Afternoon Light

William Sanders: ‘A Progressive Inclusive & a Group Conservative’ Indigenous Policy Under the Menzies Government

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, manage, and reform Indigenous policy was in the administration of Commonwealth Territories and particularly the Northern Territory. So it was under the direction of Paul Hasluck, appointed Minister for Territories in 1951, that a significant program of reform was carried out.Hasluck was a remarkable man who was highly dedicated to this area of policy making. He was a member of the Australian Aborigines Amelioration Association, and wrote articles for the West Australian which were scathing in their criticism of how Indigenous Australians were being treated. He completed a Masters thesis on Indigenous Affairs at the University of Western Australia. Seizing the opportunities provided by his portfolio, he did what he could to advance the legal and economic equality of Indigenous Australians compared to their white counterparts. Nevertheless, his views were shaped by the assimilationist mindset of the era, and consequently his reforming legacy has become controversial.Joining us to discuss these issues is William Sanders, an Honorary Associate Professor with the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at the Australian National University. Will joined CAEPR as a Research Fellow in 1993 and was appointed as Fellow in 1999 and Senior Fellow in 2007. His undergraduate training was in government, public administration, and political science, and his PhD was on the inclusion of Aboriginal people in the social security system. Will's research interests cover the political and social aspects of Indigenous policy, as well as the economic. He regularly works on Indigenous people's participation in elections, on housing and social security policy issues, and on federal and intergovernmental aspects of Indigenous affairs policy.

Selwyn Cornish: ‘A Living Organism’ The History of the Reserve Bank of Australia

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 living organism’, and so it is that over the years the RBA has established itself as a cornerstone of the Australian economy and as an institution which is immensely important to our system of government. Allegedly cut-off from political pressuring, it has the power and the responsibility to safeguard the nation’s prosperity.But how did we get here? How did an institution established almost 60 years after Federation come to be so essential to the functioning of the Commonwealth? How had central banking evolved before the establishment of the RBA and why was Robert Menzies so keen to ensure that it was not connected with the Commonwealth Bank?Selwyn Cornish is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Research School of Economics at the Australian National University, and the Reserve Bank’s Official Historian. He is an Associate Editor of the forthcoming Biographical Dictionary of Australian and New Zealand Economists, and is writing the History of the Reserve Bank of Australia 1975–2000. His major research fields embrace the development and application of macroeconomics in the 20th century, and biographical studies of economists. In 2004 he was appointed a Member of The Order of Australia for services to secondary education in the ACT.

Martyn Lyons: ‘They Certainly Felt Empowered’ Writing Letters to Menzies

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 provide a unique social history which offers a marvellous insight into the everyday concerns of Australians of the Menzies era, if only someone took the time to read them.Martyn Lyons did take the time, and the fruit of his painstaking efforts is the book Dear Prime Minister: Letters to Robert Menzies, 1949–1966. This ‘history from below’ offers an important perspective that is often overlooked by more conventional histories. It reveals the lived experience of an era that is so often stereotyped or crystalized by hindsight, highlighting anxieties, prejudices, and anguish that might otherwise have been lost to history.Martyn Lyons is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of New South Wales, an institution he has been associated with since 1977. He received a PhD from the University of Oxford, and has authored numerous books including The Typewriter Century: A Cultural History of Writing Practices and The Writing Culture of Ordinary People in Europe, c. 1860-1920. He was awarded the Centenary medal in 2003 for services to the Humanities in the study of History and is a former president of the Australian Historical Association.

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

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 respects it was a coming-of-age moment for Australia, where we finally achieved the recognition that we felt we both needed and deserved. For Robert Menzies as Prime Minister it was easily one of his proudest moments.It is now difficult for us to imagine the emotional pull that the tour had over ordinary Australians. The moment was a unique snapshot in our history, revealing much about us as a people and our place in the world. Analysing it in retrospect helps to shed an important light on the trajectory of Australia’s story, how much we have changed in our outlook and identity, and yet this common thread of constitutional monarchy and respect for Her Majesty which retains some of its lustre 70 years down the track.Jane Connors is an ABC veteran of over 30 years and is an editorial advisor with the ABC. She has a PhD in Australian History and is the author of Royal Visits to Australia. She is a member of several advisory bodies including the Centre for Media History.

Scott Prasser ‘The Learning Leader’ and Nick Cater ‘Forgotten People to Quiet Australians’

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 State governments in senior research and policy roles and was the inaugural Executive Director of the Public Policy Institute at the Australian Catholic University. He is the editor of the Australian Biographical Monographs series produced by Connor Court Publishing, and he wrote the monograph for Menzies titled Man or Myth (2020). In 1995 he co-edited a book of papers on Menzies titled The Menzies Era: A Reappraisal of Government, Politics and Policy.Nick Cater breaks down Menzies’s famous forgotten people broadcasts, arguing that they laid down a clear political vision which would underpin the values and governance of the Menzies era.Cater is the Executive Director of the Menzies Research Centre. Since arriving in Australia from Britain in 1988, Nick Cater has risen to become one of the nation's leading political commentators. His CV includes stints as deputy editor of The Sunday Telegraph in Sydney, editor of The Weekend Australian, and Hong Kong correspondent for News Corp. He remains a weekly columnist at The Australian and regularly on Sky News. His affection for his adopted country was explained in his acclaimed, bestselling book The Lucky Culture (2013). Under his stewardship since 2015, the MRC has grown steadily in output, size, subscriber base, and prominence.

