Afternoon Light

Tania Cammarano on Italian Food in Australia | "Cuisine absorbs foreign influence"

On Afternoon Light #148 Georgina Downer meets with Tania Cammarano, a food historian, author, and public speaker, to discuss the historical evolution and cultural significance of Italian food in Australia. Italian food plays an important role in our food culture, not just for its popularity and versatility. Together, Georgina and Tania explore the development of Italian food in Australia, including the import of historic culinary traditions; how restaurants influenced our broader food culture through their creativity and innovation; and the role of glamour in marketing Italian food in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s. 

Amanda Laugesen on the Australian Accent | "Language goes a long way to being part of our national identity"

On Afternoon Light #147 Georgina Downer meets with historian, lexicographer, and Director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre at ANU, Amanda Laugesen, to discuss on the evolution and cultural significance of the Australian accent.
They explore changes to the accent over time, from its stigmatisation in the early 20th century to its eventual acceptance and celebration; dissect debates of the 1930s and 40s about what constitutes an Australian accent; and examine the influence of education, elocution, and global media on our collective sound.

Senator James Paterson on National Unity & Sovereignty | "We nearly had a very serious domestic crisis"

In this episode of Afternoon Light, Georgina Downer sits down with Senator James Paterson, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, delving into crucial topics surrounding national security and defence.
From the imperative of heightened investment and patriotism to the historical resonance and contemporary relevance of conscription in Australia, they explore the intricacies of maintaining national unity amidst the increasing global pressures.
Their discussion concludes with mention of Australia's nuclear submarine program, unpacking the complexities of cost and safety considerations surrounding nuclear energy. Tune in for a deep dive into the critical issues shaping Australia's future!

Paul Tilley on the History of Australian Tax Reform | "Broaden the base and lower the rates"

Georgina Downer and author and economist Paul Tilley discuss the history of tax reform in Australia to highlight its influence on present day policy decisions. Through comparative analysis of tax structures overseas, they also explore the benefits of a system of taxation characterised by three key markers of success — efficiency, equity, and simplicity.
Paul Tilley is an author and economist. He served as an economic policy adviser to governments for 30 years, working mainly in Treasury but also the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Treasurer’s Office, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University’s Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, and a Senior Fellow at the Melbourne Law School. Prior to writing Mixed Fortunes: A History of Tax Reform in Australia, he published Changing Fortunes: A History of the Australian Treasury.

Brian O'Malley on James 'King O'Malley' Malley | Larrikin, Maverick, and "Accused Murderer"

This week on Afternoon Light, we cover the turbulent and theatrical story of 'How James Became King' as detailed by author and historian, Brian O'Malley.James 'King' O'Malley (of no relation to his biographer) is known to history as a larrikin and maverick politician, member of the first Australian Federal Parliament and Federal Minister, whose political career spanned two decades.Arriving from America in the late 1880s he quickly drew attention through his public shenanigans; his theatrical storytelling, fashionable accoutrements, and 'larger than life' Yankee persona.However, his past remained shrouded in mystery. On the other side of the Pacific another mystery remained unresolved. Following the notorious 1882 New Haven, Connecticut, trial and acquittal of James Malley, main suspect in the death of Jennie Cramer, Malley disappears from official records in the north east United States, and the saga begins.

Thea Gardiner, ‘Her main duty in life was to give back’ The Mab Grimwade Story

Mab Grimwade was one of the most important philanthropists in Australian history, yet like many female figures, she seldom appears in the history books. That was until our guest, Thea Gardiner, authored a new biography which reveals the story of Mab and the fascinating world in which she lived. Learn how this amazing woman was able to work within the confines of gender roles to make an enormous contribution to the arts, horticulture and early education in Australia.
Thea Gardiner researches and writes on the place of women in Australian historical memory. She is a PhD candidate in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and is a historian at the archaeology and cultural heritage company Dr Vincent Clark & Associates. She is the author of The World of Mab Grimwade.

