Afternoon Light

Emma McEwin on Sir Douglas Mawson | “Always curious, always inquiring”

At what price, of human endeavour and sacrifice, did Australia purchase its claim to 42% of Antarctica?
On Afternoon Light #177 Georgina Downer speaks with author Dr Emma McEwin to discuss her great-grandfather Sir Douglas Mawson. A man whom Menzies lauded for providing ‘the key with which to unlock the door’ of the mysteries of the frozen continent.
Dr Emma McEwin holds a PhD in creative writing from the University of Adelaide. A great-granddaughter of Sir Douglas Mawson, she has authored An Antarctic Affair: A story of love and survival (2008) and The Many Lives of Douglas Mawson (2018).

Malcolm Mackerras AO on Ranking Australia’s PMs | “Good for a parlour game”

Who is Australia’s greatest prime minister & by what criteria should you even make the judgement?
On Afternoon Light #176 Georgina Downer speaks with Malcolm Mackerras AO, to engage in the fun but highly controversial task of ranking Australia’s prime ministers. No prizes for guessing who ended up at number one!
Malcolm Mackerras AO is Australia’s leading psephologist, having worked in the field for more than 50 years. He is known for inventing the Mackerras pendulum, which helps predict election results in a preferential voting system based around two major parties.

Francesco Ricatti on Italian Migration | “Your own identity... is evolving”

What does it mean to be an Italian in Australia, & has the act of migration itself shaped this sense of identity?
On Afternoon Light #175 Georgina Downer speaks with Francesco Ricatti, author of Italians in Australia, about the impetus, complexities, tribulations and effects of Italy’s vast population movements. A process which served to ‘create’ Italy, almost as much as it exported the idea.
Francesco Ricatti is the Associate Professor of Italian and convenor of the Italian Studies programme at the Australian National University. He has a PhD from the University of Sydney and was previously Cassamarca Lecturer in Italian at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He is the author of Italians in Australia: History, Memory, Identity and Embodying Migrants: Italians in Postwar Australia.

Afternoon Light Live: David Kemp & Zachary Gorman on the Liberal Party's 80th Anniversary | “One wet cloudy day in Canberra"

Why has the Liberal Party long outlived its predecessors?
16 October 2024 marked 80 years since the close of the Canberra Unity Conference, widely considered to be the 'birth date' of the Liberal Party of Australia. To mark the occasion, we broadcast our first-ever 'Afternoon Light Live', an interactive webinar which allowed the audience to become directly involved in the discussion between host Georgina Downer and guests David Kemp and Zachary Gorman. Both of whom were central contributors to our new book Unity in Autonomy: A Federal History of the Founding of the Liberal Party.
The Hon. Dr David Kemp AC 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.

Nigel Biggar on the Moral Complexities of the British Empire | "Let's go conquer the world"

Are modern denunciations of Empire anachronistic, and how does the shame they propagate hinder the West's ability to defend itself?
On Afternoon Light #173 Georgina Downer speaks with Nigel Biggar, author of Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, to discuss how demonising the past has real-world consequences for the present. Unpacking the moral ambiguities of the British Empire, as a series of conquests and administrations that emerged ad hoc, and which frequently produced contradictions.
Nigel Biggar CBE is Emeritus Regius Professor of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Pusey House, Oxford. He holds a B.A. in Modern History from Oxford and a Ph.D. in Christian Theology & Ethics from the University of Chicago. He was appointed C.B.E. “for services to Higher Education” in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours list. His most recent books are Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning (2023), What’s Wrong with Rights? (2020), In Defence of War (2013), and Between Kin and Cosmopolis: An Ethic of the Nation (2014). In the press he has written articles for the Financial Times, the (London) Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Spectator, the (Glasgow) Herald, the Irish Times, Standpoint, The Critic, The Article, Unherd and Quillette.

