Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

Australians are keen animal lovers — 73 per cent of households have some sort of pet, and almost half have a dog in the home. Since the pandemic, the shift towards working from home has meant many dog owners got used to spending lots of time with their pets, and now they're looking for more ways to do that outside the house. Like taking dogs to the pub, or to work. But not everyone's on board, and...

New research from the University of Pennsylvania in the United States show there are three big things that happen when people experienced a better than average day. But there were also things that make your day worse even though you can't avoid it forever — like housework — so how do you decide what the trade offs are?  And in a world where we're encouraged to optimise every inch of our lives, is...

When a household appliance gives out after a couple of years, the path of least resistance is usually to replace it. For all sorts of reasons — outdated software, inaccessible customer service or batteries that are sealed into the device — these items are often impossible to repair. Around the world there's a growing chorus of voices fighting for the right to repair. But tech giants in the US are...

Children now have a digital footprint by the time they graduate day care, and it only explodes when they get to school. A new draft Children's Online Privacy Code could change that, giving young people more control over their online world including the ability to delete data captured before they turned 18. So if kids are about to control over their digital world, can adults get in on this too?

We all know someone about to run a marathon, starting pickleball or doing CrossFit. And yes they're doing the exercise component, but it's also become their entire personality.  There's a new sporting trend for every season, but the ones that seem to stick seem to have socialising built in. What is it that drives us to join these sporting communities? 

Have you ever had a hobby go horribly wrong?  In an attempt to save the bees, thousands of people set up colonies of the European honeybee in their backyard. But for many, an outbreak of the parasitic varroa mite has brought this low-stakes eco-hobby to an emotionally devastating end. It's almost impossible to contain, so now it's here in Australia and the bees are dying, what is the future of the...

A new report from the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) has found the creation of new businesses has been steadily declining, with the proportion of business owners as a share of the workforce at an all-time low.  Between the sky-high costs of starting out and the ongoing burden of regulatory compliance and admin required to keep things running, the barriers are holding pr...

It's never been quicker or easier to generate content to suit whatever message you're selling and make it look innocuous, like any other crazy video that may or may not be real online. So what if your message is political propaganda? Since the US and Israel's war on Iran we've seen this in hyper-drive. Lego depictions of world leaders and official footage from the White House spliced with scenes f...

Has anyone ever made you responsible for what happens after they die? It's a lot of pressure, but honouring a loved one's wishes can be even trickier when the family don't agree.  This week, the aunties are giving advice to a listener whose dad asked them to scatter his ashes in a special spot. But it's been 10 years, and another family member is still clinging onto them.

The idea of finding your one true love and settling down as a couple is baked deep into society. But attitudes are changing. On dating apps, in surveys and podcasts, people are signalling an interest and greater acceptance of open relationships. So is monogamy still fit for purpose in 2026 or has it had its day?

The recent expedition from Artemis II has reignited an age-old question: is there extra-terrestrial life out there? And if there is, what should we do about it? NASA's administrator Jared Isaacman says that question is at the heart of much of the work in space exploration. It raises a whole lot of hypothetical scenarios, but what does it mean for our concept of humanity?

You've probably wandered through a heritage protected church or grand old colonial building. But have you ever been to a heritage-listed skate park? In the suburbs of Geelong in coastal Victoria, a 46-year-old skate park is up for cultural protection. Spaces where young people can experiment and burn off steam are important parts of a teenagers social fabric. So if we're protecting the old spaces,...

The data shows we're reading less than ever. About one in three Australian school students isn't developing the reading skills they need, and the shift reflects a broader global trend.  So does it matter if we've fallen out of love with books? And what can we do to reverse the trend?

The adoption of AI requires a vast amount of computing power, which is why data centres are popping up all over the country. With 270 of these facilities established across Australia already, the Australian Energy Market Operator predicts that by 2030, data centres will take up 6 per cent of the energy grid. But three local councils in are pushing back, with one calling on a NSW inquiry to stop al...

The Artemis II crew have set a new record for space exploration, travelling farther from Earth than any humans before them. It marks a significant milestone, and has delivered our first ever glimpse at the far side of the moon. So what do we hope to learn from Artemis II, and how might the success of this mission shape the future of space exploration? 

You never get married thinking it will end in divorce, and you never have kids thinking that one day they'll live across two separate houses. But life happens. Things don't always go to plan. There's no doubt parental separation is difficult emotional terrain for kids to navigate. But according to a new paper, as long as they feel a sense of safety and security, the bells and whistles of the house...

Smart devices are now pretty much everywhere. They're designed to enhance our lives, but often they can make things inexplicably difficult. These devices also collect a huge amount of data, with very little safeguards to protect your privacy. So are we as humans smart enough for these devices?

More than three years after a national report on gambling reforms, the federal government has unveiled its plan: gambling ads will be banned from sports stadiums or players' uniforms, and heavily restricted on TV, radio and online platforms. While the Prime Minister has described it as "the most significant reform on gambling ever implemented", advocates say it falls well short of what's needed to...

After more than 10 years of putting survivors, alcoholics, nudists, cheaters, bogans and countless others in the hot seat, there aren't many uncomfortable questions Kirk Docker hasn't asked. The co-creator You Can't Ask That has been inviting misunderstood or marginalised groups to answer the most controversial and curly questions — on television — for seven seasons. And the show's coming back for...

There's a push to integrate financial literacy into Australian schools, with recent data showing 52 per cent of Australian women and 37 per cent of men don't understand basic financial literacy concepts.  Things like interest rates, inflation and investments aren't common knowledge, and that can have dire consequences for your wallet. So what would the lessons look like?

Would you watch Married At First Sight with your teenagers?  It might sound like a strange parenting strategy — the show is messy, engineered for drama, and showcases some pretty troubling behaviour.  But the very nature of seeing all sorts of relationship dynamics on display can create space for real conversations about respect, values and safe boundaries.  Instead of abstract concepts, there are...

Would you say you've reached the prime of your life yet? Have you peaked?  It's a question that starts to creep in around mid-life when you've settled into your career, perhaps built a family, and ticked off some of the big milestones. Your body might start to feel a little slower — and creakier.  The world has a quiet way of suggesting: this might be as good as it gets. But middle age doesn't hav...

For the first time ever, women are more likely to be married or partnered with a man with a lower education than them. New ABC analysis of Census data from heterosexual couples shows that women are more likely to "marry down" than men .So what are the factors behind this shift over the last few decades?

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 Emma Grey, the answer was to "turn up the light" by seeking out snippets of hope through creative pursuits. In the 10 years since her husband died of a sudden heart attack, she's dabbled in everything from floral arrangements to photography, and even penned an original m...

New figures show a staggering 44 per cent of Australians are finding it harder to pay for food right now. With skyrocketing fuel prices and interest rises shrinking household budgets, people are turning to food banks all across the country to help put dinner on the table. At the same time that food relief operators are experiencing a surge in demand, their own costs are blowing out. The federal go...