Afternoon Light

Allan Pidgeon, ‘Part of National Folklore’ The Story of the Australian Flag

Were you aware that Australia was the first country in the world to hold an open competition to design its national flag? Or that the seventh point was added to the flag’s Federation Star when Australia acquired the territory of Papua, an integral part of modern-day PNG? Ahead of Australian National Flag Day on 3 September – an annual commemoration marking the anniversary of the date in 1901 on which the Australian flag was first flown – you can hear the untold story of our key national symbol.
Want to know more about Australian National Flag Day? Check out the Commonwealth Government’s official webpage
Want to learn more? Read our On This Day Post on the 1953 Flags Act
Want further resources? Visit the Australian National Flag Association
Bonus fact:
The Australian flag closely resembles the flag of the Anti-Transporation League – an organisation formed to fight for the abolition of convict transportation to Australia in the late 1840s and early 1850s. This campaign marked the first time that the colonies of Australasia united to achieve a common goal and it thus directly presaged federation. However, there was one key difference – New Zealand was a part of the Anti-Transportation League, but Western Australia was not.

Nyunggai Warren Mundine, ‘Only part of their story’ The Journey of Indigenous Australians from Menzies to the Voice

Australians will soon vote on whether to constitutionally enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, but do we even accurately recall when Indigenous Australians received the vote? Many incorrectly assume this was a product of the 1967 referendum, but Warren Mundine points out that as a New South Welshman his grandfather was on the electoral roll in 1913. Learn more about the long, often tragic and turbulent road that led us here. Hear the personal story of one of the faces of the ‘no’ campaign. And discover what has led him to believe in a different ‘next step’ in the journey of Indigenous Australians. 
Want to learn more? Read our On This Day Post on the 1962 Commonwealth Electoral Act. 
Want to hear more? Listen to Associate Professor William Sanders discuss the reforms of Menzies’s Minister for Territories Paul Hasluck. 
Bonus Fact: While Indigenous Australians were not directly robbed of the vote in NSW (which they were in QLD & WA), such a proposal was raised during a debate over the 1891 Representation of the People Bill. It was defeated on the back of a heartfelt speech by future Liberal Premier Joseph Carruthers, who had grown up around Indigenous people in rural NSW, and who argued:
'It is not of their own choice that blackfellows are in a country where they are liable to be denied the privileges enjoyed by other people. Considering the manner in which the Aborigines of the colony were treated in days gone by, it would have been a good thing if they had not only had a vote, but if one of their number had been here to voice their sufferings and their wrongs. I am sure the Committee will not deprive the Aborigines of the vote which they have had in the past. Nothing has been shown to indicate that the vote has been abused in any way, and it is consonance with the principle of one man one vote to allow these persons to possess the privilege which they have enjoyed in the past.’

Ted Ling, ‘I Became An Apostle’ Menzies’s Mission to Develop Canberra

When Robert Menzies was first induced to switch to Federal politics in 1934, he hesitated because he had significant reservations about spending a large amount of time in the national capital. He observed that ‘Canberra is not attractive, either personally or professionally, for obvious reasons, but I feel that the Commonwealth Parliament must still attract the services of men who are interested in public affairs if the Federal system is to continue effectively’. However, over years spent in the Lodge with his family, Menzies grew to appreciate the place, and resolved to make it a truly worthwhile monument to the nation. Through the National Capital Development Commission, the Menzies Government would oversee the construction of many of Canberra’s most enduring landmarks, from the National Library of Australia to Lake Burley Griffin itself.
Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Ted Ling, an expert on the development of Canberra.

John Hawkins, ‘Prepared in a time of peace’ Menzies as Treasurer

The Treasury portfolio is generally considered the second most important ministerial position, behind only that of Prime Minister. However, despite the onerous nature and great responsibility of the posting, on several occasions the Prime Minister of the day has allocated themselves as Treasurer. This occurred with Joseph Lyons, whose government focused on combatting the devastating effects of the Great Depression, and it was also the case with Ben Chifley. However, it is often forgotten that when a Menzies Government was first sworn-in in April 1939, he too had taken on this double role. Though Menzies’s time as Treasurer was comparatively short, it was still crucial in preparing Australia for the Second World War. Even more notably, when Menzies handed the task off to Percy Spender in 1940, Australia would experiment with its first ever Keynesian budget.
Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Dr John Hawkins from the University of Canberra, an expert on the history of Australian Treasurers.

