Áine speaks with Professor Jongenelis, senior author and Co-Convenor of the Public Health Association of Australia’s, Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Special Interest Group about a new study recently published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

The study ‘A day in the life: An ecological momentary assessment of people’s experiences with vaping’, was led by the University of Melbourne using qualitative research strategies together data and better understand peoples vaping experiences and the factors which contribute to the use of vaping. The findings will be used to inform policy development and in developing effective interventions to reduce harm and support users.

Professor Jongenelis is a Clinical Psychologist with expertise in health promotion, intervention development and evaluation, and behavioural science. She works across multiple and diverse health-related behaviours including alcohol and tobacco control, nutrition, physical activity, and sun protection. Michelle is on the Board of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health; co-convene the Public Health Association of Australia’s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs SIG; am Deputy Convener of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand’s Tobacco and Other Substances SIG; and am a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations' Tobacco Control Working Group.

Áine spoke with Fred Smith OAM, acclaimed Canberra-based folk musician, author, diplomat and storyteller prior to his performances at the Australian War Memorial on the 15th August which coincided with the 5 year anniversary of the Fall of Kabul in Afghanistan in 2021. “The show combines the iconic ballads of Henry Lawson, Eric Bogle and John Schumann with songs written by Fred when meeting Australian troops in southern Afghanistan”.

We discuss the importance of remembrance, commemoration, sharing music and stories, and how recollecting together may aid in recovery from individual or collective trauma. The show is very moving and may help veterans and their families to come to terms with aspects of their service.

Fred is touring the country in coming months sharing his songs and stories at a variety of venues and festivals including Maleny and Bundanoon. For further information on dates go to https://fredsmith.com.au/

Áine chats with Ben Fioramonte about the recently released report ‘No Child Left Out – Designing Thriving Kids for a Diverse Australia’ and the role of SSI in partnership with the National Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Reform Committee (NCDRC) in the research. Ben shared that the “NCDRC was established in response to a recognised need for a collective and coordinated approach to inform disability reform impacting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. The committee brings together a wide network of services, peak bodies and community organisations who work closely with culturally diverse communities to provide collaborative input to disability service reforms”.

He discussed the many barriers faced by people of diverse linguistic backgrounds when seeking supports, especially for children and family members who live with disabilities, and the ways in which state, territory and federal government and community can co-design solutions together.

Áine chats with Dr Piers Gooding, newly appointed Director of the La Trobe Mental Health and Disability Law Centre about his recently published international review. The co-authored paper published in The Lancet, reviewed “350 research papers across 35 years, finding a persistent gap between global human rights commitments and the lived reality experienced by people with psychosis in low and middle-income countries”.

Piers shared, that human rights abuses and violations may include confinement, systemic discrimination and coercive practices including seclusion and restraint.

Piers stated that “advancing the rights of people with psychosis requires coordinated legislative, policy and community-based action to align national laws with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disability (UN CRPD), to end discrimination and coercion, strengthen community inclusion and promote access and investment in universal health care”.

Dr Piers Gooding is a leading national and international expert on mental health, and disability law and policy. He is author of ‘A New Era for Mental Health Law and Policy: Supported Decision-Making and the UN Convention on the Rights of People with a Disabilities’ (Cambridge University Press, 2017).

Áine chats with Juliana Nkrumah AM to discuss the early findings from the RISE Project, how the project came about and some of the key outcomes for Settlement Services International (SSI), its partner organisations and the women who participated.

RISE stands for Realise, Inspire, Support, Energise, and was a “four-year initiative working with 25 organisations across Australia to break down systemic barriers and expand leadership pathways for CARM women. The project was led by Diversity Council Australia (DCA), Settlement Services International (SSI) and Chief Executive Women (CEW), with funding from the Australian government Office for Women”.

Juliana Nkrumah AM is the Manager, Gender Equality and Women's Safety at Settlement Services International (SSI). Originally from Ghana, Juliana is passionate about training and community engagement on women's human rights and gender-based violence, but also women's empowerment. She was awarded a membership of the Order of Australia in 2013 and was winner of the Human Rights medal in 2023 for her work in advocating on gender-based social justice and human rights.

