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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

49:09

Peter Edwards: ‘One of the Greatest Examples of...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/05/04

The Robert Menzies Institute recently hosted renowned military and diplomatic historian Peter Edwards for a talk entitled ‘From Korea to Vietnam: Menzies’s Cold War military commitments’. Prior to the event, Peter sat down with the Institute’s CEO Georgina Downer to talk through the complex issues involved in the defence of Australia during the Menzies era. It is natural and just that Australians should be drawn towards remembering and commemorating the Vietnam War, in which 521 Australian combat

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50:06

Peter Kurti: ‘Raging Against the Past’ The Problem...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/04/27

In this week's episode of Afternoon Light, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Peter Kurti about his recent report, ‘Raging against the past: guilt, justice, and the postcolonial reformation’. A response to the recent trend of tearing down or vandalising statues of historical figures, Peter’s report deals with an issue which poses important questions related to historical memory and the nature of a progressive society. Peter Kurti is the Director of the Culture, Prosperity &

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43:30

Thomas Wilkins: ‘Upholding a Rules-Based Order’...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/04/20

On this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Dr Thomas Wilkins about the evolving nature of the Australia-Japan relationship. Thomas is a Senior Lecturer in International Security at the University of Sydney and Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

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42:53

Ian McAllister: ‘What Hasn’t Changed?’ The Evolution...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/04/13

In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Distinguished Professor Ian McAllister about the evolution of Australian elections since the Menzies era. Australian elections have long been characterised by the rather uncommon tradition of compulsory voting, but outside of this and other mainstays like a pencil and paper, much of the way elections are now conducted would have been unrecognisable in Menzies’s day. While Menzies fought for

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46:38

Paul Morrissey: ‘Educating the Whole Person’ The...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/04/06

On this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer speaks to Paul Morrissey, President of Campion College about a liberal education. Robert Menzies was a firm believer in the value of a broad liberal education. The Menzies Government reinvigorated and greatly expanded Australia’s university system through both the implementation of the Murray Report into Higher Education and the introduction of merit-based Commonwealth Scholarships, but Menzies

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45:17

David Kemp and Nick Cater: ‘Liberalism and the belief...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/03/30

On this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast of the Robert Menzies Institute, CEO Georgina Downer talks to co-curators of the RMI’s permanent exhibition David Kemp and Nick Cater. David and Nick explain that their curatorial purpose was to create an image of Menzies that Menzies himself would recognise, as opposed to the various projections which detractors and even supporters have attached to Menzies over the years. The exhibition covers eight key themes, including Menzies as a Liberal,

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01:03:51

Joy Damousi: ‘Compulsion, Censorship & the Price of...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/03/23

This week’s episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast features a recording of the Robert Menzies Institute’s O-week event in February with University of Melbourne’s Professor Joy Damousi speaking on the intricacies and impact of the WWI conscription debate. Joy is Professor of History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne, and an expert on the sociological impact of war.

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42:44

James Brown: ‘An Ideal Partner’ Australia’s Space...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/03/16

On this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer speaks to Space Industry Association of Australia CEO James Brown about the Australian space industry. When Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon, it was an Australian tracking station that relayed the pictures to the world. This remarkable fact was the product of an agreement signed by Robert Menzies in February 1960, which saw Australia become an essential partner to the successful American effort

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54:18

Keith Mason: ‘A Spectacular Series of Failures’ The...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/03/09

In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer speaks to Keith Mason QC AC to discuss the Egon Kisch and Novak Djokovic cases. Australia has a long history of trying to keep out people and viewpoints deemed ‘undesirable’. The recent saga with Novak Djokovic is just the latest in a series of attempts by Australian Governments to exclude high profile figures that stretch back into the early decades of the 20th century, and it is far from the only

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44:20

Sybil Nolan: ‘His Whole Prospects were Formed Out of...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/03/02

This week on the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer speaks to Sybil Nolan about the Menzies Collection. In 1976 Sir Robert Menzies bequeathed his library and archive of approximately 4000 items to the University of Melbourne. The collection is a unique historical and cultural artefact, showcasing the breadth of Menzies’s intellectual influences and acting as a sociological time capsule of 20th century Australia. For historians, the collection is a treasure trove of

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41:40

William Sanders: ‘A Progressive Inclusive & a Group...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/02/23

This week on the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Associate Professor William Sanders about Indigenous policy under the Menzies Government. When Robert Menzies was Prime Minister Indigenous policy was exclusively a matter for State Governments as set out in the Australian Constitution. This would change after the 1967 referendum, which Menzies was instrumental in planning, but until then the primary area in which the Federal Government could legislate,

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53:24

Selwyn Cornish: ‘A Living Organism’ The History of...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/02/16

