Afternoon Light

How can Australia see off the threats posed by an increasingly unstable world?

On this week's Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Sir Peter Cosgrove for a wide-ranging interview covering his own personal experience in the ADF, reflections on Australia's Vietnam War commitment, and a call to action on the pressing need to invest in our military preparedness.

Born into an Army family, Sir Peter Cosgrove attended Waverley Coll...

How can a monument encapsulate the loss of 60,000 young men?

On this week's Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Katti Williams to explore the design process that produced Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance. Undoubtedly one of Australia's most iconic monuments and a haunting tribute to those that paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of our nation.

Katti Williams is a Postdoctoral Research fellow in Australian architectu...

Why did a critic of the Boer War double down on Australia's commitment to its bloody successor?

On this week's Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with David Day to discuss one of our most important but forgotten nation builders, Andrew Fisher. Who rose from the coal mines of Scotland to become Australia's fifth prime minister. But whose legacy is inextricably linked to the Australian lives lost during World War I.

David Day is ...

How did Menzies's Liberal Party end up with the lowest primary vote in its 80-year history?

On this week's Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with John Roskam and Zachary Gorman to dissect the recent election, apply some historical context to the results, and ask 'where to now?' for Australian liberalism.

John Roskam is a columnist for The Australian Financial Review and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs. Zachary...

How did Robert Menzies sell his message as Opposition Leader?

On this week's Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Bob Crawshaw about how Chifley and Menzies's epic clash over bank nationalisation reshaped Australia's political communications landscape. As innovative marketing techniques first defeated the policy then helped to sweep the Liberals into power in 1949.

Bob Crawshaw began his career during the Vietnam era, servin...

How did one group of soldiers manage to endure practically the full breadth of Australia's experience in World War Two?

On this week's Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Mark Johnston to tell the story of Don Company. An Australian 'band of brothers' who fought with distinction in Tobruk, El Alamein and New Guinea.

Dr Mark Johnston has established himself as one of the foremost authorities on the Australian Army in World W...

What are the long-term consequences when political parties become wracked by division?

On Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Paul Strangio about the Great Labor Split, which just passed its 70th anniversary. A combustible mix of sectarian prejudice and ideological division lit into an inferno by an unstable leader, it prompted the rise of Australia's first significant minor party and left the ALP in Opposition for over two...

How did Japan evolve from Australia's wartime enemy into a friendly trading partner in a little over a decade?

On Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Andrew Levidis about Kishi Nabusuke. A controversial & complex figure, who was imprisoned as a war criminal for his role in the Imperial Japanese Government, only to rebound and become the architect of its post-war political settlement.

Andrew Levidis is a Lecturer in Mode...

How did Alfred Deakin shape so much of the 'Australian Settlement' without ever securing a clear election victory?

On Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Judith Brett to explore one of Australia's most important but enigmatic figures. Who has always featured centrally in the story of federation, in part because he insisted on writing it himself.

Judith Brett is a political historian and biographer and emeritus professor of ...

Did you know that the most important discovery in the history of treating mental illness was made by an Australian?

On Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Greg de Moore to tell the world-changing story of John Cade. A survivor of Changi, who risked experiments on himself to establish that lithium could treat bipolar disorder. A breakthrough that has been compared in significance to the discovery of penicillin.

Greg de Moore...

Do you ever stop to think why there are so many things named Flinders in Australia?

On Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Grantlee Kieza to tell the remarkable story of Matthew Flinders. The mariner responsible for proving that Australia was an island continent and the adoption of its name, who lived a life of adventure, discovery, and scientific endeavour with his iconic cat Trim.

Award-winning journalist Grantlee Kieza O...

Why have banks been central to Australian political history?

On Afternoon Light #192 Georgina Downer speaks with Chris Berg on the history of banking regulation. A topic that is far-more engaging than it sounds, as it helped to shape the emergence and attitudes of both of our major political parties. As banks have been the central issue around which the clash over government involvement in the economy has been fought.

Chris Berg is...

How difficult is it to get politicians to invest in defence spending, even when a war is looming?

On Afternoon Light #191 Georgina Downer speaks with Augustine Meaher about the predictability of the fall of Singapore, how it embodied Australia's overreliance on great powers for defence, and reluctance to invest in re-arming itself ahead of World War II. A conversation replete with haunting lessons for today.

Dr. Augustine Meaher is...

How does a singer become famous enough to feature on the $100 note?

On Afternoon Light #190 Georgina Downer speaks with Richard David about Dame Nellie Melba. Australia's first global superstar who sang for Kings, Queens & Tsars, her stage name paid tribute to marvelous Melbourne, helping to put it and Australia on the map.

Richard Davis is an internationally acclaimed writer specialising in biographies. He's written a series d...

Why don't the British figure in narratives of post-war migration, when for decades they were still the largest migrant group?

On Afternoon Light #189 Georgina Downer speaks with Alistair Thomson about the 10 Pound Poms. Whose complex migrant stories provided us with plenty of Aussie rock icons, but also gradually revealed that Australia was not quite as British as either they or we assumed.

Alistair Thomson is Professor of History ...

Who was Australia's unluckiest Prime Minister?

On Afternoon Light #188 Georgina Downer speaks with Michael Easson about James Scullin, the PM sworn in the week of the Wall Street Crash. His 1931 electoral defeat was the last time an Australian federal government failed to win a second term; a record Anthony Albanese is desperate to avoid.

Michael Easson AM is a businessman, company director, former union leader and Labor historian....

How did Australia develop its reputation as an exporter of higher education?

On Afternoon Light #187 Georgina Downer speaks with David Lowe to mark 75 years since the meeting that spawned the Colombo Plan. An innovative and enduring foreign aid program that helped our 'near north' neighbours to economically develop, winning 'hearts and minds' during the Cold War and inadvertently shifting Australian hearts and minds against the Whi...

The son of a greengrocer who was an Italian immigrant, Santamaria became an incredibly influential figure in Australian politics. Yet for someone who had did not hold a formal position, was his influence overstated? And how did Santamaria color Menzies' own worldviews when the latter was in office? 

Samuel Chamberlain talks to Ge...

Can you imagine Australia without government bureaucrats?

On Afternoon Light #186 Georgina Downer speaks with Colin Milner to tell the remarkable story of the Commonwealth's first public servant Sir Robert Garran. A father of federation and authority on the constitution, whose long career exerted more power and influence than some prime ministers.

Colin Milner, BA Hons, LLB (Sydney University), is a former official of the Australia...