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PODCAST

Afternoon Light

Robert Menzies Institute

Welcome to the Afternoon Light Podcast, a captivating journey into the heart of Australia’s political history and enduring values. Presented by the Robert Menzies Institute, a prime ministerial library and museum, this podcast illuminates the remarkable legacy of Sir Robert Menzies, Australia’s longest-serving prime minister. Dive into the rich tapestry of Menzies’s contemporary impact as we explore his profound contributions on the Afternoon Light Podcast. Join us as we delve into his unyielding

history politics

All Episodes

44:25

Stephen Dando-Collins, ‘He was Unrelenting’ The...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/03/27

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 him a total of 17 children. However, such indiscretions can be forgiven of a man who helped found not just

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44:58

Lauren Samuelsson, ‘We don’t have a cuisine, but we...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/03/19

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 just an outgrowth of trying to win ‘best scone’ at the local agricultural show. The heart of Australia’s

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45:03

Peter Job, ‘Shrewdly Compromised’ Australia’s Brutal...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/03/13

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 major atrocities. Both sides of politics must share the blame for one of the most shameful episodes in

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52:04

Jennifer Clark, ‘There’s Sputnik, what’s your...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/03/06

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 first compete with the Russians and then prepare for the future. Our guest Professor Jennifer Clark

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44:02

Ross McMullin, ‘Yes Mr. Watson’ Our First Labor PM

Afternoon Light ·

2024/02/27

Did you know that Australia was home to the first labour national government in the world? As the first Labor PM and first Federal leader of the ALP, Chris Watson is seldom remembered as more than the answer to a trivia question. Yet this should not be the case, as he has a remarkable story that reveals the Labor perspective on the emergence of our enduring party system. Hear how a humble boy born in odd circumstances off the coast of Chile ended up rising to the highest position in our nation

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44:31

William Coleman, ‘Australia’s Sham Federation’ The...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/02/21

Was federation a mistake? While many can find flaws in the workings of our federal system, few have had the gall to question the triumphal tone of our founding narrative. That was until the recent publication of the provocative and iconoclastic book Their Fiery Cross of Union: A Retelling of the Creation of the Australian Federation, 1889-1914. In this week’s Afternoon Light podcast, we are joined by its author William Coleman, who argues that we should be wary of automatically revering our

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47:29

Frank Bongiorno, ‘A vision of the good society’ The...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/02/14

Distilling the essence of Australia’s political history is an incredibly complex task. To understand the full picture, you certainly cannot begin in 1901, nor can you focus on events purely at the Commonwealth level. One of Australia’s leading historians has recently attempted the great feat of writing a single volume political history of our nation, and the story he tells will help you gain a greater insight into your own country. Joining us on the Afternoon Light podcast is Professor Frank

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42:19

Ryan Cropp, ‘The world that he was renouncing’ Donald...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/02/07

Donald Horne’s The Lucky Country is one of the most iconic books ever written on Australia. While many people miss the ironic nature of the title, the work helped to establish the stereotype of the 1950s and early 60s as a dull and suffocating period in which nothing much happened in our nation. But who was Horne, and what caused him to have such cynicism about the state of his country? Joining us to unpack Horne's fascinating story is biographer Ryan Cropp. Dr Ryan Cropp, writer and historian, is a

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01:02:53

Summer Series 2023-4 Part 6: Stephen Wilks, Lyndon...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/01/31

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2023 conference entitled ‘The Menzies Ascendency: Implementing a Liberal Agenda and Consolidating Gains 1954-1961’. This sixth episode features Stephen Wilks’s paper ‘Falling Dully On His Ears: Menzies, Bolte, and the Travails of Australian Federalism’, Lyndon Megarrity’s paper ‘Menzies, Queensland and the 1961 Election’ (begins 23:26), and Greg Melleuish’s paper ‘Was Menzies

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01:01:48

Summer Series 2023-4 Part 5: David Furse-Roberts,...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/01/24

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2023 conference entitled ‘The Menzies Ascendency: Implementing a Liberal Agenda and Consolidating Gains 1954-1961’. This fifth episode features David Furse-Roberts’ paper ‘Standing for the ‘most ample provision in respect of old age and sickness’: The Menzies Government and health reform’, Damien Freeman & Andrew Bragg’s paper ‘Menzies, Hasluck, Wentworth and Indigenous Peoples’

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01:07:44

Summer Series 2023-4 Part 4: Andrew Norton, Ted Ling...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/01/17

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2023 conference entitled ‘The Menzies Ascendency: Implementing a Liberal Agenda and Consolidating Gains 1954-1961’. This fourth episode features Andrew Norton’s paper ‘Menzies and Higher Education’, Ted Ling’s paper ‘Robert Menzies, Canberra’s Apostle’ (begins 23:35), and Michael de Percy’s paper ‘Australia in the Atomic Age: Menzies’s legacy and nuclear’s unrealised potential’

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58:23

Summer Series 2023-4 Part 3: Bob Bowker, Sean Jacobs...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/01/10

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2023 conference entitled ‘The Menzies Ascendency: Implementing a Liberal Agenda and Consolidating Gains 1954-1961’. This third episode features Bob Bowker’s paper ‘Menzies, Eisenhower and Suez’, Sean Jacob’s paper ‘Skilful handling: Menzies and the West New Guinea dispute’ (begins 29:25), and Elizabeth Buchanan’s paper ‘Menzies and the Antarctic Treaty’ (begins 42:44). Dr Bob Bowker

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01:01:29

Summer Series 2023-4 Part 2: David Lee, Selwyn...

