Life Matters

About Us

Life Matters is a unique daily interview program about social change and day-to-day life. Richard Aedy talks with the main people behind our social policies—from workplace reform to education, health, family relationships, and social change. Specialist producers monitor developments in these fields to bring you the most up-to-date information, as well as personal stories which will move and inspire you.

Life Matters' perspective is from the ground up. It's practical and down to earth, and offers regular opportunities for listeners to contribute their opinions and ideas on the big social debates.

Richard Aedy

Richard Aedy grew up in Sydney and Canberra but has spent most of his adult life overseas. He has been a journalist since 1988, when he completed his studies for a Diploma in Journalism at the Auckland Technical Institute in New Zealand. Despite more than 17 years in journalism, Richard still finds himself interested in 'almost everything'.

He began his career across the Tasman with Independent Radio News and later Radio New Zealand before moving to the UK. He spent five years in London—most of that time with the BBC—where he was an award-winning program maker. Richard joined Radio National in 1998, firstly as executive producer of radio science before returning to broadcasting.

Richard's appetite for a broad range of issues is reflected by his on-air career with ABC Radio National: in 2001 he presented the technology show, The Buzz, before becoming host of the Media Report in 2005. Towards the end of that year he stood in as presenter of Life Matters after Julie McCrossin left the program. In between all that, he was invited to spend three months at Oxford University in 2004 as the ABC's Reuters Foundation Programme Fellow—he wrote a paper on Preventing State Failure in Papua New Guinea.

Richard has a large family, including four sisters, nine nieces and nephews, a formidable mother and a wife who is brighter than he is. He also has two young children who routinely outwit him. With only one television in the house, Richard does not get to watch nearly enough sport.

Regular Contributors

Elly Varrenti has worked in the arts for over 20 years across a number of areas including education, performance, writing and the media. For the past 10 years she has been a freelance radio broadcaster for Melbourne ABC 774 and Radio National.

Elly has been a drama and performance teacher in a number of places including secondary colleges, drama schools, universities and TAFE colleges.

As director and script editor she has undertaken a number of theatre projects, including a year-long assistant-directorship with the Melbourne Theatre Company.

She has contributed a short story to a Penguin anthology about love, due for release in November 2007, and her first book of non-fiction, also published by Penguin and inspired by the pieces she has written for ABC Radio National’s Life Matters, is due for publication in May 2008.

Elly has a five-year-old son, Ernie, and while dividing her time between teaching, writing and mothering, she has yet to perfect the mythical life-work balance.