Afternoon Light

What are the long-term consequences when political parties become wracked by division? On Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Paul Strangio about the Great Labor Split, which just passed its 70th anniversary. A combustible mix of sectarian prejudice and ideological division lit into an inferno by an unstable leader, it prompted the rise of Australia's first significant minor party and left...

How did Japan evolve from Australia's wartime enemy into a friendly trading partner in a little over a decade? On Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Andrew Levidis about Kishi Nabusuke. A controversial & complex figure, who was imprisoned as a war criminal for his role in the Imperial Japanese Government, only to rebound and become the architect of its post-war political settlement. A...

How did Alfred Deakin shape so much of the 'Australian Settlement' without ever securing a clear election victory? On Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Judith Brett to explore one of Australia's most important but enigmatic figures. Who has always featured centrally in the story of federation, in part because he insisted on writing it himself. Judith Brett is a political historian and bi...

Did you know that the most important discovery in the history of treating mental illness was made by an Australian? On Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Greg de Moore to tell the world-changing story of John Cade. A survivor of Changi, who risked experiments on himself to establish that lithium could treat bipolar disorder. A breakthrough that has been compared in significance to the dis...

Do you ever stop to think why there are so many things named Flinders in Australia? On Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Grantlee Kieza to tell the remarkable story of Matthew Flinders. The mariner responsible for proving that Australia was an island continent and the adoption of its name, who lived a life of adventure, discovery, and scientific endeavour with his iconic cat Trim. Award-...

Why have banks been central to Australian political history? On Afternoon Light #192 Georgina Downer speaks with Chris Berg on the history of banking regulation. A topic that is far-more engaging than it sounds, as it helped to shape the emergence and attitudes of both of our major political parties. As banks have been the central issue around which the clash over government involvement in the eco...

How difficult is it to get politicians to invest in defence spending, even when a war is looming? On Afternoon Light #191 Georgina Downer speaks with Augustine Meaher about the predictability of the fall of Singapore, how it embodied Australia's overreliance on great powers for defence, and reluctance to invest in re-arming itself ahead of World War II. A conversation replete with haunting lessons...

How does a singer become famous enough to feature on the $100 note? On Afternoon Light #190 Georgina Downer speaks with Richard David about Dame Nellie Melba. Australia's first global superstar who sang for Kings, Queens & Tsars, her stage name paid tribute to marvelous Melbourne, helping to put it and Australia on the map. Richard Davis is an internationally acclaimed writer specialising in b...

Why don't the British figure in narratives of post-war migration, when for decades they were still the largest migrant group? On Afternoon Light #189 Georgina Downer speaks with Alistair Thomson about the 10 Pound Poms. Whose complex migrant stories provided us with plenty of Aussie rock icons, but also gradually revealed that Australia was not quite as British as either they or we assumed. Alista...

Who was Australia's unluckiest Prime Minister? On Afternoon Light #188 Georgina Downer speaks with Michael Easson about James Scullin, the PM sworn in the week of the Wall Street Crash. His 1931 electoral defeat was the last time an Australian federal government failed to win a second term; a record Anthony Albanese is desperate to avoid. Michael Easson AM is a businessman, company director, forme...

How did Australia develop its reputation as an exporter of higher education? On Afternoon Light #187 Georgina Downer speaks with David Lowe to mark 75 years since the meeting that spawned the Colombo Plan. An innovative and enduring foreign aid program that helped our 'near north' neighbours to economically develop, winning 'hearts and minds' during the Cold War and inadvertently shifting Australi...

The son of a greengrocer who was an Italian immigrant, Santamaria became an incredibly influential figure in Australian politics. Yet for someone who had did not hold a formal position, was his influence overstated? And how did Santamaria color Menzies' own worldviews when the latter was in office?  Samuel Chamberlain talks to Georgina Downer about his chapter in the recently released book Finding...

Can you imagine Australia without government bureaucrats? On Afternoon Light #186 Georgina Downer speaks with Colin Milner to tell the remarkable story of the Commonwealth's first public servant Sir Robert Garran. A father of federation and authority on the constitution, whose long career exerted more power and influence than some prime ministers. Colin Milner, BA Hons, LLB (Sydney University), is...