Afternoon Light ·

2024/01/02

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2023 conference entitled ‘The Menzies Ascendency: Implementing a Liberal Agenda and Consolidating Gains 1954-1961’. This second episode features David Lee’s paper ‘The Menzies Government and the Origins of Australia’s Open Economy, 1956-61’, Selwyn Cornish’s paper ‘RG Menzies and the Creation of the Reserve Bank of Australia’ (begins 16:44), and Paul Brown’s paper on ‘Alick Downer’s

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01:01:29

Summer Series 2023-4 Part 1: Paul Kelly, Anne...

Afternoon Light ·

2023/12/26

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2023 conference entitled ‘The Menzies Ascendency: Implementing a Liberal Agenda and Consolidating Gains 1954-1961’. This first episode features the keynote address delivered by Paul Kelly, Anne Henderson’s paper on ‘Menzies, Evatt, and the Labor Split’ (begins at 21:55), and Paul Strangio’s paper on ‘The Labor split in Victoria: The bedrock of Menzies’s ascendancy’ (begins at

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46:25

David Clune, ‘Offered the people economic rainbows’...

Afternoon Light ·

2023/12/20

Arguably no figure in Australian political history was as divisive as NSW Premier Jack Lang. To admirers, he was the man who stood up to a conspiracy of the British banks to protect poor Australians during the Great Depression. To detractors, he was a man who eschewed the basic principles of economics and morality, and brought Australian democracy to the brink of destruction. Dismissed by the Governor for ordering public servants to directly disobey federal law, he blew up the Labor Party which

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47:26

Ross Walker, ‘But you’re Prime Minister Harold’ Holt...

Afternoon Light ·

2023/12/13

Harold Holt is best remembered for his disappearance off Cheviot beach on 17 December 1967 – which has been the subject of conspiracy theories, documentaries, a docudrama, and these days even a meme page. Lost under all this sensationalism is that fact that he was a remarkable figure in Australian politics for many decades before the incident. A protege of Robert Menzies but a moderniser in his own right, he left an enduring legacy across the arts, Australia-US relations, and as the prime minister

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47:35

James Franklin, ‘A heterogeneous society’ Arthur...

Afternoon Light ·

2023/12/06

Although he came awfully close to winning the 1961 election, Arthur Calwell is generally remembered as one of the least successful Opposition Leaders of all time. He shares a distinction with H.V. Evatt in having lost three separate elections, and is often viewed as the last embodiment of old-style Labor politics before Gough Whitlam’s modernisation of the party. However, this depiction overlooks a significant contribution to the Australian nation, most notably as the first Minister for Immigration

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46:12

Robert Porter, ‘Making a contribution to Australia’s...

Afternoon Light ·

2023/11/29

The Australian economy has long been reliant on the mining industry, so it is easy to forget that we once thought that our iron ore was a scarce resource which needed to be hoarded. It was only during the latter part of the Menzies era that pioneering businessmen realised that Australia had vast resources which could enrich both themselves and the nation. Originally entering the Australian market to source uranium for the British atomic program, Rio Tinto would seize the opportunities available to

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42:39

Dashiel Lawrence, ‘A profound connection’ A...

Afternoon Light ·

2023/11/22

The horrific events of 7 October and the conflict that has since arisen have exposed deep divisions in Australian society. At a time when attitudes towards the state of Israel are the subject of fierce and often bitter debate, it is worth taking a moment to step back and reflect on how Australia’s relationship with Israel has evolved over the years. It is often forgotten that Australia played a central role in the creation of a Jewish state in the aftermath of World War Two, while Robert Menzies

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44:15

Brett Mason, ‘Like a spider in a web’ The Aussie who...

Afternoon Light ·

2023/11/15

President Kennedy famously met a tragic and untimely end. Yet, if it were not for a little-known Australian named Reg Evans, a young Lieutenant Kennedy may well have met an earlier and largely anonymous fate. Hear the fascinating story of an 80 year old rescue mission that forever changed both American politics and world history. And discover how this fateful moment acted as a snapshot of the burgeoning relationship between Australia and the United States. Joining us this week is Brett Mason, author

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238 results

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