Áine chats with well-known Canberra musicians and performers, Moya Simpson and John Shortis about their long performance history, music projects and how singing, creativity and humour can improve well-being.

John and Moya have been honing their storytelling and particular political satire and cabaret artistry since the early 90’s.

Moya is well known for her love of world music, vocal workshops; Canberra-based choirs Worldly Goods and Can Belto; and her solo shows ‘Close Your Eyes and Think of England’ and ‘Yodel Lady’ amongst other projects and collaborations with local and national artists and musicians.

John, a former school teacher has worked as a composer, musician, song and script writer, and has a passion for research having held fellowships to the National Library of Australia and the Museum of Australian Democracy.

Together John and Moya, through their original and collaborative projects have engaged and brought people together through music and song. Their most recent performance ‘Off the Cuff’ at Smiths Alternative in Canberra, was on Sunday the 21st June 2026, showcased their individual and combined talents. John and Moya have a website and regular newsletter to keep fans up-to-date on their musical adventures.

Áine speaks with Professor Ludmila Stern founder of the Master of Interpreting and Translation in Interpreting and Translation Studies at UNSW - a professional program endorsed by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).  Professor Sternhas played a key role in shaping translation and interpreting education in Australia over the past 20 years. Professor Stern discusses whether AI has a role in professional translating services; the ethical and practical considerations, especially in specialised translation in court systems, health and mental health settings and whether human expertise till matters.

Professor Stern's "main research area is currently in the field of interpreting studies". She" examines interpreter-mediated communication in complex legal/courtroom settings, including those of war trials in national and international courts". She is "particularly interested in the role of interpretation users - judicial officers and lawyers. This includes research on interpreting practices during the Australian War Crimes Prosecutions (1986-1993) and international courts and tribunals, such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Court (ICC)". She is "the Lead investigator of the ARC Linkage project Communication between judicial officers and court interpreters: Implications for access to justice https://research.unsw.edu.au/projects/access-justice-interpreted-proceedings. I also work on the project Interpreting in War Crimes Trials. From the Nuremberg Trials to the International Criminal Court".

Áine chats with local Canberra volunteer and businesswoman, Rosemary Dupont, about the theme for National Volunteering Week 2026 – “Your Year to Volunteer.”  Rosemary shares her personal experience of volunteering and why formal and informal volunteering is so important to our communities and well-being.

Statistics - According to Volunteering Australia -

* Volunteering remains essential to Australian communities, with millions of Australians continuing to contribute despite rising cost-of-living pressures and increasing demand for support services;

* New data shows that 9.5 million people volunteered in Australia in 2025, in either formal or informal volunteering or both.

In light of the recent announcements about cuts to the NDIS and the use of algorithmic assessment tools, Áine chats with Dr Georgia Van Toorn to unpack and explain in plain language what algorithms are; how they are created; and how they are being used in health and disability assessments. 

What is good governance?  Do ethics and ethicalframeworks have a role in ensuring safety and good outcomes for the health of citizens, especially those most vulnerable in our communities?  What is the future of AI and how is it best used?

Dr Van Toorn is a senior lecturer at the School of Social Sciences at the UNSW, and an associate investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making and Society.  Her research explores the growing impacts ofdata analytics and algorithmic decision-making in the public sector, with a particular focus on disability and social justice.

Áine speaks with Jarrod Sandell-Hay from PWDA following on from the Australian Federal Minister Mark Butler’s announcement on Wednesday 22nd April 2026 of the government’s plans to make huge cuts to NDIS spending and exit 160,000 participants from the program.

How will these huge changes affect people with disability and their families? What are they most concerned about? What supports are currently available in the community? With huge unmet need, what will this mean to people living with disability and their families into the future?

Jarrod is a disability communication specialist now working in policy and advocacy to strengthen the person-centred process, and to provide advice on NDIS reforms and systems change from the lived experience.