How to consume ethically, and will our coastline look very different in a decade's time?
Would you give up Christmas presents? Or are you like many of us and associate what you spend, with how much you care? There's been a backlash against over-consumption, so why do we still go wild at Christmas? And how can we untangle ourselves from the cycle of holiday spending? Steph Thompson went on a no-buy challenge, Daniel Kiely is an economist at Curtin University and Dr Paul Harrison is head of consumer behaviour at Deakin University.Picture your favourite Australian beach. Imagine a headland, the fish & chip shop, sun-worshippers, beach flags snapping in the wind ... and that surf club standing guard by the shore. That view - that classic image of the Australian coast - is in trouble. Eroding dunes. Crumbling cliffs. Clubhouses teetering on the edge. Coastal erosion is quickly reshaping Australia's iconic coastline. So what can be done? Glenn Arnold is the President of Inverloch Surf Life Saving Club, Steven Pearce is the CEO of Surf Life Saving New South Wales, and  Prof. David Kennedy is a coastal geomorphologist at the University of Melbourne.You've probably seen BMX dirt jumps popping up in parks or empty lots ... built by the riders themselves, for the riders. It's creative, social, and physical… but it's also what gets them into trouble, as councils across the country crack down on these DIY tracks. New research shows that it's this activity that takes place outside of organised sport that can be really beneficial. So if we're pushing teens off their screens, don't we owe them real-world spaces where they can actually build something ... together? Julie Ritchey is a Brisbane mum who spearheaded a local protest to protect DIY BMX jumps in her neighbourhood and Dr Dave Camilleri is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Melbourne.
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Illicit tobacco's impact on smoking, and who wants to be a trillionaire?
Last week police and health inspectors shut down two illicit tobacco stores in Sydney... the first to be closed under new state laws targeting illegal tobacco. Which is big business -- organised crime is making about $10 billion a year from it, and it comprises half of the products sold to the country's 2.7 million smokers. Meanwhile, the legal sale of cigarettes has slowed. So what impact is this having on Australia's smoking rates... and your local community? And if the goal is fewer smokers and a healthier population... are we still on the right track. Anita Dessaix is the Chair of Cancer Council Australia's Public Health Committee, Dr Raglan Maddox is an Associate Professor at the Tobacco Free team at Australian National University, and Theo Foukkare is CEO of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores.Tesla shareholders have approved a record-breaking pay package for Elon Musk, a deal that could make the world's richest man the first person in history to become a trillionaire. So how did we get to a place where one person can accumulate so much wealth? And why is the gap widening between the world's richest and the rest of us? Carl Rhodes, Professor of Business and Society at the University of Technology Sydney and author of Stinking Rich: The Four Myths of the Good Billionaire.When you're stuck in a lift ... or waiting for a meeting to start, what's your go-to "small talk" opener? "Wow, it's hot today." "How was the traffic on the way here?" "Did you find somewhere to park?" Why do we even make small talk? And what happens if you just ... stop? Psychologist Christine Bagley-Jones offers a deep-dive on small talk.
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Bringing down the house, and avoiding subscription traps
What would it take for home owners to let go of the idea of their house as a financial asset, and to re-think what owning a home means? One Australian capital city is bucking the trend of skyrocketing house prices. While investors groan, should we actually be celebrating this? How can we share the wealth around? Michael Fotheringham is CEO of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and Gavin Jackman is a Homes for Homes adviser.Keeping track of your subscriptions can feel like a full-time job.From streaming services to gym memberships, toilet paper deliveries and even cars that come with in-app purchases just to turn on heated seats — it's starting to feel like we're subscribed to everything, but actually own nothing.So how do we steer clear of subscription traps? Are consumer protections keeping up? And are we heading towards a future where ownership is a thing of the past? Chandni Gupta is Deputy CEO and Digital Policy Director at the Consumer Policy Research Centre and Kirsten Drysdale is an independent journalist and host of YouTube channel The Internet, Reviewed.Many schools don't offer swimming lessons. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they were cancelled altogether - and lots of kids never went back. Now advocates say teenagers need a refresher course. They are calling for older children to get back to swimming lessons - amid a spike in downing deaths in people between 10 and 20 years of age. Dr Justin Scarr is the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Life Saving and Julie Zancanaro is a swimming instructor.
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Talking about consent, and what happens when a family heirloom is offered to someone else?
We often think about consent as something related to sex, but consent plays a role in many everyday encounters. Talking to your kids about consent can be anxiety-inducing. What can be even harder is having that conversation with your parents, in-laws, uncles and aunts. But, with consent education becoming mandatory around the country, there are strategies parents can learn if they want to bring those lessons back to home-base. Jane Gilmore is a journalist, researcher and author of It Takes A Village To Teach Your Children About Consent and Vanessa Hamilton is a sexuality educator, registered sexual health nurse and author of Talking Sex: A Conversation Guide For Parents.
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What to do when landfill runs out, and do organ recipients owe a debt of gratitude?
Around the country, it's getting more expensive to get rid of rubbish... and there are fewer places to dump it. It is a warning the waste industry has voiced for a decade, but for many councils, the reality is about to hit. On the Gold Coast, rubbish tips will be exhausted within a decade ... it's a similar story across Australia. So ... when the landfill runs out ... what do we do with all our waste? And how do we reduce the amount we produce in the first place? Rick Ralph is CEO of the Australian Resources Recovery Council and Professor John Thwaites is the Chair of the Monash Sustainable Development Institute and Former Chair of the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group.At any given time there are 1,850 people waiting for a life changing organ transplant in Australia. What's it like to navigate the donation process? And what does it take to convince someone to make a donation that not only changes someone else's life, but theirs as well Rechelle Coombes is on waitlist for a pancreas and kidney transplant and Chris Thomas is CEO of Transplant Australia.The Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, especially for Chris Martin's family. The Coldplay frontman's daughter recently sung at a gig in Nashville - and reviews have been mixed.  So, is this an example of privilege and nepotism, or is Apple just following a time-honoured tradition ... and inheriting the family trade? Dan Woodman is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Melbourne.
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