Quick Smart

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• When did all our clothes become plastic? (SUMMER SERIES) 13.01.2026 10min

  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.  -------- 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.
• Non-alcoholic drinks are wildly popular. What’s in them and are they healthy? (SUMMER SERIES) 06.01.2026 12min

  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 quick.smart@abc.net.au -------- 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.
• Feeling stuck? How to make big life decisions, minus the regret (SUMMER SERIES) 30.12.2025 11min

  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 quick.smart@abc.net.au if there's a story or topic you'd like us to cover. ------- 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 your childhood could be holding you back financially — and how to fix it (SUMMER SERIES) 23.12.2025 11min

  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 quick.smart@abc.net.au -------- 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.
• See You Next Tuesday? How the ‘worst word’ became a compliment (SUMMER SERIES) 16.12.2025 11min

  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 quick.smart@abc.net.au ------ 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.
• Where is all this asbestos coming from? 09.12.2025 9min

  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 quick.smart@abc.net.au
• Victoria is the first state to have a Treaty. What now? 02.12.2025 11min

  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?
• How to stop companies knowing everything about you 25.11.2025 11min

  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?
• What makes a cover song better than the original? 18.11.2025 10min

  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? 
• Why some politicians want us to feel 'ripped off' 11.11.2025 10min

  Democracy dates back to the ancient Greeks and is meant to give us a say on who’s in charge. But lately, some democratically elected leaders are acting more like kings than politicians. So, does democracy still work? And how do we stop “undemocratic” forces from manipulating us?
• Jane Austen wrote plenty of classics, but do we really need to read them? 04.11.2025 12min

  From a muddling Mr Darcy to Clueless diva Cher Horowitz, some of the most iconic characters in books, films and TV were conceived by Jane Austen — or based on her works. So, who was she, really? And what makes her classics... classic?
• Why Google’s entering its AI era, and what it means for all of us 28.10.2025 10min

  Google gets billions of searches every day. But now, the tech giant wants to be AI-fuelled “answer engine”, rather than a gateway to other sites. It poses a massive threat to journalism, but it’ll also affect the information we see and don’t see. 
• Australia desperately needs more organs. Could pigs be our saviour? 21.10.2025 10min

  If you needed a life-saving transplant, would you take a gene-edited organ from a pig? It sounds like science fiction, but this procedure has been researched for decades, and it could help solve the massive organ shortage. But is it ethical to use animals for their parts? And are there other risks? 
• Why your partner’s religious beliefs don’t matter as much as they used to 14.10.2025 12min

  A Catholic and a Satanist walked into a bar ... and managed to fall in love? During the past two decades, more of us have become non-religious, but we’re also increasingly up for dating and marrying across the spiritual divide. So, how do interfaith couples make it work? And what can we learn from them?
• Our last soft plastic recycling scheme flopped. Could a new one work? 07.10.2025 11min

  Remember when you could drop off soft plastics at the supermarket and feel a little smug, because you knew they’d be recycled? Turns out that scheme was secretly stockpiling rubbish, not recycling it. So, why are soft plastics harder to recycle? And will a new scheme actually work? 
• How a Pokémon-loving teen became the first millennial saint 30.09.2025 12min

  When you think of a saint, who do you picture? Chances are it’s not a tracksuit-wearing, video game playing teen, but that's exactly who the Catholic Church canonised recently. So, why was Carlo Acutis special? What miracles did he perform? And could his sainthood help drive younger people back to religion? 
• Who is Charlie Kirk? And why is Trump calling him a Christian "martyr"? 23.09.2025 11min

  At a stadium in Arizona, 63,000 people gathered to remember Charlie Kirk. Among them was President Donald Trump, who called the controversial right-wing figure a “martyr”. Who exactly was Kirk? Are politicians weaponising his death to crack down on their opposition?
• Nuns, crosses and exorcisms. Why horror films love religious imagery 16.09.2025 10min

  While cinemas struggle to fill seats, horror films are bringing in billions. So, why do we enjoy being scared? And how come horror flicks are filled with nuns, crosses and other Christian imagery? --------  If you liked this chat, send it to the cinema buff in your life. You might also enjoy our eps on how cults are being targeted with coercive control laws and why certain female body parts are named after shady, white men.   Plus, check out Anna Levy’s article about religion in horror films.
• How to deal with family or friends who hold extreme beliefs 09.09.2025 12min

  From the sovereign citizen movement to vaccine conspiracy theories, extreme beliefs are on the rise, and they can make family gatherings super uncomfortable. Why do sensible people fall for irrational ideas? And can we challenge these ideas without alienating the people who hold them?
• Too much stuff? How to get on top of your clutter 02.09.2025 11min

  Love decluttering videos, but hate home organising in real life? Too much stuff can make us feel stressed, but parting with objects isn't always easy. This week, what your clutter says about you, and how you can get on top of it.