Blueprint For Living - Separate stories

An estimated 21 per cent of Australian households have experienced severe food insecurity in recent years, so is it time for a Ministry of Food?Liesel Spencer is an associate professor in the school of law at the University of Western Sydney who argues that Australia lags behind other comparable nations and it is time to act.

The National Herbarium of Victoria in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens holds an extraordinary number of specimens that tell remarkable tales.We hear about the gentle passions of botanical collector Eileen Ramsay from Alison Vaughan, manager of collections.

Stephanie Alexander has made an indelible mark on Australia's food culture. She makes her recipe for twice cooked soufflé as her last supper and reflects on the role food has played in her life.

Dr Sabina Andron is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Melbourne Centre for Cities at Melbourne University and one of the ABC's Top 5 Humanities scholars.She is the author of 'Urban Surfaces, Graffiti and the Right to the City' where she explores the role graffiti plays in our cities and why it is so maligned.

Nicola Twilley is co-host of the Gastropod podcast and the author of a new book, 'Frostbite - How refrigeration changed our food, our planet and ourselves'.She delves into the secrets of the 'cold chain', a little understood part of our food supply that has a fascinating history and has changed how we eat today.

Can better design save our city rivers? Kirsten Bauer is the global design director of Aspect Studios which has taken part in a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria which explores design visions for Melbourne's Birrarung/Yarra for 2070. 

Michael Colman is a horologist- a maker and repairer of watches and clocks.He welcomes us into his workshop to explore the world of keeping time.

Colin Bisset explores the iconic potential of the humble drawing pin.

Roger Leong, senior curator at the Powerhouse Museum, shares some of the treasures from the recently acquired David Jones archives.

Lauren Fuge is a science writer and traveller who explores what it is that drives us to traverse seas and continents. Her new book is Voyagers- our journey into the Anthropocene.