Afternoon Light

Daniel Hannan, ‘A short term cost for long term gains’ Brexit and the state of UK politics

Britain’s entry into what became the European Union was very much foreshadowed during the Menzies era, when the United Kingdom attempted to join the European Economic Community only to be vetoed by French President Charles de Gaulle. Menzies was obviously highly opposed to the move to join, not only because of its economic consequences for Australia and his sentimental attachment to the British Commonwealth, but because he understood how fundamentally important national sovereignty is to the healthy functioning of a democracy. After marathon political battles, Brexit is now an accomplished fact, but Britain faces a complex task in seizing the opportunities of independence and shedding itself of the extensive regulatory remnants of Brussels’ control, particularly with the interruptions of the recent pandemic. In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Daniel Hannan, one of the architects of Brexit, about the state of independent Britain.

Frank Yuan, ‘Haunted with the statues of mediocrities’ Menzies’s views on America

Robert Menzies’s relationship with the United States was complex. While he respected their vital role as Australia’s ‘great and powerful friend’ and protector, and grew to appreciate their shared values, he was acutely aware that they were different to Britain and his first visit to America provoked quite hostile views. Menzies knew that with great power comes great responsibility, and he had some skepticism about whether the United States could live up to its role of global leader as the British Commonwealth receded. Nevertheless, by the time he retired in 1966 his views had warmed such that he decided to spend a twilight year lecturing at the University of Virginia. In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Frank Yuan, PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, about how Menzies viewed the United States.

Richard Pomfret, ‘The Age of Equality’ The 20th century as a contest of economic systems

The 19th and 20th centuries were some of the most momentous periods of change in human history. The former saw the immense economic power of capitalism and the industrial revolution create levels of unheard-of wealth. The latter saw a battle over how to spread that wealth, with opposing models of the communist command economy facing off against a liberal capitalism tempered by the rise of the welfare state. For Robert Menzies the state had an important ameliorative role to play in society, but he knew that all prosperity and innovation were ultimately driven by individual initiative and enterprise. While this model seemed to have triumphed by the end of the 20th century, it faces new and significant challenges, and that is why it is worth looking back on the big picture of humanity’s recent past. In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Professor Richard Pomfret about the central themes of his book, The Age of Equality: The twentieth century in economic perspective.

Summer Series 2022-3 Part 6: David Furse-Roberts & Lyndon Megarrity

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2022 conference entitled ‘Coming to Power, Learning to Govern and Gathering Momentum 1943-1954’. This sixth episode features David Furse Robert’s paper looking at ‘Percy Spender: the Colombo Plan, the ANZUS Treaty and the Japanese Peace Treaty’ and Lyndon Megarrity’s paper exploring ‘International Students before and after Colombo’ (begins at 18:30).

Summer Series 2022-3 Part 5: William Stoltz & David Lee

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2022 conference entitled ‘Coming to Power, Learning to Govern and Gathering Momentum 1943-1954’. This fifth episode features William Stoltz’s paper on ‘The Founding of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service’ and David Lee’s paper looking at ‘Economic Management During the Korean War’ (begins at 18:30).

Summer Series 2022-3 Part 4: Lucas McLennan & Lorraine Finlay

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2022 conference entitled ‘Coming to Power, Learning to Govern and Gathering Momentum 1943-1954’. This fourth episode features Lucas McLennan’s paper examining ‘Menzies and the "Movement": Two pillars of Australian anti-communism’ and Lorraine Finlay’s paper exploring 'What liberty for the enemies of liberty? Reflections on Menzies and the attempts to ban the Australian Communist Party’ (begins at 17:30).

Summer Series 2022-3 Part 3: Tom Switzer, Andrew Blyth, & Christopher Beer

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2022 conference entitled ‘Coming to Power, Learning to Govern and Gathering Momentum 1943-1954’. This third episode features Tom Switzer’s paper on ‘Liberalism Applied? Policy shifts in the transition from Chifley to Menzies’, Andrew Blyth’s paper on ‘Early Think Tanks and their impact on the Menzies Government’ (begins at 20:00), and Christopher Beer’s paper ‘The Forgotten People by the Sea? Liberalism, affluence and the Central Coast of New South Wales during the 1950s’ (begins at 41:30).

Summer Series 2022-3 Part 2: Troy Bramston & Charles Richardson

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2022 conference entitled ‘Coming to Power, Learning to Govern and Gathering Momentum 1943-1954’. This second episode features Troy Bramston’s paper on ‘Robert Menzies: The Art of Power’ and Charles Richardson’s paper on ‘Menzies, Evatt and Constitutional Government’ (begins at 19:15).

Summer Series 2022-3 Part 1: George Brandis, Nicolle Flint, & Anne Henderson

In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2022 conference entitled ‘Coming to Power, Learning to Govern and Gathering Momentum 1943-1954’. This first episode features the keynote address delivered by the Honourable George Brandis KC, Nicolle Flint’s paper on ‘Menzies’s Miracle? The Foundation of the Liberal Party of Australia’ (begins at 22:30), and Anne Henderson’s on ‘Menzies and the Banks’ (begins at 44:30).

Dean Kotlowski, ‘Not going to disappear’ Comparing American & Australian Indigenous Policy

Australia is far from the only country that started out as a settler colony built on the dispossession of Indigenous peoples, nor is it alone in having a complex path in coming to terms with the resulting legacies. Each story has its own nuances, similarities and contrasts, that can help reveal what we have gotten right and what we have gotten wrong. One obvious parallel is the United States, which experienced its own frontier wars but which also has a distinct history of making and ultimately breaking treaties signed with Native American tribes. One surprising American reformer on Indigenous issues was President Richard Nixon, whom Menzies had a complex relationship with, and in this podcast we unpack what was happening in America roughly contemporaneously with the Menzies era. In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Professor Dean Kotlowski, who is visiting Australia to construct a comparative history of American and Australian Indigenous Policy.