Afternoon Light

• Charles Moore on Margaret Thatcher's Life, Legacy & 100th Birthday: "Almost Revolutionary Fervour"

  What did the Iron Lady have in common with Pig Iron Bob? On this week's Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Margaret Thatcher's official biographer Charles Moore to explore her life and legacy on the centenary of her birth. Revealing how the grocer's daughter from Lincolnshire drew inspiration from the shopkeeper's son from Jeparit, in her trailblazing quest to reinvigorate Britain and defeat global communism. Charles Moore joined the staff of the Daily Telegraph in 1979, and as a political columnist in the 1980s covered several years of Mrs Thatcher's first and second governments. He was Editor of The Spectator 1984-1990; Editor of the Sunday Telegraph 1992-1995; and Editor of the Daily Telegraph 1995-2003, for which he is still a regular columnist. He was created Lord Moore of Etchingham in 2020. He is the author of the three-volume authorised biography of Margaret Thatcher, which has recently been re-released in a single-volume centenary edition. I18CSCALCJLVFOJG

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• Toby Young on the Current Battle for Freedom of Speech: "A Very Chilling Effect"

  Why are we so quick to try to censor opinions with which we disagree? On this week's Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Toby Young, founder of the Free Speech Union, to discuss the current fight for free debate across the Anglosphere. Giving insights into his own experience of being 'cancelled', the massive legislative encroachment on free expression, and what the FSU is doing to protect those who have been brave enough to openly speak their minds. Lord Young of Acton is the Founder and General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, co-founder of the West London Free School, and co-founder of the Knowledge Schools Trust. He is an associate editor of The Spectator, The Critic, and editor-in-chief of The Daily Sceptic. He was made a Conservative peer in 2024. The Free Speech Union is a non-partisan, mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members and campaigns for free speech more widely. It champions the right of people from all walks of life to express themselves without fear of punishment or persecution. It defends its members who get into trouble for exercising their right to lawful free speech, whether in the workplace, at university or on social media. GA4X7AQ8KSUFUAX2

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• Margaret Simons on the life, legacy & liberalism of Malcolm Fraser: "Changed the face of Australia"

  What happens to an ex-prime minister's legacy when they repudiate the political party that would otherwise have championed it? On this week's Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Margaret Simons to unpack the complexities of the career, beliefs and impact of Australia's twenty-second prime minister Malcom Fraser. A leader whose profound contribution to our nation has sadly been obscured by their infamous role in the dismissal and later-life political apostacy. Margaret Simons is an award-winning freelance journalist and the author of many books and numerous articles and essays. She is also a journalism academic and Honorary Principal Fellow at the Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne. Since September 2022, she has been a board member of the British based Scott Trust, which is the owner of The Guardian worldwide. Simons has won the Walkley Award for Social Equity Journalism, a Foreign Press Association Award and a number of Quill Awards, including for her reporting from the Philippines with photojournalist Dave Tacon. Her most recent work is a biography of Labor Minister for the Environment, Tanya Plibersek, released in March 2023. She co-authored Malcolm Fraser: The Political Memoirs. 19QSQ77DWMVGW8RV

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• Kirsten McKenzie on the Bigge Report & inquiries into 19th century British Imperial Administration: "An extraordinary snapshot of imperial life"

  How did long have politicians been dodging criticism by appointing elaborate Royal Commissions and inquiries? On this week's Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Kirsten McKenzie to explore how the famous Bigge Report denouncing Lachlan Macquarie's liberal treatment of convicts fit into a broader attempt to regulate and rationalise the kaleidoscopic British Empire, as it had emerged from the Napoleonic Wars. A discussion which reveals how our 'national' story cannot be understood in isolation, but only as something inextricably linked to the cultures and currents of a wider 'British world'. Professor Kirsten McKenzie holds the Chair in Australian History at the University of Sydney’s School of Humanities and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She was recently appointed as Harvard University’s Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Visiting Professor of Australian Studies for 2026-7. Born in South Africa, Kirsten’s work focuses on British imperial history, specifically by connecting British, South African and Australian history in the period 1780 – 1850. Her latest book is Inquiring into Empire: Colonial Commissions and British Imperial Reform, 1819–1833. 1EQCL9ROSYK9L329

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• Jackie French & Kate O'Donnell on the History of Book Week: "United Through Books"

  How did Book Week grow to become an Australian institution, inspiring children & stressing parents nation-wide? On this week's Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with children's authors Jackie French & Kate O'Donnell to mark 80 years of Book Week. Exploring the annual celebration's wartime origins, the hope its founders had for promoting understanding and world peace, the role of the Children's Book Awards in promoting Aussie literature, and whose bright idea it was to introduce elaborate dress-ups and annual parades. Jackie French AM is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator, the 2014–2015 Australian Children's Laureate and the 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. In 2016, Jackie became a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to children's literature and her advocacy for youth literacy. She is regarded as one of Australia's most popular children's authors and writes across all genres — from picture books, history, fantasy, ecology and sci-fi, to her much-loved historical fiction for a variety of age groups. 'A book can change a child's life. A book can change the world' was the primary philosophy behind Jackie's two-year term as Laureate. Kate O'Donnell is a Young Adult author from Melbourne. She has worked as a bookseller, editor and in digital marketing but it's a fascination for people, music, the future, as well as small, unexplored places that inspires her writing. Her first novel Untidy Towns was published in 2017, and This One is Ours was released in October 2020. She is a third generation committee member of the Children’s Book Council of Australia. JDO9999VKWUXQXBZ

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