Saul Eslake, ‘A distinctive part of life in Australia’ The Declining Dream of Homeownership

Arguably one of the most profound ways in which Sir Robert Menzies shaped modern Australian was by helping to lift homeownership rates from 53% to 71%. Defying a Labor Party that decried the creation of ‘little capitalists’ Menzies forged a property owning democracy where the middle class he championed grew so large that Labor had to reorientate itself to court its votes. But since the 1960s, government at federal, state and even local level have adopted policies which have exaggerated demand and strangulated supply in the housing market. To unpack the historical origins of Australia’s housing crisis and what we can do to fix it, we are joined by Saul Eslake.
Saul Eslake is one of Australia’s best-known economists. He’s been following, analysing and offering commentary and advice on the Australian and other economies for more than 40 years. Since 2015 Saul has been running his own independent economics advisory and consultancy service, Corinna Economic Advisory, from Hobart, Tasmania. Saul does keynote addresses at public and private conferences; participates in panel discussions; presents to boards, investment and asset allocation committees; undertakes customized analyses and reports for corporate, investor, not-for-profit and government clients; has given testimony to Parliamentary Committees; and appears frequently on radio and TV and in the print media in Australia and other countries.

David W. Cameron, ‘We punched well above our weight’ Australians in the Battle of Kapyong, Korea

25 April is eternally associated with the Gallipoli landings, but there is another ferocious battle fought by Australian troops on that date which deserves to be better remembered. That battle is the Battle of Kapyong, waged in the so-called ‘forgotten war’, the Korean War. Between 23-25 April 1951, with exceptional valour, fewer than 1,200 Australian and Canadian infantrymen, supported by New Zealand artillery and 15 American Sherman tanks, held the line against a Chinese Division of over 6,000, significantly thwarting the formidable Chinese August offensive and helping to save Seoul. Hear the incredible story from David W. Cameron, author of Let the Bastards Come reveals: The Battle for Kapyong Korea.
David W. Cameron is a Canberra-based author who has written numerous books on Australian military and convict history, as well as human and primate evolution, including over sixty internationally peer-reviewed papers for various journals and book chapters. He received First Class Honours in Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Sydney and later went on to complete his PhD in palaeoanthropology at the Australian National University. He is a former Australian Research Council (ARC) Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Australian National University (School of Archaeology) and an ARC QEII Fellow at the University of Sydney (Department of Anatomy and Histology). He has participated and led several international fieldwork teams in Australia, the Middle East (Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates), Europe (Hungary) and Asia (Japan, Vietnam and India) and has participated in many conferences and museum studies throughout the world.

Peter Brune, ‘Totally Bipartisan’ How post-war immigration transformed Australia

When World War Two revealed that Australia needed to ‘populate or perish’, Menzies and the Labor Government were in lock step agreement about the need to broaden the sources of Australian immigration beyond the British Isles. But the political leadership faced a far harder task in bringing the nation, which had long been indoctrinated in the dogma of White Australia, along with them. That they succeeded is one of the greatest political and logistical miracles in our history, and one which has forever changed Australia. Joining us on the Afternoon Light Podcast is Peter Brune, author of Suffering, Redemption and Triumph: The First Wave of Post-War Australian Immigrants 1945-66.
Want to learn more? Read how Menzies was able to raise homeownership rates while our population boomed past 10 million.
Peter Brune is one of Australia's leading military historians. He is author of the bestselling and highly acclaimed A Bastard of a Place: The Australians in Papua, as well as Those Ragged Bloody Heroes: From the Kokoda Trail to Gona Beach 1942, The Spell Broken: Exploding the Myth of Japanese Invincibility and We Band of Brothers: A Biography of Ralph Honner, Soldier and Statesman and is co-author with Neil McDonald of 200 Shots: Damien Parer and George Silk and The Australians at War in New Guinea.

Stephen Dando-Collins, ‘He was Unrelenting’ The Astonishing Life of Sir Henry Parkes

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 our nation, but also our system of universal primary education. Joining us to discuss Parkes’s remarkable story is biographer Stephen Dando-Collins.
Stephen Dando-Collins is the award-winning author of 45 books, including histories, biographies and even children’s novels. The majority of his works deal with military history ranging from Greek and Roman times to American 19th century history and World War I and World War II. His book Sir Henry Parkes: The Australian Colossus was published ahead of the 200th anniversary of Parkes’s birth in 2015.