Radio National Breakfast

The algal bloom that spread through the ocean around Australia earlier this year had devastating impacts on marine ecosystems and coastal communities... with the effects felt especially hard around South Australia.

But things might be turning a corner, with beach goers around Adelaide starting to notice improvements in water quality and sea life.

• Guest: Andy Burrell, Local diver
• Producer: Clare O'Halloran 

As yachts prepare to set sail in the Sydney Hobart race this afternoon there are a few milestones to celebrate

Christmas makes a return to Bethlehem after being cancelled following the escalation of the war in Gaza in 2023.

The season of giving is coming to a close but the season of spending is far from over with a record 1.6 billion dollars expected to flow through cash registers today during the Boxing Day sales.

With Australians losing millions to shopping scams this year, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and consumer advocates are warning shoppers to be on the look out for dodgy deals and online scams.

• Guest: Jeannie Paterson, Professor of Law at the University of Melbourne
• Producer: Grace Stranger

A seasonal lineup of stories from the ABC Religion and Ethics team.

People leave their country of birth for many reasons, and often their religion plays a role in why and where they go - we explore some recent trends. Also, is it such a bad thing to invest all one's meaning and identity into work?

For millennia, humans have revered whales as spiritual ancestors and harbingers of fortune and protection; how soil is more than just dirt; whatever happened to decency in politics; and the Catholic faith of the man who wrote the leading judgement in the landmark 1992 Mabo decision.

The ancient religious significance of body modification in Judaism and Sikhism; a chat with Australian music legend John Butler; the past, present and future of Christmas carols.

A summer exhibition at the Bundanon Art Museum in New South Wales is aiming to tell the story of the women behind Arthur Boyd.

It's focusing on the women who encouraged him to become an artist as well as the generations of female artists that came after him.

The exhibition is 'The Hidden Line: Art of the Boyd Women'.

Vice-Chancellor of Canberra University, Bill Shorten shares his summer reading list with Barbara Miller.

Summer list:

• Principles for Dealing with The Changing World Order - Ray Dalio
• The Proving Ground - Michael Connelly 
• The Map That Changed The World - Simon Winchester 
• The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind - Simon Winchester
• The Golden Road- William Dalrymple