''Life Matters'' is a magazine-style radio program that has been broadcast on
Radio National
ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2.
...
by the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
since 1992. The first presenter was
Geraldine Doogue, and the program is presented Monday to Thursday by Tegan Taylor (replacing Hilary Harper) and by
Beverley Wang on Fridays. Covering a range of social and personal issues, it airs each weekday at 9a.m., and is repeated at 7p.m.
History
''Life Matters'' was devised in 1992 as "a program charting social change" by a trio consisting of Doogue (already an established and acclaimed broadcaster),
Norman Swan (general manager of Radio National at the time), and producer Joanne Upham. Doogue had been recruited to Radio National in 1991 to present ''Offspring'', a predecessor program to ''Life Matters'', after losing her passion for hard news following her high-profile recruitment by the ABC to work in news and current affairs including the launch of ''
The National'', the networks' contentious and unsuccessful remoulding of their evening television news and current affairs hour
Presenters
* Geraldine Doogue presented the program for eleven years from its inception.
*
Julie McCrossin
Julie Elizabeth McCrossin (born 2 October 1954) is an Australian radio broadcaster, journalist, comedian, political commentator and activist for women's and gay rights. She is best known for her role as a team captain on the news-based comedy ...
presented the program from 2002 to 2005.
*
Richard Aedy presented the program from 2006 to 2011.
*
Natasha Mitchell presented the program from 2012 to 2016.
*
Amanda Smith presented the program from 2017 to 2018.
* Hilary Harper and Michael Mackenzie presented the program from 2019
until Mackenzie's retirement in May 2022.
* , ''Life Matters'' is presented by Hilary Harper from Monday to Thursday and
Beverley Wang on Fridays.
* Tegan Taylor replaces Hillary Harper in presenting the show Monday to Thursday, with Beverley Wang continuing in the Friday broadcast role.
Format and description
''Life Matters'' covers a range of topics relating to
personal relationship
An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves emotional or physical closeness between people and may include sexual intimacy and feelings of romance or love. Intimate relationships are interdependent, and the member ...
s, health, financial and work issues, "and the world". It interviews experts and invites listeners to contribute by phoning in and sending text messages.
[ Throughout its history, the show has also had a rolling offering of special regular segments & feature series, with recent notable examples including ''Dated: Love Online After 50'', Hillary Harper's very personal five-part investigation of later-life searching for romance and relationship in the online era of dating apps (following the breakdown of her 20-year marriage), as well as ''Ask Aunty'', the programme's final Friday segment which takes a lighthearted examination of sometimes quirky, sometimes awkward social and personal dilemmas and presents one such case to invited guests (usually a duo) to examine and advise on, with the guests being a mix of comics, humourists, writers and relationship experts.][
]
References
External links
*{{official, https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/
Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio programs
1992 radio programme debuts
Australian talk radio programs