Life Matters - Full program podcast

Jimmy Wales might not have the name recognition of Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk, but his invention has been just as influential to the history of the modern internet. He co-founded a website you might have open in another tab on the device you're looking at right now: Wikipedia. He has written a new book called The Seven Rules of Trust: Why it is Today's Most Essential Superpower. Did you have a Facebook account around 2013? If you did... you may be eligible for compensation from its parent company Meta as part of a landmark $50m privacy breach payout here in Australia. The payments stem from Facebook's involvement in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a massive data breach in the 2010s. Dr Katharine Kemp is an Associate professor at the faculty of law and justice at UNSW.

In Victoria, some foster carers are reporting sudden reductions in their allowances for looking after children with high-level needs. It highlights the ongoing challenges around the country when it comes to finding foster carers for children who need safe and stable homes. So, what needs to change? Emma is a foster carer, Samantha Hauge is Chief executive of the Foster Care Association of Victoria, and Renée Leigh is CEO of Adopt Change, and member of the National Foster & Kinship Care Collective.In Queensland, it's illegal to feed or rehome stray cats.Councils favour trapping and euthanising - in a bid to protect wildlife. We could be about to see changes to the regulations. So, how do we strike a balance between kindness to all animals - and preserving our fragile ecosystem? John Tracey is CEO of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland and Jacquie Rand is the Executive Director of Australian Pet Welfare Foundation.There's a new type of consumer pricing that’s targeted just to you – personalised pricing. It’s a price set just for you, based on how much a company thinks you’re willing to pay for something because of your own distinct internet trail. So how do you know if this is happening to you? And is there anything you can do about it? Meg Elkins is an associate professor of behavioural and applied economics at RMIT University.

Do you feel like you are heard, appreciated and cared for? The concept of "Mattering" is increasingly seen as playing a key role in how positive you feel about your life. Professor Gordon Flett is at the forefront of research in this field. He is Professor Emeritus of psychology at York University in Canada and the author of The Psychology of Mattering: Understanding the Human Need to be Significant and Mattering as a Core Need in Children and Adolescents.And in Ask Aunty, when your family's bin is constantly overflowing… And there's one across the street that's consistently empty….. is that too good an opportunity to go to waste? So, does victimless bin appropriation exist? Today's aunties are comedian Geraldine Hickey and Simon Kennedy-Jewell, Ethi-Call counsellor for The Ethics Centre.

A new study from RMIT has found bringing residential speed limits down from 50 to 30 kilometres an hour would protect cyclists. Other studies show a drop in residential speed limits even more benefits, especially for our kids. So what do we need to do to make our streets safe, healthy and places that encourage us to get outside and play? Jennifer Kent is a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney's school of architecture, design and planning and Robyn Monro Miller AM is chief executive of Play Australia.Infertility is a taboo topic at the best of times, and when it comes to male infertility, the stigma can have big consequences for starting a family. New guidelines have just been implemented to inform and shape the care heterosexual couples going through infertility will receive. But will they reduce the stigma for blokes seeking help for infertility? Father-of-two Jason Wylie shares his story of infertility and Associate Professor Darren Katz, urologist and male fertility specialist, discusses the new guidelines.New research found one in seven adult Australians could imagine falling in love with an AI chatbot.  It comes as the world's most popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, prepares to roll out a new version that includes erotic conversations and the ability to "act like a friend." So is this innovation? Can a bot help alleviate loneliness? Or are there too many risks when you replace human connection with AI? Social media content creator Mia Anastasia says she treats ChatGPT as a friend. Professor Jeannie Paterson is Co-director of the Centre for AI and Digital Ethics, University of Melbourne and Scott Watters is CEO and Founder of the youth mental health service LifeChanger. 

Many people have mixed feelings about their smartphone. It's a convenience that is hard to put down. But it can make it challenging to be fully present with the people you're with. One coastal town south of Sydney has seen a grassroots movement to keep kids and adults off their devices. Instead, they're running phone-free events with board games, art, and even knitting! So, how do you find balance between your online and offline world? Jane Bourne is the founder of Kiama Unplugged and Australia Unplugged and Jocelyn Brewer is a Psychologist and founder of Digital Nutrition.Will coins and cash soon be just for collecting? The federal government has released draft legislation requiring supermarkets and service stations to accept cash for at least another three years. But there are plenty of exemptions. Jason Bryce is the spokesperson for Cash Welcome and Nicole Pederson-McKinnon is a financial literacy expert.Whether you've been pregnant or not, you're probably familiar with the term "morning sickness." But have you heard of Hyperemesis gravidarum? It's an illness that can have dire consequences for mums-to-be, so why don't we take it more seriously? Nicoles Rowles is a Brisbane mum who had Hyperemesis gravidarum and Caitlin Kay-Smith is the Founder of Hyperemesis Australia a charity supporting women with the condition.