How did inflation targeting and child endowment change Australia’s trajectory? And specifically, how did this create the middle-class economy we are familiar with today?  Abby Smith talks to Georgina Downer about their chapter in the upcoming book Finding Menzies, how Menzies went about spearheading the Australian middle-class economy.  This episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast was recorded as p...

What does it mean to be aspirational as a person? And how did Menzies encourage Australians to be aspirational?  Priscilla Spalding talks to Georgina Downer about their fascinating chapter in the book Finding Menzies: on how Menzies's political philosophy lifted a country after dark times, and let us all understand more about his character.  This episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast was recorded...

What does it take to win a federal election from Opposition? On Afternoon Light #185 Georgina Downer speaks with Andrew Kemp and Zachary Gorman to discuss Robert Menzies’s watershed 1949 election victory. Drawing out its enduring impact on modern Australia, as well as the lessons it offers political campaigners in 2025. Andrew Kemp is a Melbourne-based writer and a former economist at the Commonwe...

Where did our allegiances really lie between 1959-1964?  Jesse Seeberg-Gordon talks to Georgina Downer about his chapter in the upcoming book Finding Menzies, on how fissures in international relations brought catalyzed debates on what friendly relations with surrounding countries could also entail.  This episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast was recorded as part of our Menzies Early Career Netwo...

Where was Menzies's limit when it came to free speech?  Patrick Irwin talks to Georgina Downer about his chapter in the upcoming book Finding Menzies, on how Menzies’s struggle with the limits of free speech came to a fore that shone him in a new light in the public consciousness.  This episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast was recorded as part of our Menzies Early Career Network Series. ➡️ Suppo...

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2024 conference entitled ‘The Final Chapter: Purpose, Endurance and Legacy 1961-66 and Beyond’. This final episode features Charles Richardson on 'Menzies’s Philosophical Legacy to his party', Stephen Loosley's paper 'A Horse With No Name: Federal Labor, 1954-1966' (begins at 19:5...

What did Menzies have to do with the idea of Liberal Education? Jacob Carson discusses with Georgina Downer how Menzies was at the centre of the push and pull between vocational and commercial understandings toward higher education, and how this debate still goes on today. This episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast was recorded as part of our Menzies Early Career Network Series. ➡️ Support the Ro...

What does the 'ordinary Australian' actually mean?  Josh Woodward talks to Georgina Downer about how the idea of the 'Ordinary Australian' confronts notions of Empire, as well as the concept of individual freedoms. This episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast was recorded as part of our Menzies Early Career Network Series. ➡️ Support the Robert Menzies Institute: https://give-aus.keela.co/christmas...

What was the public willing to support in wartime during Menzies's era?  Aaron Marston-Pattison speaks to Georgina Downer about which aspects of Menzies's war aims the public was willing to support. This episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast was recorded as part of our Menzies Early Career Network Series. ➡️ Support the Robert Menzies Institute: https://give-aus.keela.co/christmas-m.. . 📱 Follow...

How do we look back on the Anglo-Australian relationship when we look at the history of Australia?  Scarlett Wakelin speaks with Georgina Downer on the nature of the Anglo-Australian relationship that persisted through the 20th century. This episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast was recorded as part of our Menzies Early Career Network Series. ➡️ Support the Robert Menzies Institute: https://give-...

How did Menzies' undergraduate career become reflected in the trials and accomplishments of his life as a statesman? Nick Warren talks to Georgina Downer in this episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast, recorded as part of our Menzies Early Career Network Series. ➡️ Support the Robert Menzies Institute: https://give-aus.keela.co/christmas-m.. . 📱 Follow the Menzies Institute on Social Media: X: ht...

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2024 conference entitled ‘The Final Chapter: Purpose, Endurance and Legacy 1961-66 and Beyond’. This sixth episode features Will Stoltz on 'Managed Decolonisation', Sean Jacob's paper 'Relaxed and Comfortable: Menzies and the fall of Empire (1961-66)' (begins at 19:15), David Furs...