Sherry Sufi on the Origins of the Western Australian Liberal Party | "Very Unique Mindset"

Are Western Australians a bunch of secessionists, and what else makes the politics of our most isolated state unique?
In the tenth episode of a special series of the Afternoon Light Podcast, marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Liberal Party and the release of the new book on the history of that event, Unity in Autonomy, Georgina Downer speaks with chapter contributor Sherry Sufi to discuss the history of liberalism in Australia's Wild West.
Dr Sherry Sufi is a Western Australian Historian, Author, Columnist and Political Commentator. He has authored two books, From Cavemen to Countrymen: The Linguistic Roots of Nationalism, and Australia On Trial: Accusations and Defence. Since 2015, Dr Sufi has served as Chairman of the Policy Committee for the Liberal Party of WA at the state level.

Lyndon Megarrity on the Origins of the Queensland LNP | "Doesn't want to play ball"

Why did leading centre-right Queenslanders absent themselves from the Unity Conferences that helped spawn the Liberal Party, and did this slight separation from the Liberal fold presage the later Queensland Liberal merger with the Nationals?
In the ninth episode of a special series of the Afternoon Light Podcast, marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Liberal Party and the release of the new book on the history of that event, Unity in Autonomy, Georgina Downer speaks with chapter contributor Lyndon Megarrity to discuss the history of the Queensland People's Party - which became the Queensland Liberal Party in 1949.
Dr Lyndon Megarrity is adjunct lecturer at the College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University. He is an historian and author, and has written several books and articles on a range of subjects, including Queensland political history, overseas student policy, Northern Australia and local government. His latest book is Rex Patterson: A Voice for the North (2024).

Zachary Gorman on the Origins of the New South Wales Liberal Party | "NSW's history is Australia's history"

How did NSW go from being the home of Liberal icons like Henry Parkes, George Reid & Joseph Carruthers, to being described as a natural Labor state?
In the eighth episode of a special series of the Afternoon Light Podcast, marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Liberal Party and the release of the new book on the history of that event, Unity in Autonomy, Georgina Downer speaks with editor & chapter contributor Zachary Gorman to explore the highs and lows of Liberal politics in New South Wales.
Dr Zachary Gorman is the Historian and Research Manager of the Robert Menzies Institute. An expert on the history of Australian liberalism, he has authored or edited 8 books related to the subject, including Sir Joseph Carruthers: Founder of the New South Wales Liberal Party and most recently Unity in Autonomy: A Federal History of the Founding of the Liberal Party.

Terry Barnes on the Origins of the Liberal-Nationals Coalition | "Relating to its base"

Why did the Country Party not join in Menzies’s push for centre-right unity?
In the seventh episode of a special series of the Afternoon Light Podcast, marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Liberal Party and the release of the new book on the history of that event, Unity in Autonomy, Georgina Downer speaks with chapter contributor Terry Barnes to explore how and why the federal Coalition came to be.
Terry Barnes worked in Federal and State government and politics for 25 years.  He was senior personal adviser to two federal health ministers, Michael Wooldridge (1993-97) and Tony Abbott (2003-07).  He writes regularly for major newspapers about health, social policy and politics generally, including The Age and The Australian Financial Review. He is a regular contributor to The Spectator (Australia).

Stephen Wilks on the Origins of the Victorian Liberal Party | “The freedom to be an individual”

How did Victoria become ‘the jewel in the Liberal crown’?
In the sixth episode of a special series of the Afternoon Light Podcast, marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Liberal Party and the release of the new book on the history of that event, Unity in Autonomy, Georgina Downer speaks with chapter contributor Stephen Wilks, about how and why Victoria became the quintessential Liberal state, underpinning the long Menzies and Bolte eras.
Stephen Wilks is based in the National Centre of Biography, in the ANU’s School of History. He is a research fellow and editor for the Australian Dictionary of Biography and the Dictionary of the House of Representatives project. He holds a 2018 doctorate in Australian history from the ANU about national economic and social development in the twentieth century, focused on the career of Earle Page. He has contributed over seventy book reviews and articles to Fairfax Media and other publishers, mainly on modern Australian, British and United States history and biography. He has published a book and several articles on Earle Page and his ideas, such as for the Australian Policy and History network. He twice won the ACT Writers Centre Reviewer of the Year Award, for which he subsequently served as judge.