Life Matters - Full program podcast

An estimated 1 in 3 Australian households do not have secure access to food — they're either not getting enough, not getting the right kind, or sacrificing other crucial things to afford their groceries. And with fuel prices skyrocketing and interest rises shrinking household budgets, people are turning to food banks to help put dinner on the table. So how do we address the complex issue of food security?
Grief can plunge your entire world into darkness. Most of us find our own way to survive it, to let the life grow around it. For author Emma Grey, the answer was to "turn up the light" by seeking out snippets of hope through creative pursuits — from floral arrangements to photography.
ABC analysis of Census data shows, for the first time ever, women are more likely to be married or partnered with a man who has a lower education than them. Sociologist Dan Woodman unpacks what's behind the shift.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has announced that come October, card surcharges will be banned. But will it actually save you money any money?
A significant amount of our learning takes place outside of the classroom and we know that homeschooling has risen significantly in the last few years. Mario Gabrieli, who's taking his son Leonardo on a journey from Sydney to Italy on the back of a Vespa, and home education researcher Rebecca English discuss the benefits of taking kids out of school. 
Deborah Lawrie knew from the age of 16 that she wanted to be a pilot, so when Ansett rejected her from their trainee program in 1978, she took the airline all the way to the high court — and won. The landmark legal battle allowed a trailblazing woman to finally pursue her dream career, and paved the way for equal opportunity in Australia.

Last week a woman in the US successfully sued Meta and Google, arguing their platforms were addictive. She said she was spending up to 16 hours a day online, starting from just six years old. It raises some big questions around the concept of social media addiction. Psychology researchers Deon Tullett-Prado and Sharon Horwood explain what the research says about how social media is changing our brains.
Even if you're not technically addicted, ignoring the notifications on your phone and paying attention to your top priority tasks can feel impossible. So what can you do about it? Neuroscientist Lila Landowski shares why she decided to put pen to paper and write the dummies' guide to focus.
When it comes to life admin, the more boxes to tick or steps to click through, the less likely you are to complete that boring task. And in some cases companies are embedding "digital friction" or "sludge" to keep us from cancelling that membership or ending the free trial. Consumer behaviour expert Paul Harrison digs into why this has become such a profitable and common model.

As petrol prices continue to soar, the only way to reduce your bowser bill is to go electric or get rid of your car altogether. But could you realistically do that where you live? Researcher Dorina Pojani from the University of Queensland shares what she learned from an experiment in Brisbane asking 10 people to totally ditch their cars for three weeks.
Getting to gigs and immersing yourself in the atmosphere of live music is a rite of passage for many young Australians, but there are significant barriers holding some people back. Kate Duncan and Jamison Kelh from youth music charity The Push have just launched the National Plan for Young Australians and Music, to provide equal access for all young Australians — no matter where they live, what their budget is, or what kind of music they're into.
Anyone who lived through the toilet paper saga of the COVID pandemic era can attest that Australians have a tendency towards panic buying. With fuel prices rising, consumers are being warned not to start stockpiling, with concerns that mass hysteria at the petrol pump could soon lead to shortages. So what are the ethics of panic buying? Do we have a moral responsibility not to buy what we don't really need?

There's an longstanding rule that it's not polite to talk about politics at the dinner table. But in times of global turmoil, where freedom of expression is under threat, it can be harder to keep the peace. Psychotherapist Andrew Sloan talks through how to navigate relationships when we vehemently disagree, and what we stand to lose as a community if we can no longer hold space for different opinions.
After a friend goes through a break-up, often the real feelings their besties had about their ex come out into the open. But what do you do if they decide to reunite with the person you just declared as public enemy number one?