The Conversation Hour

Well, Christmas is almost upon us and in this edition of The Conversation Hour we hear your unique Christmas traditions and catch up with the co-founder of Elf on a Shelf. Also in this edition, who is up for a nomination at this year's Golden Globes, how much does body language matter in how we communicate plus we take you to parliament to hear The Victorian government's historic apology to Aboriginal Victorians. 

A Government spokesperson has told The Conversation Hour that they are addressing duplication by bringing the work of VicHealth into the larger Department of Health. In this edition of the program we discuss whether VicHealth needs to maintain a certain level of independence and what this move means for preventive health more broadly.And later in the hour, the complex relationship women have with facial hair.

A recent study has exposed a gap in the amount of time allocated to teaching primary school students how to type and in this edition of The Conversation Hour we discuss why learning to type still matters and what is best practice in teaching it. Also in this edition, the danger posed by potholes to Victoria's motorcycle community, the extraordinary lengths one man has gone to raise awareness of the destruction of our natural habitat our mental health. Plus, why we still love Lady Gaga.

Today marks  International Day of People with a Disability and in this edition of the Conversation Hour we discuss the prevalence of discrimination in the workplace towards blind and low vision people and how to combat discriminatory attittudes and practices. Also in this edition, we celebrate 80 years of The Country Hour, discuss what is behind the Prada buying Versace, plus  US hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar heads to Ballarat on Saturday, we compile your tips on what he should see and do. 

New research indicates that nightclubs could be doing more to prevent sexual harm in their venues. In this edition of The Conversation Hour we talk through what sorts of of things venues could be doing to decrease the risk.Also in this edition, keeping pets safe in high density housing, just how much will the metro tunnel reshape the way we travel in the years ahead plus, we speak to a linguist why MUTT could catch on as a nickname for the tunnel.

The Metro Tunnell is go and in this special edition of The Conversation Hour we broadcast live from Town Hall Station. We speak with architects, train drivers, station masters and public transport researchers and you on this momentous day for Melbourne.

Two schools in Berwick went into lockdown yesterday, a Department of Education spokesperson said the incident involved a "young student who behaved in a dangerous matter".In this edition of The Conversation Hour we discuss whether lockdown drills are necessary in Victorian schools and how to do them without perpetuating a sense of fear and anxiety in young people.Also in this edition, why this year's cherry season has been delayed, why uniforms matter in attracting women into trade plus is Robert Irwin the perfect male role model?

In this edition of The Conversation Hour we look at where things are currently at with banning single use plastics and discuss the impact it continues to have on marine life.Also in this edition, Stranger Things returns for its final season we talk how to write the perfect ending. The Tik Tok awards were last night, so what role they play in bolstering cultural capital of the platform? And we catch up with former professional basketball player and coach Brendan Joyce about his life and career.

Melbourne has a new staff-free 7-Eleven, which is essentially comprised of vending machines.  In this edition of The Conversation Hour we discuss if this is the way of future for retail and what underpins the move. Also on the show, actor Chris Hemsworth has released a film that documents a road trip with his dad who has early-onset Alzheimers, we speak with the dementia community on how the documentary has been received.We also get the latest on what is being done to mitigate B6 toxicity and get the latest on the Optus outage. 

Over the past couple of months a group of 65 plus citizen scientists have hit the streets of Melbourne, mapping their experiences to capture how to make our suburbs more livable for our older population. In this edition of The Conversation Hour we explore what they discovered the work they are doing with researchers in the field to improve our streets and cities.Also in this edition, Stahl House is up for sale, the LA mid-century modernist icon perched in the Hollywood Hills has been the set of innumerable film and tv productions, so what's next for one of Hollywood's most famous homes? Later in the program we also delve into the notion of 'full service schools' an educational model that aims to minimise inequality in the schooling system. Plus, how to safe guard your brain against buying things you don't actually really need or want during the Black Friday sales