Bryan Lipmann  has been named the 2026 Senior Australian of the Year for Victoria and in this edition of The Conversation Hour he speaks with Justin Smith about his work advocating for homeless older people. 

Also in this edition former premier of Victoria Steve Bracks, shares his reflections on the Whitlam dismissal in the lead up to the 50th anniversary, plus we also talk music memoirs and why local content quotas on streaming platforms matter.

In a housing crisis the idea of holiday home has become something of a dirty word, and comes with a presumption of privilege. In this edition of The Conversation Hour we explore what role the holiday home has played in Australia culture and whether it is really fair to assume they are only for the wealthy.

Also in this edition, how the plastics industry made the burden of recycling a consumer issue, are we more vulnerable to advertising at Christmas time plus, how good are you at recognising a face in a crowd.

In this edition of The Conversation Hour we learn about the 2025 Foodbank Hunger Report, talk the come back of Race Around the World and ask do magazines for teenagers still matter? 

A couple of months ago the car company introduced a so called 'semi-autonomous' driving feature upgrade here in Australia. They call it 'supervised' self-driving. In this edition of The Conversation Hour we explore how this feature works what sort of policy needs to be introduced to make sure it is safe.

Also in this edition, we celebrate 50 years of Bohemian Rhapsody, how to use your own body weight to get fit, plus what does it mean to coexist safely with crocodiles.

As tech companies launch live translation features, in this edition of The Conversation Hour we explore how much it influence our motivation to learn new languages and discuss how much we can really rely on the accuracy of the translations.

Also in this edition a new study that looks at the experiences of young people caring for parents with early onset dementia, plus is it becoming just too expensive to be a bridesmaid?

A new Aged Care Act is coming in November.In this special edition of The Conversation we explore how the act will affect you and the people you love. 

A recent report by the University College London's Institute of Education has looked at the role of sport in improves the academic performance of young people. In this edition in The Conversation Hour we discuss what makes a good PE teacher and the importance of the role in schools.

Also in this program, an exploration of the breakup album off the back of Lily Allen's much talked about album West End Girl, and just how prevalent is hostile architecture in Victoria.

The Victorian government has announced it's reopening Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre, in this edition of The Conversation Hour we explore what role schools can play in preventing at risk young people entering the justice system. Research suggests that students who have been suspended or expelled from school are likely to go on to have contact with the criminal justice system. So, should we be investing in schools and not jails?

Also in this edition, why San Remo locals are worried about the wombat population, plus how farmers are using celebrities  to ensure the survival of their industry. 

Have you noticed that on some cars it is hard to tell the indicator is on or the brake lights are working? As more care designers are getting creative with the lights, from the shape to the way they move in this edition of the Conversation Hour we ask whether lights on a car should be off limits and purely for safety.

Also in this edition, a new study that looks how fast our brain decides on the food we consume, plus the Australian Masters Games have wrapped for another year and find out about a sport that derives from Victoria that made its debut this year.

There are new guidelines on what to eat and drink if you have chronic constipation, in this edition of The Conversation Hour we speak with a gastroenterologist about the new guidelines as well as how to reduce stigma about the condition. 

Also in this edition, we talk citizen science, why wool is a good fibre for sportswear plus dating in later life.