Australia buys more clothes per person than any other country and most of it is made up of plastic. Thanks to fast fashion, even our op shops are becoming flooded with these polyester products.

So, when did we start wearing plastic? And why did it take over the fashion industry?

Guest: Anna Levy, ABC journo.

Anna Levy’s article on the rise of not-so-fantastic plastic fashion can be found here. 

And if you’re into environmental issues and solving them in small but meaningful ways, check out our episode on overtourism. 

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You’re listening to Quick Smart's summer season. We’ll return with fresh episodes next year, but in the meantime please enjoy our special curation for the holidays. This episode originally aired on 28th Jan, 2025.

Australians love to crack open a ‘cold one’, but increasingly we’re turning to non-alcoholic beers, wines and spirits. How did NoLo drinks become so popular? What’s actually in them? And are they healthier than their boozy counterparts?

Guest: Jacinta Bowler, ABC science reporter 

If you’re into the science of what we eat and drink, check out our episode on the influx of random chip flavours or why the alt right is obsessed with eating meat. 

Read Jacinta’s article on no and low-alcohol drinks here.

If you have something you'd like to see covered on Quick Smart, let us know at [email protected]

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You’re listening to Quick Smart's summer season. We’ll return with fresh episodes next year, but in the meantime please enjoy our special curation for the holidays. This episode originally aired on 25th Feb, 2025.

Do you struggle with making big life decisions? Maybe it's moving overseas, quitting your job or deciding to have a baby. This week, how to ditch analysis paralysis and make a life-changing choice.

Guest: Sana Qadar, host of All in the Mind.

If you liked this chat, check out our episode on what makes someone an introvert or an extrovert. Sana also has a longer All in the Mind episode about how to decide when you can’t decide.

Drop us a line at [email protected] if there's a story or topic you'd like us to cover.

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You’re listening to Quick Smart's summer season. We’ll return with fresh episodes next year, but in the meantime please enjoy our special curation for the holidays. This episode originally aired on 1st April, 2025.

Why do some people save every spare dollar, while others blow through their pay the moment it lands? It might have less to do with discipline and more to do with the way you were raised.

Guest: Emily Stewart, ABC business reporter and author of Sensible Money

If this episode has you feeling *triggered*, you can sign up to Emily’s handy money newsletter here (you're looking for Your Money Explained next to a picture of Emily). You might also like our previous chat about how to survive the cost of living crisis.  

And if there are any topics you’d love us to cover, get in touch at [email protected]

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You’re listening to Quick Smart's summer season. We’ll return with fresh episodes next year, but in the meantime please enjoy our special curation for the holidays. This episode originally aired on 17th June, 2025.

When many of us were growing up, the c-word was the worst thing you could say. Now, it’s having a renaissance. How has an "offensive and hateful” term transformed into a compliment? And why are drag queens, actors and K-pop girlies at the forefront of reclaiming "See You Next Tuesday”?

Guest: Virginia Trioli, host of Creative Types on ABC TV and iview.

Check out Virginia’s article on how the the c-word is being reclaimed by women in pop culture here.

If you liked this chat, you might also enjoy our episodes on how teenage girls are shaping our vocabulary or whether Stockholm Syndrome a sexist myth.

If there's a story or topic you'd like us to cover, drop us a line at [email protected]

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You’re listening to Quick Smart's summer season. We’ll return with fresh episodes next year, but in the meantime please enjoy our special curation for the holidays. This episode originally aired on 15th April, 2025.

It feels like asbestos has been having more than it's fair share of limelight over the last few years. But it's manufacture, sale and import was banned in Australia in 2003. So, where is it coming from?

Guest: Angelique Donnellan, reporter for ABC's 7:30 program.---------

If you liked this chat, you might also like our episode about whether Australia has a problem with class.

You can find Angelique's articles about her investigations here.

Thanks to my producer Jessie Kay. Drop us a line at [email protected]

The ABC's biggest investigative true crime podcast Unravel has just dropped their new season, Huntsman, and it's already rocketing up the podcast charts.

You might remember when former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn was convicted of murder in the High Country. The story made headlines when Lynn admitted to burning the campers' bodies to cover his tracks.

But behind the scenes, people who knew him years ago began talking and sending messages.

It sparked an ABC investigation that uncovered the full story of his dark past and his abusive relationship with his first wife, Lisa Lynn, which ended in tragedy.

In this new season, investigative reporter Rachael Brown uncovers the details of Greg Lynn's former life and the fear and damage he left behind him in the suburbs.

You can find the podcast on ABC listen, or search for Unravel: Huntsman wherever you get your podcasts.

The Victorian government has signed into law a historic Treaty with First Nations people. It’s supposed to help fix the effects of institutional harm. So, what will actually change?

Our personal data can be used to manipulate the prices we see, the disinformation we believe, and sometimes even who we vote for. So, how much does the internet know about you?

From pub bands and street buskers to TikTok-ing teens, the world is full of music covers. Some are admirable, others are average. Yet every so often, an artist will release a cover that flips a song on its head. So, why are we drawn to making the old new again?