In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer speaks to the Reserve Bank’s Official Historian, Selwyn Cornish, about the history of central banking in Australia. In 1960 the Menzies Government established the Reserve Bank of Australia, separating central banking from where it had evolved within the government-owned Commonwealth Bank. The first Governor of the Reserve Bank, Herbert ‘Nugget’ Coombs, said that a central bank ‘must grow like a

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41:57

Martyn Lyons: ‘They Certainly Felt Empowered’ Writing...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/02/09

In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Emeritus Professor Martyn Lyons about letters written to Robert Menzies. During his time as Prime Minister, Robert Menzies received thousands of letters from ordinary Australians. Many wrote asking for help, others wrote to congratulate him on various achievements, and still others wrote angrily to scold him for some misdeed like daring to increase the salaries of MPs. These letters can

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40:29

Jane Connors, ‘Because She Was Here’ The 1954 Royal Tour

Afternoon Light ·

2022/02/02

In this first episode of the second season of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Dr Jane Connors about the 1954 Royal Tour. In 1954 Queen Elizabeth II became the first reigning monarch to visit Australia. The Royal Tour was a fascinating cultural phenomenon, mesmerising the entire nation for over a month. It is estimated that three-quarters of Australia’s population came out to see their new Queen, escorted by her husband Prince Phillip. In many

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54:45

Scott Prasser ‘The Learning Leader’ and Nick Cater...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/01/26

In this sixth and final episode of the Afternoon Light Summer Series you will hear from Scott Prasser on ‘The Learning Leader’ and Nick Cater on ‘Forgotten People to Quiet Australians’. Dr Scott Prasser gives a detailed analysis of the qualities which underpinned Menzies’s leadership, drawing on his own expertise in public policy and the workings of government. Prasser is an expert on public policy and the author of Royal Commissions and Public Inquiries in Australia. He has worked in Federal and

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39:11

Anne Henderson: ‘Preparation for War, the Trade Union...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/01/19

In this fifth episode of the Afternoon Light Summer Series you will hear from Anne Henderson on ‘Preparation for War, the Trade Union Movement and Appeasement’ and Frank Bongiorno on ‘Curtin and Menzies’. Anne Henderson AM takes aim at writers who have criticised Menzies for being an ‘appeaser’ in the face of the rising threat of fascism in the late 1930s, contextualising his views so as to defeat historical anachronisms. Henderson is the Deputy Director of the Sydney Institute. She is a prolific

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20:12

David Furse-Roberts ‘A Simple Presbyterian in...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/01/12

In this fourth episode of the Afternoon Light Summer Series you will hear from Dr David Furse-Roberts on ‘A Simple Presbyterian in Politics: Robert Menzies, Liberalism and Anti-Sectarianism’. Dr David Furse-Roberts examines how Menzies’s profound but somewhat enigmatic religious beliefs shaped his political views, and also how, remarkably for the time, Menzies was whole-heartedly opposed to sectarian bitterness, even clashing with his family over the issue. Furse-Roberts is a Research Fellow at the

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38:10

Gregory Melleuish: ‘The Idea of Education According...

Afternoon Light ·

2022/01/05

In this third episode of the Afternoon Light Summer Series you can hear Professor Gregory Melleuish on ‘The Idea of Education According to the Young Menzies, 1916-1945’ followed by Emeritus Professor Judith Brett on ‘Menzies's Debt to Deakinite Liberalism’. Professor Gregory Melleuish delivers a paper prepared with the help of Dr Stephen Chavura, which argues that Menzies saw the pivotal role of universities as the new ‘church’ which could promote higher principles and goals, overcoming the

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24:26

Justice James Edelman: ‘Menzies and the Law’

Afternoon Light ·

2021/12/29

In this second episode of the Afternoon Light Summer Series you can hear The Hon Justice James Edelman’s presentation on ‘Menzies and the Law’. Justice James Edelman examines Menzies’s brilliant legal career and relationship with the High Court, particularly his involvement in the Engineers Case and the overturning of legislation which attempted to ban the Communist Party Edelman was appointed to the High Court of Australia in January 2017. Prior to that he was a judge of the Federal Court of

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39:59

David Kemp ‘Menzies: Time for a Reappraisal?’ and...

Afternoon Light ·

2021/12/22

In this first episode of the Afternoon Light Summer Series you can hear The Hon Dr David Kemp’s presentation on ‘Menzies: Time for a Reappraisal?’, followed by Troy Bramston’s presentation on ‘Young Robert’. The Hon Dr David Kemp AC examines how the historiography surrounding Menzies has developed over the years, and argues that Menzies fought for a ‘politics of principle’ in which convictions would trump sectional and short term interests. Kemp is a former Federal Member and Minister in the Howard

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239 results

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