Life Matters - Full program podcast

NSW is the first Australian state to legalise terramation, also known as human composting. Cultural anthropologist Hannah Gould and Aria Kapaniris, who runs a company providing the service, explore whether eco-burial is about to shake up a centuries-old industry. From the mighty Swan in the west, to the Brown Snake in the east, rivers have long been the lifeblood of our communities. But after year...

Australian men are more likely to be more socially disconnected than Australian women, and are less likely to form strong connections with people beyond their partners. So what's going on? Sociologist Roger Patulny and psychologist Chris Cheers break down the male friendship recession — and how you can turn it around.  This week, Aunties Kat Feeney and Suren Jayemanne give listener Lenny some advi...

A new Everybody’s Home survey of more than 1,100 Australians has found most households could not absorb a $20-per-week rise in rent or mortgage repayments without cutting back, and one in four fear becoming homeless within the year. Everybody's Home spokesperson Maiy Azize joins researcher Shaun Bond to discuss the changes that could go some way to helping those on the brink.  With more than 400 a...

Hitchhiking used to be an Australian rite of passage, until cases like the Milat backpacker murders made it feel unthinkable. But some people still swear by the spontaneous connection and adventure it brings. Aston Brown shares what he learned hitchhiking from Sydney to Perth.  It's estimated more than 5 million Australians have grown up as the sibling of someone with a disability or chronic illne...

Last night, independent MP Helen Haines was the victim of an attack that has left her hospitalised in a critical condition, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as "a deliberate act". Although we don't yet know the motivation of the attack, the Prime Minister has called for every Australian to turn down the heat of our political discourse. Today, politicians from across the a...

An estimated 2.43 million Australians between the ages of 35 and 70 are caring for a parent at least once a week, while juggling the day-to-day demands of life. While the sandwich generation is a sizeable group, almost half of them don't identify as a carer themselves. Advocate Melissa Reader and researcher Michelle O'Shea explain why the way we define caring is so important in providing the right...

From your beloved family dog to a bollard-bashing elephant seal, all creatures IRL and online can be man's best friend. But for all the beauty that relationship can bring it's not without its downsides or risk. So how can you invite animals into your life in a way that is beneficial for you, and them? This week, the Aunties scale dilemma mountain with listener Anton, who's unsure about sharing his...

Since Dr Spock in the 1940s, parenting "experts" have had us convinced we're all one wrong move away from ruining our kids. Richard Glover's latest book digs into generations of parenting advice to ask what we actually need to worry about, and what we can finally let go of. He joins Maggie Dent to share the wisdom worth paying attention to. A hot-pink shower chair has just scooped a Good Design Aw...

From the milk in your coffee to the phone in your pocket, so many things we use every day come off the back of a truck. But Australia is short around 28,000 truck drivers, and that number is forecast to grow. A new report from UNSW suggests women are an untapped talent pool. Researcher Catherine Deen and truck driver Kathy Graham discuss how to get more women behind the wheel.  South Australian re...

Just weeks after launching a new memoir about her quest for wellness, comedian Judith Lucy received a sobering diagnosis: breast cancer. Now days away from a double mastectomy, she reflects on the wild treatments she's tried to fix her burnout — from ayahuasca to faecal transplants — and how she's grappling with the unexpected. In a house where YouTube, audiobooks, e-readers and Netflix are all co...

New research shows that around one in four women who freeze their eggs for non-medical reasons end up coming back to use them. Researchers Oisin Fitzgerald, Molly Johnston and Sherine Sandhu discuss what you really need to know before investing the time, money and emotional energy in this procedure.  Forget ensuites and lap pools — does your home have a frog sauna or a butterfly puddle? Our cities...

If you've been paying attention to the news, to your social media feeds or to really any and all pop culture lately, you've likely heard that boys are not alright. But if you're only looking at the bad parts, the beauty and complexity of raising boys can be hard to see. Developmental paediatrician and author Billy Garvey says it's never too late to try a new approach, in fact it's never been more...