Anne Henderson: ‘Preparation for War, the Trade Union Movement and Appeasement’ and Frank Bongiorno: ‘Curtin and Menzies’

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 and respected author, having published books on Enid Lyons, Joseph Lyons, Mary Mackillop, Patrick Glynn and more. In 2014 she published Menzies at War, a detailed account of Menzies’s years in the political wilderness between his two stints as prime minister, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for History.Professor Frank Bongiorno AM looks at the relationship between Menzies and fellow wartime Prime Minister John Curtin, demonstrating Menzies’s ability to forge friendships across the political divide and highlighting how both men were the products of an Australian culture that encouraged a surprisingly high level of learning even among the working class.Bongiornois the Head of the School of History at the Australian National University. He is an Australian political, labour, and cultural historian, with a particular interest in the history of the Australian Labor Party, on which he has published widely. His books include The Eighties: The Decade That Transformed Australia (2015), The People's Party: Victorian Labor and the Radical Tradition 1875-1914 (1996), and The Lives of Australians: A History (2012). He was co-editor of Elections Matter: Ten Federal Elections that Shaped Australia (2018).

David Furse-Roberts ‘A Simple Presbyterian in Politics: Robert Menzies, Liberalism and Anti-Sectarianism’

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 Menzies Research Centre. He holds a PhD in history from the University of NSW and is the editor of Howard: The Art of Persuasion (2018) and Menzies: The Forgotten Speeches (2017). Since joining the MRC in 2016, he has written for Quadrant, Spectator Australia, and other publications on the history and contemporary relevance of liberalism in Australia. In 2021 he published God and Menzies: The Faith that Shaped a Prime Minister and his Nation.

Gregory Melleuish: ‘The Idea of Education According to the Young Menzies, 1916-1945’ and Judith Brett: ‘Menzies’s Debt to Deakinite Liberalism’

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 fundamental threat posed by materialism.Melleuish is a Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry at the University of Wollongong, where he teaches, among other things, Australian politics. He has written widely on Australian political thought, including Cultural Liberalism in Australia (1995) and Despotic State or Free Individual (2014), and is considered one of the leading experts on Australian liberalism and conservatism. He co-wrote The Forgotten Menzies (2021) with Steven Chavura and has also published peer-reviewed journal articles discussing MenziesJudith Brett examines the extent to which Menzies’s style of governance was inspired by Australian Prime Minister and Federation campaigner Alfred Deakin, who was an advocate of a ‘new liberalism’ based on a positive and socially ameliorative role for the state.Brett is an Emeritus Professor at La Trobe University, where she used to teach and research Australian Politics, Political Biography, and Political History. A former editor of Meanjin and columnist for The Age, she won the National Biography Award in 2018 for The Enigmatic Mr Deakin. She is the author of four Quarterly Essays: Relaxed and Comfortable, Exit Right, Fair Share and The Coal Curse. She has published widely on Menzies and the history of Australian liberalism, with her book Robert Menzies’ Forgotten People winning the Ernest Scott Prize (1992-1993), the Victorian Premier's Literary Award (1993) and the NSW Premier's Literary Award (1993).

Justice James Edelman: ‘Menzies and the Law’

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 PartyEdelman was appointed to the High Court of Australia in January 2017. Prior to that he was a judge of the Federal Court of Australia and a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. He previously practised as a barrister at the chambers of Mr Malcolm McCusker QC in Western Australia from2001-2011 in the areas of criminal law and commercial law and at One Essex Court Chambers from 2008-2011 in commercial law. He was a Fellow of Keble College, Oxford from 2005, and Professor of the Law of Obligations at the University of Oxford from 2008 until 2011.

David Kemp ‘Menzies: Time for a Reappraisal?’ and Troy Bramston ‘Young Robert’

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 Government. Before entering Parliament he was Professor of Politics at Monash University, and after leaving Parliament Professor and Vice-Chancellor's Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He is the former Chairman of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House and of the Australian Heritage Council. He has published books on voting behaviour and political analysis, and is particularly known for his ground-breaking series on Australian Liberalism published by Melbourne University Press.Troy Bramston looks at how Menzies’s humble upbringing in the small Victorian wheat township of Jeparit and politically active family background defined his worldview.Bramston is a senior writer and columnist with The Australian. He has interviewed politicians, presidents, and prime ministers from multiple countries along with writers, historians, actors, filmmakers, and several notable pop-culture icons. He is an award-winning and best-selling author or editor of 10 books, including Robert Menzies: The Art of Politics (2019) and Paul Keating: The Big-Picture Leader (2016). He co-authored The Truth of the Palace Letters and The Dismissal (2020) with Paul Kelly. He is currently writing a biography of Bob Hawke.