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.  

Family heirlooms can be cherished, preserved, and lovingly passed on through generations.They can also be aggressively fought over.  What happens when your mum gifts an item that is deeply meaningful to you and your family to someone else's family!!??

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? 

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?

Australians are throwing away nearly 76 million tonnes of waste every year, much of which ends up in landfill. Around the country, it's getting more expensive to get rid of our rubbish and there are fewer places to dump it. So what do we do with all our waste? And how do we reduce the amount we produce in the first place?

We're told it's getting harder to raise kids, amid a cost of living crunch. But that isn't what the numbers show.  New research shows having kids is no more costly than it was a few decades ago ... so why does it feel that way?  And if you need to be frugal - where should you put your pennies? What's the best thing you can invest in?  

Where we get our power from is changing as more renewables feed into the energy grid. There's been a massive uptake of rooftop solar and the government has subsidies to encourage more households to buy batteries.  But if you rent or live in an apartment and can't put panels on the roof, you've largely been locked out of the benefits. That could change in part, as the federal government spruiks a new scheme to give millions of Australians a chance to get up to three hours of free electricity each day. So will the policy work? And how can we make sure the energy transition is fair and equitable? 

A new report out of Europe has shown that a few big name companies are creating children's toys that have harmful levels of chemicals on them. It's obviously not good news, but at this point is it even possible to avoid nasty chemicals that are already out there in the world, for us and our kids?

If you've been diagnosed with coeliac disease, skipping gluten isn't a trend – it's a medical must.  But for everyone else who swears they're "gluten sensitive" or "intolerant", is gluten really the villain it's made out to be? According to a new research review published in The Lancet, your gluten sensitivity could actually be something else entirely. So why do so many people feel better when they cut gluten from their diet?

Was your most picture-perfect holiday also your best holiday? Science says we tend to conflate the two.  So, why do perfect holiday photos make us feel we had a perfect holiday? 

There are plenty of benefits to power-assisted pedal bikes, or "e-bikes", they're great for commuting or touring a new town.  But not all e-bikes are created equal, some are so heavily modified they're basically motorbikes. One of the hardest things for parents to navigate is exactly what kind of e-bike might be safe for your child, and understanding the risks to their safety and others around them.

We're asking some notable readers to tell me about the book that changed their life. This week it's Formula 1 engineer and baking icon Kate Reid, and Kate's selection is inspired by one of her divergent career paths. 

The rise of apps linked to childcare centres gives crucial reassurance to worried parents that children are safe and happy at daycare. Throughout the day, educators snap pictures of activities and upload them to the app. But what happens to the pictures and sensitive documents accumulated over the years on these apps? Some parents, like Niels Wouters, are finding out that when your child graduates to big school, their data doesn't automatically go with them.

We trust the aged care system to care for our loved ones as if they were family. That's why the stories of abuse and neglect uncovered during the Aged Care Royal Commission were so heartbreaking. Four years on from its final report, one of the Commission's cornerstone reforms came into effect on Saturday: a new federal Aged Care Act. It's meant to streamline legislation and processes, and includes a new Statement of Rights designed to put people at the centre of the aged care system. So what are your rights in aged care? And do these changes bring us closer to a system we can trust to care for our parents ... and ourselves?

In Australian primary schools, many tuckshops are struggling, teachers are paying for kids' lunches out of their own pockets, and some public primary schools are hiring chefs. And yet, many kids are still going to school hungry and without lunch. So, why is lunch a growing challenge for Australian schools?

Author of the international bestseller The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living, Dr Russ Harris says ruminating, over-thinking and worrying can all be kinds of "suffering."  Dr Harris says evidence shows that with practice, anyone can rewire their neural paths and dramatically shift their thinking patterns.  

If the grandkids are over, it seems like you should be the ones setting the rules about screen-time, but what if the kids aren’t on board, and their parents aren’t either ?  

For many people, a trip to a national park involves loading up the car, then setting up a tent, grabbing drinks out of cooler ... and hoping you've remembered to pack the batteries for your torch. But increasingly, a national park experience can look very different: luxury lodges, glamping, catered dining, maybe at the end of the day... a relaxing shiraz in an actual glass. It's nature with luxury conveniences. And it's part of a growing trend that's seen national parks around the country used for permanent, private, and plush accommodation. This week the news broke that New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service has called for expressions of interest from businesses to provide "supported camping" in 16 national parks and reserves across the state. Details are scant, but the government says it'll be a service that provides fully set-up camping sites... for locals, and travellers from interstate and overseas. The parks include our most iconic like Kosciuszko and the Blue Mountains. So, is this a valuable source of revenue? Does it make our national parks more accessible? Or is this just privatising public space? NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service statement The Government is exploring new ways for more people to enjoy our incredible network of National Parks. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) invited Expressions of Interest submission from businesses who can offer optional camping equipment hire and set up service at 23 campgrounds across 16 national parks and reserves. We know camping gear can be a significant upfront cost for campers. Research tells us that in NSW around 10% of people have never camped before but are keen to try, drawn to travel and nature but lack the necessary equipment for a weekend camping. By offering a service that provides fully set-up camping gear, camping can be made more accessible, encourage more people to explore the outdoors and help them gain confidence. NPWS hopes to see many more families trying camping without having to invest in or store equipment. Supported camping will also allow travellers from interstate and overseas opportunities to camp, without having to bring all their gear with them, which is often impractical. Camping support services may include tent or caravan hire and or setup, equipment and bedding hire, and optional food and related offerings. Supported camping will operate side by side existing campsites. All campgrounds will remain open to the public, there will not be exclusive use of any campsite by a private operator. There are restrictions on the number of sites that can be used (in many locations the limit is two to five) and there are also some restrictions on timing (eg. not during school holidays). Having a variety of businesses operating within national parks is not new and has been occurring since 2009. Private businesses already offer guided tours and equipment hire, which sometimes include supported camping. There are currently 383 licensed operators. They book less than 1% of overnight stays and most of them are for school children participating in outdoor education programs. Revenue from this service is expected to be minimal (less than $30,000 per year) for national parks. Since 2023, NPWS has invested $42 million to upgrade, expand and build new campgrounds, including 18 new campgrounds and 36 upgrades.

Suzanne Somers was one of the biggest TV stars of the 1980s and 1990s... starring on sitcoms like Three's Company and Step by Step. She also made a name for herself marketing the iconic fitness gadget - the ThighMaster. Sadly, Suzanne died of cancer in 2023... but now her husband of 46 years has brought her back... kind of. Somers' widower Alan Hamel has created an AI clone of her ... saying when he sees the two of them side-by-side even he can't tell which is real and which is AI. Next, he plans to upload "her" ... to be a 24/7 AI chatbot for her fans.

The Bureau of Meteorology has revamped its website and to say that people have strong opinions is an understatement. Whether you like or loathe it, the flood of reactions shows how the weather means so much more to us than small talk.  So what is it about the weather... why are we so obsessed?