The Conversation Hour

As Australia's love affair with big cars continues, how are we best placed to tackle on street parking congestion? Well, South Australia has proposed changes to planning legislation that would force developers to provide larger garages, so, in this edition of The Conversation Hour we ask whether we should we be doing the same in Victoria. Plus, President Trump has stated in his inauguration speech that it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders male and female — so how will this impact transgender rights here in Australia? And as Trump's 'meme coin' generates billions — what will a Trump presidency mean for crypto? Plus we get all the latest from the Australian Open.

New figures reveal school suspensions have skyrocketed across Victoria's state government primary and secondary schools, with almost 90 students a day so, how much does a suspension- tarnish you for life? What are the lifelong impacts of a suspension? TikTok is restoring services to the US after it went dark ahead of the ban — so what is the future of the app in America under Trump? Plus, is there a way to simplify superannuation? A new Grattan Institute report has proposed a three-pronged strategy which includes a government-backed annuity scheme. And we bring you all the latest from the tennis.

As elite athletes like Naomi Osaka break new ground for mums returning to sport after child birth — what does real support look like at both an elite and grass roots level? Plus, rising tennis star Destanee Aiava has recently spoken about her diagnosis of borderline disorder, The Conversation Hour looks a how much is really understood about the condition and what speaking about it publicly means for combating mental health stigma.Plus, as news breaks today about the ceasefire deal between Isreal and Hamas, we recap on what is known so far.

Global health leaders are calling for a new way of thinking about how obesity is defined, proposing two new categories, clinical obesity and pre-clinical obesity and moving beyond Body Mass Index as a key indicator. So, how will this change how we diagnose and treat the condition? And speaking of health, could making vitamins only available a pharmacies, assist people make more informed decisions about whether they need to take them. And we get the latest on the McCrae landside and preview day 4 at the Australian Open.

Australia's first national autism strategy was announced today,  so how effective will it be in creating more inclusive work places? It's day three of the AO so what does it take for the players to stay in the game? Plus, after the landslide in McCrae,  what needs to happen to safeguard coastal houses?

As Nick Kyrgios makes his return to The Australian Open tonight The Conversation Hour asks what he means for the game, plus how we are best placed to combat racism in sport more broadly. Richelle Hunt also speaks with Melbourne music producer Anthony Steep about living in Hollywood during the LA fires and we hear from research ecologist Jon Keeley on the how the Santa Ana winds are fuelling the fires. And later in the hour we explore the rise and rise of the beauty store.

While some fantasise about dropping everything and escaping to a remote destination, there are already so many Australians that are living that reality.

In this episode, The Conversation Hour team looks at conversation itself, and asks how we can enrich our interactions. 

With the year winding to a close, you might be planning to take time over summer to pack the car and hit the open road. 

We’ve all been watching food prices since they started to rise sharply in 2021, but In this program we focus on understanding why.