Harry Stutchbury, ‘We know it empirically’ Markets and Prosperity

The Menzies era saw a number of important economic reforms including the creation of the Reserve Bank, signing of the 1957 Commerce Agreement with Japan, and the granting of the first export license for iron ore. Nevertheless, there was a settled agreement about a certain level of state involvement in the economy that was to come unstuck with ‘stagflation’ in the 1970s. The fall of the ‘Australian Settlement’ led to a period of unprecedented economic reform throughout the 80s and 90s, however that reformist spirit has long since exhausted itself. In this week’s episode, we look at some ideas for how to reinvigorate that spirit, to unshackle productivity and lift living standards for all Australians.
Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Harry Stutchbury, editor of the new book Markets and Prosperity.

Stephen Chavura, ‘Not the Established Religion, but part of the Establishment’ Faith and Secularism in Australia

Australia has often been described as a secular nation, however up until quite recently it is debatable whether that has been the case. While the government has never imposed a religion and the constitution legally bars it from doing so, the Australian people themselves have often been quite devout. What distinguishes Australia historically is religious toleration and ecumenicalism. In the 19th century we did not make the Church of England legally predominant as it was then in Britain, but we did have the government funding a range of Christian denominations. As Australia does appear to be on the path of losing its faith, it is important to take a look back at the role religion has played in our story.
Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Dr Stephen Chavura, co-author of Reason, Religion, and the Australian Polity: A Secular State?

Tony Abbott, ‘Above All Else Patriots’ Battling for Australian Liberalism

Since the record-breaking run of Robert Menzies, there have been 14 leaders of the Liberal Party of Australia. Each of them has been influenced in various ways by the party’s founder, as they try to take up the essential task of upholding the principles of Australian liberalism (which indeed is a political tradition which long predates Menzies himself). In this special series of the Afternoon Light podcast, we intend to speak to each of the surviving leaders of the party about their connection to Menzies, philosophical beliefs, and time spent heading the centre-right of Australian politics. 
In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Tony Abbott, one of just four Leaders of the Liberal Party of Australia to win government from Opposition, about his beliefs and experiences in the role.

Malcolm Turnbull, ‘You’ve got to recognise some political realities’ Liberal Leadership

Since the record-breaking run of Robert Menzies, there have been 14 leaders of the Liberal Party of Australia. Each of them has been influenced in various ways by the party’s founder, as they try to take up the essential task of upholding the principles of Australian liberalism (which indeed is a political tradition which long predates Menzies himself). In this special series of the Afternoon Light podcast, we intend to speak to each of the surviving leaders of the party about their connection to Menzies, philosophical beliefs, and time spent heading the centre-right of Australian politics.
In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia between 2015-2018, about his beliefs and experiences in the role.

Andrew Norton, ‘The utilitarian aspect has dominated’ Australia’s Universities

When the Australian Commonwealth was formed in 1901, the Constitution left education as a matter for the States and Australia had only a handful of tertiary institutions. However, as the nation grew to maturity the importance of having an educated populace grew with it. It was Menzies who first appreciated the central role that Australia’s universities could play in the national story, as he introduced Commonwealth Scholarships that gave widespread access to those with talent and ambition, and greatly increased funding to universities in a manner that would see the birth of many institutions which are now household names. Since Menzies’s time, universities have become an essential part of the Australian economy, but they face a wide array of challenges and may not be living up to the purpose he saw in them.
In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Professor Andrew Norton, an expert and researcher on Higher Education Policy.

Zachary Gorman, ‘This Empowerment Philosophy’ Sir Joseph Cook

The first Liberal leader to win a Federal election outright was not Robert Menzies, it was in fact a little-remembered prime minister named Joseph Cook. Remarkably, Cook was also the first leader of the NSW Labor party and his story reveals the how and the why of the emergence of the Australian party system, and the philosophical lines of cleavage which continue to shape our nation. Born in an English coal mining town in 1860, Cook entered the mines as a pit boy at just age nine, and his life is a remarkable tale of human agency and Australian social mobility. It was this lived experience of opportunity and success which ultimately turned Cook into a powerful and persuasive advocate of the enduring values of Australian liberalism.
In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Zachary Gorman, author of a new biographical monograph on Australia’s sixth prime minister Joseph Cook.