For 80 years Prison Network has helped women find hope, dignity and purpose in and beyond prison.In 1946, a young woman by the name of Myrtle Breen knocked on the door of Pentridge Prison in Melbourne to ask if she could visit the women inside. She was allowed in to spend time with the prisoners, listening to their stories and showing them kindness.She was invited back to do the same and it became her mission in life, becoming the founder of Prison Network, that has been going into prisons ever since.Today, the organisation is working with women in prison, running programs for them and wraparound services, like finding accommodation and employment, assisting them to break cycles of social disadvantage and other factors that land them back in gaol.Today we speak with CEO of prison network Amelia Pickering, and also Pattie Phillips who is someone who received support from Prison Network when she was incarcerated and now participates herself in the work of the organisation striving for dignity, hope, and purpose for women in and beyond prison. Explore:Prison Network website
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Why journalist Peter Hartcher won’t surrender to despair
Peter Hartcher joins Life & Faith to discuss his life in journalism and the precarious state of the world.Peter Hartcher is a leading Australian political and foreign affairs journalist. He has had a long career in the media, beginning with a cadetship at the Sydney Morning Herald fresh out of school in 1982. He is now the Political and International editor for the Herald and for The Age.He had a couple of stints in Tokyo and Washington and at the Australian Financial Review. He is the author of several books, the latest being, Red Zone: China’s Challenge and Australia’s Future.He’s won a number of awards for journalism including a Gold Walkley.Hartcher is known for his incisive commentary, his lively and engaging writing and his careful, sober but hard-hitting style. He hasn’t always been loved by politicians, which is no doubt part of the job description.In this conversation he talks about his career, the future of journalism, the perilous state of the world and why he won’t give in to despair. Explore: Books by Peter HartcherTo The Bitter End: The Dramatic Story of the Fall of John Howard and the Rise of Kevin Rudd (Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin), 2009.The Sweet Spot: How Australia Made Its Own Luck – And Could Now Throw It All Away (Black Inc.), 2011.Red Zone: China’s Challenge and Australia’s Future (Black Inc.), 2021
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The Art of Friendship
Sheridan Voysey, from Friendship Lab, explains why, in an age of increasing loneliness, the art of cultivating friendship is needed as much as ever before.When Sheridan Voysey was confronted with the question, “Who can you call at 2am when everything goes wrong?”, he realised that friendship was a facet of his life he had neglected for too long. This set him on a path to consider how we cultivate good friendships, how we can learn the skills required to be a good friend and maintain deep, rich friendships.He now runs the Friendship Lab, a movement and a course to help adults build the skills to create and sustain healthy friendships. Reflecting on ever-increasing loneliness, Sheridan recognised the need to help people develop skills in collecting more “2am friends”. This is an art you can get better at with the right help. Sheridan says that even those who enjoy great friendships can get better at them.What are the factors that help grow close friendships? What things get in the way of healthy, long-lasting friendships. How can we be better friends to those we are close to?Life & Faith delves into all of this with writer, speaker and broadcaster, Sheridan Voysey, along with a couple of groups of people with enduring and interesting friendships. ---EXPOLREFriendship LabSheridan Voysey's website
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Four Letters of Love: Niall Williams
Niall Williams discusses the conversion of his treasured novel into a major film starring Pierce Brosnan, Helena Bonham Carter and Gabriel Byrne.Four Letters of Love is the 1997 novel by Irish writer Niall Williams, and has just been adapted, by Williams, into a movie starring Pierce Brosnan, Helena Bonham Carter and Gabriel Byrne.Life & Faith speaks with Niall Williams about the film and the book. It’s a love story that offers up intriguing and provocative portraits of faith, loss, tragedy, meaning and God.The story itself engages with human longing, the notion of fate and calling and whether our lives have any pattern or purpose. How do we make sense of the vicissitudes of life? Is there a God behind it all? Can we still believe in miracles?Niall Williams is an Irish writer of novels, plays and works of non-fiction. Four letters of love was an international best-seller. The film is released July 2025.ExploreFour Letters of Love trailerFour Letters of Love novelNill Williams website
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Life shocks and how to survive them
Julia Verdouw used silence, faith and writing poetry to survive the sudden death of her husband.Julia is an accomplished academic and policy expert, but her book In the Valley of the Shadow may be her most important work. Through reflection, poetry and prayers, the book documents her journey of grief.Regardless of who we are or what we believe, suffering comes for us all. Perhaps the worst kind of suffering is the grief that we face when we lose someone we love. How can we navigate such immense loss and deep sorrow?In this episode, we explore Julia’s journey of finding comfort, strength, hope, and even redemption, through the deepest suffering.EXPLOREPurchase Julia’s book through her website
Growing up as the son of a diamond smuggler. The leaps of faith required for scientific discovery. An actress who hated Christians, then became one. Join us as we discover the surprising ways Christian faith interrogates and illuminates the world we live in.
Australia