Teachers and schools are constantly trying to figure out the best way to handle challenging behaviour. One of the go-to tools? Suspension. One in five students in NSW has been suspended from school... and new research shows that being excluded not only affects academic performance ... but mental wellbeing as well. So when is suspension the right option? Mark Johnson is Youth Programs Coordinator for south west Sydney YMCA, Angela Falkenberg is the President of the Australian Primary Principals Association, and Professor Kristin Laurens is Program Co-Leader of the Health and Wellbeing Program at Queensland University of Technology's School of Psychology & Counselling.The ABC has launched a new interactive tool that brings together thousands of years of oral histories that have been passed down for generations. The Deep Time website tells the ancient story of our continent and its people... and explores Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture over 65,000 years. The site covers everything from how people migrated across the land, how they survived an ice age.. and how they lived alongside megafauna. Solua Middleton is co-executive producer of Deep Time and Dr Noel Nannup contributed to the project.Have you heard about the tiny bakery in Sydney that's supposedly selling cinnamon scrolls that are to die for? Every weekend, the lure of baked good from Sundays Bondi draws a line of people that stretches down the road. Are the cinnamon scrolls worth a one-hour wait? Who knows! Does the act of queuing for hours to buy something increase the thrill when you finally get it? Or are expectations sky-high and destined to result in disappointment? Dr Paul Harrison is a senior lecturer in marketing at Deakin Business School.

According to a new study, our overall mental functioning is at its highest between 55 and 60. Good news if the number of candles on your birthday cake is getting harder to count. You're about to hear from the man behind this research to unpack what this means... and from a specialist in older people's health on how to make the most of this peak. Gilles Gignac, from the School of Psychological Science at the University of Western Australia, unpacks what the research means for everyone.  Dr. Stephanie Ward is a geriatrician and voices the ABC TV series Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds.COVID completely changed the way many of us saw a doctor. Gone are the days of sitting in the GP's waiting room, flicking through old magazines as you waited to be seen. Telehealth is a great convenience for many of us, and especially if you're living in a rural community with less access to healthcare. But, does telehealth come at a cost? What are the benefits, and the risks, when we go online for our healthcare? Justin Untersteiner is the CEO of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and Dr Centaine Snoswell is a health economist at the University of Queensland.If you thought once the kids hit adulthood, then the family trip was done, you'd be wrong. Research shows multigenerational holidays and large group family trips are a popular trend. According to the Family Travel Association - over 50% of parents say they're planning to travel with both their children and kids' grandparents. And a new trend study by an international hotel chain... found that skip-generation travel is also popular....  That's when a grandparent and grandchild book a trip together... and leave the parents at home! Dianne Bortoletto is a freelance travel writer and Jackie O'Connor is co-founder and co-host of The Modern Grandparenting Podcast.

What does "relationship maintenance" look like for you and your partner? Do you consider a relationship to be a living thing that requires care? Or have you got more of a "she'll be right" mentality? Psychotherapist Marryam Chehelnabi is the therapist on SBS's Couples Therapy Australia.And in Ask Aunty, what should you do if your group chat mates have been laughing about you behind your digital back? After the initial horror -- would you call it out? Today's aunties are James Findlay, ABC broadcaster and journalist, and comedian Annie Louey.

Wealth inequality is worsening and new figures show 1 in 7 Australians now live below the poverty line. So what impact would introducing a universal basic income really have? Jessica Chew, co-director of Basic Income Australia, and Simon Cowan, Research Director at the Centre for Independent Studies, debate this thorny issue.Extreme weather events are becoming more common, and that's making insurance harder to afford - or in some places, impossible to get. Even if you are covered, payouts and repairs can take months... or even years. But what if you didn't have to wait at all? Paula Jarzabkowski, Professor in Strategy, School of Business at the University of Queensland, discusses parametric insurance. Voting has closed for ABC Radio National's Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. We've been asking some notable readers to share the book that changed their life. This week, Astrid Jorgensen, the founder and director of Pub Choir, discusses her special book.Recently in the United States, six former surgeons general -  their country's leading spokespeople on public health - joined forces to write an opinion piece for The Washington Post. They argued Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should not be in his current position as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Patrick Stokes, Associate Professor of philosophy at Deakin University, explores the ethics of speaking truth to power. 

Today’s young travellers are chasing something very different when they head overseas. Sunrise yoga, ‘run club’ tours, and meaningful cultural experiences are replacing the boozy bus tours of the past. Quentin Long, Managing Director, Australian Traveller Media and Dean Vowles, Contiki Brand Partnership & Product Manager, discuss how coming-of-age travel is evolving. Israel and Hamas have both released captives, to long-awaited hugs, tears, and relief. But these moments don't come easy. Negotiations are fragile and hard-fought - when every message, every word, carries the weight of human life. So, what's it like to negotiate the release of hostages? Stephen Davis is an Australian hostage negotiator and shares his experiences.Ending a relationship shortly before you're set to say "I Do" can be complex. It's an emotionally charged time, family and friends are invested in the big day.... not to mention the financial fall-out and tricky logistics. Phoebe Rogers broke up with her fiancée two months before the big day. Psychologist and Policy Coordinator at the Australian Association of Psychologists, Carly Dober, explains the emotional factors at play when you have second-thoughts.