Life Matters - Full program podcast The future of Meals on Wheels and teaching teens to drive
Mar 8, 2026
Dr Fiona MacDonald, policy expert on work and leave, discusses unpaid overtime and the push for a fifth week of annual leave. Paul Sadler, chair of Meals on Wheels Australia, outlines funding pressures, volunteer decline and service changes. Mandy Nolan, comedian and parent, shares candid stories about teaching her five kids to drive, managing anxiety and different learning styles.
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Daily Deliveries Provide Vital Welfare Checks
- Carol Gilman described using daily Meals on Wheels visits as a safety check for her 99-year-old father who lives alone.
- When she is away the service delivers daily to ensure someone is checking in on him.
Lobby For CHSP Protection And Targeted Growth Funding
- Paul Sadler urged targeted short-term actions: protect CHSP funding during the review and provide growth funding for services with waiting lists.
- Meals on Wheels formed a CHSP alliance and will release a position paper to influence policy decisions.
Parental Trauma Makes Teaching Driving Harder
- Mandy Nolan shared her childhood trauma after her father died in a car accident, which made teaching her children to drive deeply anxiety provoking.
- She had to manage her personal fear while helping her kids gain driving skills.