And, how does our skin affect how we move through the world?

Oil is behind every process and product. It ships your online order, gets your vegetables to the greengrocer, and likely runs your car. Skyrocketing petrol prices can have big ramifications for households, but experts say those prices will be far slower to fall.

Neuroscientist Matt Walker says we need to find gentler ways to drift off to sleep. He shares tips and tricks that will literally help save your life. We visit The Social Outfit, an initiative that’s reviving skills and building social connections in the fashion industry. And The Too Hard Basket tackles driver etiquette.

We're being encouraged to return to the workplace. So what are the pros and cons? Aimée Lutkin is single and has been for six years and she wants us to be more ok with that. Elizabeth Holmes, Simon Leviev and Bernie Madoff. Why are we taken in and then entranced by modern fraudsters?

Long COVID could affect tens of thousands of Australians, by the end of this year but there are already 250 thousand people living with similar symptoms from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Can their experience help us better manage long COVID and ME/CFS?

As climate change worsens and natural disasters become more frequent, can we keep relying on private insurance to bail us out? If not, how big is the role of government, at various levels, compared to individual householders?

Renowned Australian author Helen Garner steps back in time to the mid-90s in the latest instalment of her personal diaries. Biologist and writer Merlin Sheldrake goes on a literally mind-bending journey into the magical world of fungi. And listener Bill Boyd shares his true confession.

Biochemist and mathematician Jessie Inchauspe argues that managing our intake of glucose, and the sequence in which we eat food containing it, can have a massive influence on our health and how we feel day to day. And we tackle a book club dilemma in the Too Hard Basket.

Grocery prices have been rising, so is that the new normal? Why one parent and author has a crush on Benedict Cumberbatch, and educating staff and students to embrace the potential of artificial intelligence.

Questioning our biases in war coverage, resolving family conflict and how a yak is helping kids understand food intolerance

Public speaker and author Kemi Nekvapil explains how to take control of our lives, gender experts talk about what a menstrual policy at work could look like and songwriter Lo Carmen reflects on the self-inventing women who have inspired her.

During a disaster or tragedy, it's heartening to see how many people selflessly lend a hand. That charitable spirit has been demonstrated across northern NSW and south-east Queensland, with volunteers and community members alike pitching in to help. Life Matters shares your stories of acts of kindness.

Ten years since the release of the Gonski Review, education experts argue that its failure was more in the implementation than the design. But there are important lessons to be learnt from the last decade. Also, the value of local regional newspapers highlighted by this week’s floods, and in The Too Hard Basket, do you intervene in fights between other people’s children?

Ukrainian Australians shares their stories and concerns over their loved ones in the midst of the conflict, children's' author Matt Ottley writes about the agony and ecstasy of being bipolar, and the pandemic driven surge in couples eloping or holding micro weddings.

Named one of the 100 women who shaped Australia, feminist Wendy McCarthy talks about leadership and ways to fight for your rights. Also what's the best way to teach children about saving and why Tasmanian First Nations woman Eleanor McCormack came back home.

LGBTQIA+ rights have undergone significant change since the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 44 years ago, which saw 53 people arrested. Advocates and listeners share the issues and events that continue to shape the rights of LGBTQIA+ Australians in 2022.

As record floods continue to batter Lismore in NSW, how are people getting through? Also, has there been a great resignation or are people just exhausted? And, what's it like to parent with a disability?

In his new book The Urge, psychiatrist Dr Carl Erik Fisher explores the history of addiction, and opens up about his own struggles with drugs and alcohol. The Too Hard Basket tackles a workplace dilemma and what to do about regional Australia’s skills shortage.

There are gaps and plateaus in our immunisation rates but there's also a new vaccine in the field. We discuss our current national status. Plus, taking your calls on what it means to be an outsider.

New research has found that a third of Australian men who kill their female partners are middle-class, educated, and have no previous contact with the criminal justice system. Plus we take a look at what's in school lunch boxes, and find out how an easing of restrictions around tiny houses may lead to a rise in the number of people living in them.