Open House Interviews

After seeing the effects of Alzheimer's Disease on her grandmother, Associate Professor Muireann Irish from the University of Sydney developed a passion to explore the links between brain response and music for patients of dementia.

Catholic theologian Reverend Dr Michael Trainor, has a wide ranging conversation on Open House about Catholic belief and practice. He believes Protestantism has given Catholics many gifts and Catholics should receive them with an open heart.

Bruce Baird, the former Liberal MP who has opened doors for Scott Morrison, chats about the new PM, his faith, and his tough stance on refugees.

Professor John Warhurst, Emeritus Professor of politics from ANU and regular commentator talks Open House through the change of federal leadership.

With a new Prime Minister in Canberra what sort of leadership values should we expect from a man who is so publicly and avowedly Christian? On Open House, author and theologian, Brian Harris, outlined the five 'S' qualities of Christian leadership.

Charlie Duke, 10th astronaut to walk on the Moon, speaks to Sheridan Voysey House about his experiences in space, and his Christian faith.

John Smith, legendary Australian minister, commentator, activist and founder of the God’s Squad Motorcycle Club has died after a long battle with cancer.

People are more likely to believe a true or false claim if it is paired with a photograph, a researcher from The Australian National University (ANU) has found. Dr Eryn Newman, from the ANU Research School of Psychology, has been finding out how people find truth in a fake-news era.

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) are one of the busiest airlines in the world. A Christian registered charity they go where others, quite literally, fear to tread. Ian McDougall from MAF Australia Group told Open House about the incredible work the organisation do in remote an isolated locations in Australia and around the world.

Do you feel like you are barely holding on? Let the golden thread of God's presence be the calm on the other side of chaos. It could be that He is weaving a brilliant new beginning in the middle of your mess. Darlene Zschech spoke on Open House about her new book, 'The Golden Thread - Experiencing God's presence in every season of life."

Listen: Kevin Andrews in conversation with Stephen O’Doherty. A parliamentary inquiry has recommended that more be done to deter organ trafficking in Australia …

Oxygen is expensive and a scarce resource for health facilities in the developing world. By training staff in identifying the sick children who need oxygen the most, a Melbourne doctor has helped Nigerian hospitals halve the number of children dying from pneumonia. Paediatrician Hamish Graham, spoke to Open House about the award he has been given for his work and his vision to see oxygen available to every child in the world who needs it.

120 of the world’s best soil, health and agricultural scientists met recently in Sydney at a Global Soil Security conference. The scientists looked at how we can secure our soil for the centuries ahead while still feeding the billions of people on the planet. Professor Cristine Morgan, Professor of Soil Science, Texas A&M University was our guest on Open House.

Professor Tormey, from the University of Sydney, is an expert on European politics and populism. On Open House, he took us through the troubles facing French President, Emmanuel Macron, the bitter EU - UK divorce and why voters believe the empty promises of populist politicians. We even managed to get his opinion on happenings in Canberra, confirming for Professor Tormey just why he doesn't follow Australian politics.

The songs of Blue Whales are changing and that is not good news. Scientists think the change is yet another sign of the impact of climate change on our environment. Researcher Dr Emmannelle Leroy explains why on Open House.

Adoption raises many sensitivities and concerns but it's time to talk about it. There are changes coming to adoption law in New South Wales and moves to make state laws more consistent across Australia. Two of Anglicare NSW's most experienced staff, Liz Byrne and Sue Madden, talked us through the current thinking on adoption and some touching personal insights into what it means for a child to have a family they know they will be with forever.

After getting hit by a huge dust storm Open House got to wondering where all that soil actually came from. Emeritus Academic in soil science from ANU, Dr Richard Green told us it is another sign the drought is very serious.

A national risk assessment has suggested platypus declines of up to 30% across its range since European settlement, with localised declines and extinctions increasingly reported. “We have great concerns about the future survival of this unique species,” says project leader Professor Richard Kingsford.

Professor Susan Rutland, Emeritus Professor of Religion from the University of Sydney spoke on Open House about her research on SRE. She says SRE is an import mechanism for children to find their identity and that to remove religion is to weaken multiculturalism in Australia.

Caritas Australia ended the year on a high note with a win for civil society and Australian democracy. They have proved that 'sometimes the good guys win' with the success of a campaign they spearheaded to change the provisions of a government bill.

Listen: Dr Marcus Carter in conversation with Stephen O'Doherty. An expert in gaming research warns that the 'loot boxes' in popular games are …

War is a difficult topic. As Christians, are we bound to participate in war? Is there such a thing as a just war? Does God encourage us to wage war? Indeed, can we claim He is on our …

Hold on to your hats! From next year there will be a metric makeover and the kilo will be defined by a number derived from Planck's Constant. So how can a number define mass? It is, as they say, complicated. Science communicator, Petr Lebedev ran Open House through the change.

Caritas Australia has released the State of the Environment for Oceania 2018 Report, Waters of life, Oceans of Mercy. The report contains dozens of first-person accounts and stories relating to the impact of climate change on communities from Papua New Guinea and Kiribati to Tonga, Samoa and the Carteret Islands.

We think of globalisation as something that came about fairly recently but a new book argues that it has been going on for generations having first started with the great gold rushes of the 19th century that saw millions of people move around the world hoping to make their fortune as new gold fields were discovered around the world.

