Áine speaks with Ingrid Roche, Senior Project Officer with the National Allergy Council, an Accredited Practising Dietitian with many years’ experience as a paediatric allergydietician working with lots of families with children who have been diagnosed with allergies.  

Ingrid shares about the results of a the "2023 needs analysis conducted by the Healthy Eating Advisory Service" which identified that cooks did not feel confident to modify menus to meet both nutritional and safety standards ... [resulting in] inconsistent food provision, and increased risk of allergen exposure." “The new national training program ... is helping long day care services across Australia respond to a growing need of how to manager food allergies while providing nutritious meals for children with diverse dietary requirements”.  Of the “1.3 million Australian children underthe age of 12 attending childcare services … an estimated 52,000 to 86,000 children are living with a food allergy.” This has highlighted the need for the 11 short practical training modules that have been developed “for cooks, chefs andeducators in early childhood education and care.”

Ingrid has "worked clinically with children and families with food allergy in her role as Senior Paediatric Dietitian in the Immunology Department at Perth Children’s Hospitalin Western Australia for 13 years and still works part time in her private practice.  Ingrid has been an active ASCIA member, serving as the Chair of the Dietitian Committee and leading the development of online training for dietitians, as well as an advanced face-to-face food allergy training course for dietitians which is a partnership between ASCIA and the Dietitians Association of Australia.  Ingrid has a strong interest in food allergen management in food service.  She was heavily involved in the development of the new menu and food service system at the new Perth Children’s Hospital."

Áine shares an interview with local emerging Canberra artist Elliott Fox.  Elliott migrated with his parents to Australia from Czechoslovakia as toddler.  Growing up, he always loved art creation, but chose to pursue studies that led him to a formal career in the Human Resources industry. 

Elliott shares his personal story of recovery and return to art after a mental health setback which dramatically altered his life path. His inspiring story and recovery parallels that of his rescue greyhound, Adam Barker who became his Muse and a fundamental force behind Elliott's art creation. Elliott is a staunch advocate for the abolition of GreyhoundRacing and passionate about supporting Greyhound re-homing.

Elliott is holding exhibitions across August and September 2025 in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to raise awareness on the devastating impact of racing on Greyhounds and to advocate for the abolition of Greyhound Racing.

To see more about Elliott or his work to support Greyhounds check out - https://share.google/images/KxQaSppq5xkZXqDil

It is National Homelessness Week in Australia from 4 - 10 August 2025. National Homelessness Week is a national week of awareness that shines a spotlight on the growing crisis of homelessness in Australia.Áine speaks with Shayne Herriott, Chief Operating Officer from Orange Sky about the latest research data on homelessness and how community members can better support those living with homelessness.

I speak with Jennifer Tierney, Executive Officer, Médcins San Frontières, Australia to hear directly of the dire situation in the Gaza Strip and the urgent need for action from global powers to stop the genocide of Palestinians. 

The deliberate starvation of babies, women, children, elderly and people with disabilities, daily shootings of those seeking food and water, have become a brutal occurrence.  After 22 months, MSF staff, and workers from other Aid organisations on the ground are also succumbing to malnutrition due to a lack of food, leaving them with a sense of hopelessness and the belief that the world has forgotten about them.

We discuss what ordinary people in Australia, who are finding the situation distressing, can do to help, what practical actions we can take to support MSF and those suffering in Gaza.

Áine has a wide-ranging conversation with CEO Greg Aldridge OAM, and Josh Hewitt of Everyman Canberra. Everyman does valuable work by providing support to men in the ACT and surrounding region who marginalised and experience high and complex needs.

Greg and Josh discuss the challenges of providing support to this cohort in a sector that is constantly underserviced and under-supported.

Our conversation also takes in the complexities for men living in a world that is constantly changing and more pressured than ever before. The #metoo movement and #Notallmen campaigns and work to prevent violence. How men define themselves, is very much down to the structural and community supports they have, and in being able to enact the very best versions of themselves.

Áine chats with local Canberra Artist and Musician, Michael Simic.  Michael is better known to some as Mikelangelo, front man of Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentleman, which was formed over 20 years ago with Phil Moriarty of The Gadfly’s fame and the late David Branson. 

After a three year hiatus the band are touring to commemorate the 20 year anniversary tour of their amazing album - Journey Through the Land of Shadows released in 2005 and all things BSG’s.

Áine speaks to Susi Tegen, CEO of the National Rural Health Alliance about the proposed changes to the NDIS travel allowance which will be introduced on 1st July 2025.

Service providers and people living with a disability in rural, regional and remote communities have expressed serious concerns around the potential impacts to the delivery of essential support services in their communities which already suffer from inequity in health care provision; a lack of access to local services and long travel times to seek appropriate health and disability care.

“Under the proposed changes, providers will face limits on the travel they can claim when supporting participants in harder-to-reach areas.  This poses a major threat to cliniciansworking in rural Australia [who are] assisting people with disability, where long-distance travel is a necessity, not a choice”.

Áine chats with former four-time Paralympian and medal-winning wheelchair basketball player Koen Jansens.  Originally from the Netherlands, Koen was born with spina bifida.  As a teenager he discovered wheelchair basketball, which led to an elite sporting career spanning over a decade.  He represented the Dutch national team at four Paralympic Games: winning gold in Barcelona (1992), silver in Sydney (2000), and competing in Atlanta (1996) andAthens (2004).

Now current President of the Manly Wheel Eagles, assistant coach and board member of Wheelchair Basketball Australia, Koen talks about the national wheelchair basketball league that tips off this weekend; how wheelchair basketball changed his life and the importance of access to exercise and sporting activities for people living with a disability.

Áine chats with Shaun Pianta, Disability & Inclusion Advocate, Paralympian, Motivational Speaker, Educator, Podcaster and Brand Ambassador for atWork Australia.

As a Paralympian Shaun defied his visual impairment to train in Para-alpine skiing to became a member of the Australian Para National team. He dedicated the next four years of his life to the sport and represented Australia at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in South Korea, competing in the men’s slalom and giant slalom visually impaired division.

Shaun shares his personal experience of seeking employment as a person with a disability post the games. He speaks of the importance of leadership in the workplace, of the value of creating systems which ensure diversity and equity as foundational principles of a successful organisation. Shaun also gives examples of how atWork Australia has identified workplaces that are inclusive and appropriate for people with a disability, and how they can assist those from diverse cultural backgrounds and abilities back into employment.

Áine speaks with Kate Colvin, CEO of Homelessness Australia to discuss the key findings from the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council’s ‘State of the Housing System 2025 report. 

“The report revealed households are under growing pressure, with increasing rental stress, and a sharp rise inpeople stuck in rental stress for over two years, and social housing as a proportion of all housing continuing to decline”. 

Kate discusses housing affordability, the need for urgent investment in social housing, greater funding and support homeless services and the factors underpinning the rise in mental distress and poor well-being of renters and the homeless.