Afternoon Light

What does it mean to be a ‘Liberal’ Party? In the first of a special series of the Afternoon Light Podcast, marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Liberal Party and the release of the new book on the history of that event, Unity in Autonomy, Georgina Downer speaks with chapter contributor David Kemp AC to explore how Menzies deliberately set out to form a ‘party with a philosophy’. It...

Did the West sell-out Poland during and after World War II? On Afternoon Light #159 Georgina Downer speaks with Gosia Klatt to tell the remarkable tale of how Australia came to diplomatically represent Poland in Moscow in the early 1940s. A story which highlights how even at the height of the War, the USSR was a highly ‘problematic’ ally, having invaded and massacred the very nation Britain and Au...

Have you heard the story of how Australian pilots helped to defeat the Nazis? On Afternoon Light #158 Georgina Downer speaks with Tony Brady to explore the remarkable tale of the Empire Air Training Scheme. A policy which drove a massive expansion in the Royal Australian Air Force that was perhaps the greatest logistical achievement of Australia’s war effort – leaving airfields dotted all around t...

What would you do if you felt Australia faced an imminent invasion? On Afternoon Light #157 Georgina Downer speaks with Ann Howard to explore how Australian families dealt with the very tangible threat of war on Australian soil. Mass child evacuations are a little-remembered aspect of war on the home front, but one which those who were sent away will never forget. Ann Howard came out from London i...

How did the concept of ‘His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition’ emerge, and what advantages does it offer a democratic system? On Afternoon Light #156 Georgina Downer speaks with Scott Prasser to unpack the purpose and utility of Parliamentary Oppositions. An understudied yet vital aspect of Westminster governance, Oppositions are expected to go beyond mere criticism to provide the electorate with genuine...

Is migration a one-way street, or does its cultural impact flow both directions? On Afternoon Light #155 Georgina Downer speaks with Professor Denis Byrne to discuss the China-Australia migration corridor. A phenomenon which saw Australian money, ideas, objects and people shape areas of the Chinese mainland from the 1840s onwards. Denis Byrne is professor of archaeology and heritage studies at the...

When did the concept of ‘peacekeeping’ emerge? And have its successes outweighed some glaring failures? On Afternoon Light #154 Georgina Downer speaks with Dr Peter Londey to discuss 77 years of Australian peacekeeping efforts. Never envisaged in the UN charter, the episode reveals how Australia has been at the forefront of how the practice first began and has continued to evolve. Dr Peter Londey...

Could Papua New Guinea have become Australia’s seventh state? And would that have saved us money on an NRL franchise? On Afternoon Light #153 Georgina Downer speaks with Dr Brad Underhill to discuss how PNG was once an Australian territory. After years spent trying to foster development and ‘prepare a nation’, independence came suddenly, reluctantly and possibly prematurely. Dr Bradley Underhill i...

When did Australia become a multicultural nation? On Afternoon Light #152 Georgina Downer meets with Dr Jeff Kildea to unpack how ‘White Australia’ was never quite as homogenous as many now assume. As tensions between the Protestant majority and an Irish Catholic minority produced sharp, longstanding, but never quite universal divisions. Jeff is an honorary professor in Irish Studies at the Univer...

Compulsory voting is as Australian as the ‘democracy sausage’, but how did its introduction reshape the way our elections are fought? On Afternoon Light #151 Georgina Downer meets with Dr Chris Monnox to explore how different polling day was a century ago. Back when our political parties used to focus on getting people out to vote - often quite literally in providing them with transportation - rat...

Dive into the personalities and politics that shaped Australia-India relations during the Menzies era!   On Afternoon Light #150 Georgina Downer meets with Teesta Prakash to explore the structural and personal factors that complicated Robert Menzies’s diplomatic relationship with Jawaharlal Nehru.   The two question the extent to which the complexities of India’s independce possibly contributed to...

On Afternoon Light #149 Georgina Downer meets with sociologist Dr Katharine Betts to discuss the history of migration and social cohesion in Australia. Together, Georgina and Katharine explore the cultural benefits of immigration, the complexities of identity and belonging and the importance of unity, our collective responsibility towards the broader community and the environment, and the need for...

