Afternoon Light Podcast

Afternoon Light is the podcast of the Robert Menzies Institute. You can listen to individual episodes by clicking on the links below, or subscribe to Afternoon Light using your favourite podcast app.

FEATURED PODCAST: 17 DECEMBER, 2025

Andrew Kemp ranking our best & worst PMs by term: "It's Whack-a-Mole"

On this week’s Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Andrew Kemp, who has recently ranked Australian Prime Ministers by the best and worst terms of government we have experienced. A fun and enlightening exercise that highlights how good governance can be judged not merely on the policy programs for which governments are elected, but ultimately on rising to the unique & unforeseeable challenges of the day.

26 Aug, 2026

Australia's first Asian Barrister

19 Aug, 2026

Nick Bisley on how globalisation made & may unmake Asia: "The world looks quite different"

12 Aug, 2026

Paul Kelly & Alexander Downer on the frustration & legacy of the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Governments: "We don't know what they stand for"

5 Aug, 2026

Michael Wesley on Australia's need to recommit to Southeast Asia: "In historical terms"

29 Jul, 2026

Rae Frances & Bruce Scates on Mary Booth, the woman who shaped the Anzac legend: "War unsettles the gender orders"

23 Jul, 2026

Patrick Mullins on the flawed & fascinating redemption story of stained man Richard Meagher: "Australia is a land of new beginnings"

15 Jul, 2026

Jeff Kildea on the rise & demise of the Catholic-Labor alliance: "The lifelong habit"

8 Jul, 2026

Alex McDermott on Menzies as the man who made modern Australia: "When the will is triggered"

1 Jul, 2026

Rohan Howitt on how Australia once dreamed of an Antarctic Empire: "Tremendous opportunities down there"

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