"Australians, and especially the Catholic community, are challenged to respond to domestic violence by reporting violence and not being a bystander, communicating zero tolerance for violence and full support for victims, promoting healthy relationships, developing the capacity to respond appropriately to individual disclosures and praying together for peace, justice, and true reconciliation" Dr Trish Madigan told Open House of the Catholic response to domestic violence on The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

We are all spending a lot of energy reaching for happiness, but never quite able to hang on to it. Real life happens, and our circumstances take us on an emotional rollercoaster ride. So when we hear the call to "be joyful always," it sounds crazy and out of reach. But author Stasi Eldredge says in her latest book, 'Defiant Joy', that it doesn't have to be.

A report on religious persecution finds many faiths are under threat around the globe. Even in a country like Australia the right to Religious Freedom can no longer be taken for granted. Catholic agency, Aid to the Church In Need (ACN) produced the biennial report and supports 5,000 projects worldwide. The issue of religious persecution is highlighted by Red Wednesday when significant religious buildings are floodlit red. Australia participated for the first time this year. Australian Director of ACN, Bernard Totounji, explained the findings on Open House.

The revelation that a Chinese researcher has edited the genes of twin girls shocked and stunned the world. Margo Somerville, Professor of Bioethics at the university of Notre Dame Australia discussed the ethical minefield this development opens.

If you are dealing with the suicide of a loved one, it is important to find support to make sense of what has happened, deal with your grief and learn how to live with your loss. On 'Open House' Colleen Fitzpatrick spoke with Stephen O'Doherty about the work of the Support After Suicide Group run by the NSW Coroner.

UK Prime Minister, Theresa May has surprised many with her calm, clear and statesman like rhetoric on the exit of the UK from the European Union - the divisive 'Brexit'.

Listen: Sabrina-Ann Stevens in conversation with Stephen O'Doherty. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) is …

QIMR Berghofer scientists in Brisbane have helped map the genome of the potentially deadly Aedes aegypti mosquito. Dr Gordana Rasic delightfully calls the difficult parts "blah, blah, blah" when explaining to non-scientists how it is done.

The future is now - experts warn climate change impacts are here now and urgent action is needed to rapidly reduce greenhouse emissions. A new Climate Commission report has sobering news. Co-author, Professor Lesley Hughes, spoke to Open House about the impacts and increasing threats to Australia.

The Productivity Commission will investigate the impact of mental health on the Australian economy and identify the ways workplaces can better support people living with mental health conditions. Mental health advocate, Lucy Brogden, says it is about time workplaces recognised mental well being is about 'more than fruit bowls and yoga classes".

A vote this year is now unlikely on controversial changes to the Sex Discrimination Act that would remove the ability of faith-based schools to expel LGBTI students. It means no sudden changes but leaves both sides of the debate uncertain about the future.

Imagine if you had never read or heard the message of the Bible in your own language? That is the reality for Australia’s Indigenous community. Although more than half of Indigenous people are Christians, very few have read or heard the Bible in their ‘heart’ language.

Sometimes by accident, sometimes by design, professional and amateur shutterbugs vie each year for the honour of having their 'perfect storm' - or rainbow, cloud or wave - picked as a feature image on the annual Australian weather calendar. Meteorologist, Grace Legge, from the Bureau of Meteorology's Extreme Weather Desk, talked to Open House about her favourite weather.

Humanitarian and civil society agencies working in Rakhine State in Myanmar and in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh are deeply concerned about the planed repatriation of refugees back to Myanmar. Rohingya refugees have repeatedly expressed a great deal of fear about going back.

In April 1915, at a little-known beach in Turkey named Gallipoli, two legends were created. The first was the courage of the Australian soldier: the second was the wartime service of the Salvation Army. On Open House Major Brett Gallager, the head of The Salvation Army's Red Shield Defence Services remembered the role of The Salvation Army in conflicts past and present.

The charitable organisation Dignity is making a huge difference in preventing long term homeless for at risk individuals and families. Now 50 inspiring stories are told in a new book.

Has the world changed a lot since WWI? Well, yes and no. Society, culture and technology have all advanced but some of the political issues that drove the world to the Great War are still apparent in global political tensions. Professor Simon Tomey from the University of Sydney took Open House on a whirlwind tour of one hundred years of politics and populism.

Nothing short of principled leadership can now end the debacle that has become the debate over religious freedom rights in Australia, writes Open House host Stephen O'Doherty.

George Francis enlisted for WWII at the age of nineteen and spent his twenty first birthday in New Guinea on the Owen Stanley Ranges. He talked on Open House about faith under fire and the importance of a positive approach to life.

Philippa Lowe and Susan Sohn think we need to talk about sex. Christian sex. They have developed a website called Ministry of Sex to challenge preconceptions about Christians and sex and to educate, inform and counsel people of all ages.

Flanders poppies have a special connection with World War One. Imagine the surprise art restoration expert, Professor Robyn Sloggett, got when she opened a letter from a soldier on the Western Front and out fell dried and pressed poppies from that battle field. On Open House she discussed the stories that are embodied in such simple objects and issues of culture, ownership and identity that arise in times of conflict.

Listen: Tim Costello in conversation with Stephen O'Doherty. Rev. Tim Costello has just returned from a visit to the United States. He told …

The heroism of William Cooper, a Yorta Yorta elder who protested Nazism, will be honoured as part of a massive multi-media commemoration on the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) in Fitzroy. Artistic and musical director for the performance, Warren Wills shared the story on 'Open House'.

AB Bishop has written a beautiful and practical guide to turning your garden into a habitat to attract native animals. She shares a wealth of advice and information in 'Habitat' including how to build places for all sorts of animals to congregate. There are even step by step guides to building an insect hotel and a bee apartment block.

Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev made his public debut at nine and is an inspiring musical communicator. He is the grandson of famous Russian pianist Tatiana Nikolaeva who was a contemporary of Dmitri Shostakovich.