Even if you've never been to the ballet, you're probably familiar with Mao's Last Dancer. It tells the story of how a young boy in rural China was plucked out of poverty to train at the Beijing Dance Academy and went on to perform on stages around the world. More than 20 years later, Li Cunxin is releasing his second memoir, The Lucky Son, which picks up where Mao's Last Dancer left off and explor...

Around the world, the leading cause of disability isn't infection, road injury or stroke — it's pain. A landmark study of 6 million participants has found people experience heightened pain around age 55, peaking at about 75. And while the pain you feel in your body isn't all in your head, the way you think about pain can make a huge difference to how you feel it. Pain specialists Fiona Blyth and M...

More than half of Australian households with a mortgage have an offset account attached. It's meant to make your extra savings work for you by reducing the interest you pay on your home loan. But not everyone appears to be reaping the benefits. Following an ASIC investigation earlier this year, a Senate inquiry will look into how banks are managing offset accounts, and what happens when things go...

There are over 160,000 amputees living in Australia and each one has their own story of loss and having to rebuild their life. James O'Brien's life changed rapidly after going on an idyllic beach holiday. He's documented his experience in a new podcast called The Limb Shift, where he interviews people about the resilience of life after losing a limb.  Recent data from Australia's HILDA survey show...

Sex positivity has never been more talked about, but that doesn't mean the bedroom has caught up. And the stresses of everyday life can make a big impact, from resentment over the mental load to the daily grind of parenting. So what happens to a relationship when sexual satisfaction is lopsided? Sex and relationships therapist Georgia Grace and sexologist Cam Fraser explore. This week, Aunties Den...

The federal government's new Thriving Kids program officially starts today, designed to shift children with mild-to-moderate autism off the NDIS. Researcher Adam Guastella and Autism Awareness Australia CEO Nicole Rogerson explain what that means for the families caught up in this transition.  On International Day of Older Persons, it's time to flip the script on our youth-obsessed culture, and co...

The RBA has raised interest rates to a 15-year high, and with wages still trailing inflation, cost-of-living pressures are mounting. So if you are struggling, what are the practical things you can do to feel some sense of stability? Financial counsellor Deb Shroot and financial planner Amie Baker discuss how to protect your from financial dread. As AFLW marks 10 years of competition, international...

Last week's OpenAI hack of a Medicare website sent shockwaves through the community. While authorities have confirmed no personal information was compromised, it raises questions about the role of AI in dealing with sensitive medical information. What really happens to all those private details being recorded at your appointments? Researcher Andrew Cullen and AMA president-elect Michael Bonning di...

According to the latest HILDA survey, most Australians are pretty satisfied with their relationships. The data suggests couples without kids are among the happiest. Psychologist Stephen Andrew and sociologist Leah Ruppanner discuss the ingredients for a strong relationship. Over the last couple of decades, the average number of words we say out loud each day has dropped. Between 2005 and 2019, res...

We all want friends who are funny, smart, loyal and kind, but we also want them to have our back no matter what. Jaimie Krems and Keelah Williams are friendship scientists — they're also BFFs — who have researched the science behind why you love your vicious, maybe a little unhinged best friend. Their research won an Ignobel prize, so what other qualities do we want in a bestie? When new neighbour...

Our suburbs are home to an incredibly diverse population. But when you look at Australia's urban sprawl, it can feel like the people in charge simply hit copy and paste. The upcoming Future Suburb Symposium, hosted by the University of Melbourne, wants to transform our suburbs from 'stubbornly generic, repetitive, and under-serviced', to places that are inclusive, exciting, and better reflect the...

Picture your childhood home for a moment. What details can you still remember? The colour of the kitchen cupboards? The view from your bedroom window? Your secret hiding spot? Lifelong memories are shaped by the daggy laminate benches and cracked vinyl couches of our childhood homes. Christian Duell has studied the significance of our first homes, and he is joined by Grand Designs Australia and By...

They say life's short, but it's actually getting longer. By 2066, life expectancy for Australian women will have jumped from 86 years to nearly 90. And from 82 to 86 years for men. So how do we make sure those extra years of life are lived well? There's something about physically picking up a cookbook, with it's pasta sauce-splattered, dog-eared pages that makes the meal enjoyed at the end feel a...