In this special summer series of the Afternoon Light podcast you can enjoy the presentations delivered at our November 2023 conference entitled ‘The Menzies Ascendency: Implementing a Liberal Agenda and Consolidating Gains 1954-1961’. This second episode features David Lee’s paper ‘The Menzies Government and the Origins of Australia’s Open Economy, 1956-61’, Selwyn Cornish’s paper ‘RG Menzies and the Creation of the Reserve Bank of Australia’ (begins 16:44), and Paul Brown’s paper on ‘Alick Downer’s Immigration Program’ (begins 44:02).

David Lee is Associate Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Canberra. He is the author inter alia of John Curtin, Connor Court, 2022 and The Second Rush: Mining and the Transformation of Australia, Connor Court, 2016.

Selwyn Cornish is Honorary Associate Professor in the Research School of Economics at the Australian National University, and the Official Historian of the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Dr Paul Brown is a published author awarded a Bachelor of Arts (History Honours) at the University of NSW for a thesis on the Balfour Declaration and Palestine 1917 and a Doctorate from the University of Wollongong for his study of Alexander Downer’s Formative Family Policy Influences. He has also contributed to various publications including the chapter ‘The Progressive Conservatism of Alexander Downer’ in Greg Melleuish’s study Liberalism and Conservatism. He has also given papers at history conferences.