On Afternoon Light #148 Georgina Downer meets with Tania Cammarano, a food historian, author, and public speaker, to discuss the historical evolution and cultural significance of Italian food in Australia. Italian food plays an important role in our food culture, not just for its popularity and versatility. Together, Georgina and Tania explore the development of Italian food in Australia, includin...

On Afternoon Light #147 Georgina Downer meets with historian, lexicographer, and Director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre at ANU, Amanda Laugesen, to discuss on the evolution and cultural significance of the Australian accent. They explore changes to the accent over time, from its stigmatisation in the early 20th century to its eventual acceptance and celebration; dissect debates of t...

In this episode of Afternoon Light, Georgina Downer sits down with Senator James Paterson, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, delving into crucial topics surrounding national security and defence. From the imperative of heightened investment and patriotism to the historical resonance and contemporary relevance of conscription in Australia, they explore the intricacies of maintaining national unity...

Georgina Downer and author and economist Paul Tilley discuss the history of tax reform in Australia to highlight its influence on present day policy decisions. Through comparative analysis of tax structures overseas, they also explore the benefits of a system of taxation characterised by three key markers of success — efficiency, equity, and simplicity. Paul Tilley is an author and economist. He s...

This week on Afternoon Light, we cover the turbulent and theatrical story of 'How James Became King' as detailed by author and historian, Brian O'Malley. James 'King' O'Malley (of no relation to his biographer) is known to history as a larrikin and maverick politician, member of the first Australian Federal Parliament and Federal Minister, whose political career spanned two decades. Arriving from...

Mab Grimwade was one of the most important philanthropists in Australian history, yet like many female figures, she seldom appears in the history books. That was until our guest, Thea Gardiner, authored a new biography which reveals the story of Mab and the fascinating world in which she lived. Learn how this amazing woman was able to work within the confines of gender roles to make an enormous co...

Arguably one of the most profound ways in which Sir Robert Menzies shaped modern Australian was by helping to lift homeownership rates from 53% to 71%. Defying a Labor Party that decried the creation of ‘little capitalists’ Menzies forged a property owning democracy where the middle class he championed grew so large that Labor had to reorientate itself to court its votes. But since the 1960s, gove...

25 April is eternally associated with the Gallipoli landings, but there is another ferocious battle fought by Australian troops on that date which deserves to be better remembered. That battle is the Battle of Kapyong, waged in the so-called ‘forgotten war’, the Korean War. Between 23-25 April 1951, with exceptional valour, fewer than 1,200 Australian and Canadian infantrymen, supported by New Zea...

When World War Two revealed that Australia needed to ‘populate or perish’, Menzies and the Labor Government were in lock step agreement about the need to broaden the sources of Australian immigration beyond the British Isles. But the political leadership faced a far harder task in bringing the nation, which had long been indoctrinated in the dogma of White Australia, along with them. That they suc...

Sir Henry Parkes has been dubbed the ‘Father of Federation’, but how much do you know about him? Fleeing poverty in England to seek opportunity in Australia, he found immense political success, that went hand in hand with repeated financial failure. The ‘Grand Old Man’ of New South Wales politics, he was tremendously charismatic and became notorious for marrying much younger women, who fathered hi...

Many people assume that before the advent of multiculturalism Australia had little in the way of food culture. But while things certainly weren’t as diverse, in their own way they were interesting, unique and constantly evolving. In the ‘working man’s paradise’ people prided themselves on being able to eat meat three times a day, while our recent penchant for TV cooking competitions is arguably ju...

When Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 under the pretext of intervening in an existing civil war, Australia publicly defended their actions. But the terrible reality was that Australia’s leaders and diplomats knew the truth; that Indonesia had instigated the conflict for their own advantage, and moreover the Australians had been actively complicit in the turn of events which soon escalated into...

When the Soviet satellite Sputnik entered Earth’s orbit in October 1957 it caused panic throughout much of the West. This ‘beeping bauble’ was seen as an existential threat, that exposed democracies as being too preoccupied with consumer luxuries over scientific endeavour. In response, both Eisenhower and Menzies resolved calmly but resolutely to fix their nation’s systems of science education, to...