Did you know that Captain Cook's Endeavour was originally a coal ship?

On this week’s Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Denis Porter to explore the crucial role the coal industry has played throughout Australian history, from the earliest days of British settlement right up until the present. A story of triumph and tragedy, in which economic growth and political controversy have often gone hand in hand.

Denis Porter was CEO of the NSW Minerals Council (1998 to 2001) and a senior staff member of the Council and the NSW Coal Association (1989 to 1998). He was also Joint Executive Director of the Australian Coal Association (1998 to 2001). Denis had an ongoing association with the coal industry after he left the Council, for several years as a consultant, and also as a trustee director of the industry superannuation fund, Mine Super, and as a director of Mine Super Services. He is the author of the two-volume history Coal: The Australian Story.

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Does offering financial support for Prisoners of War risk incentivising surrender?

On this week’s Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Christina Twomey, to discuss how the Australian government dealt with returned World War II POWs who had been deeply scarred by their time spent in captivity. Revealing the brutal realism of military commanders who feared that offering too much assistance might reward surrender. But more importantly, uncovering the stories of the soldiers themselves, who were forced to document their trauma in order to try to win support.

Christina Twomey is Professor of History at Monash University. Her research focuses on the social and cultural history of war, with a particular interest in imprisonment and internment, gendered violence, trauma, Australia-Asia relations, humanitarian and aid programmes, and visual cultures of atrocity. Her most recent work focuses on Australia's Asian garrisons and regional engagement during the Cold War period. In 2018 she published The Battle Within: POWs in Postwar Australia.

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What is the story behind the woman who appears on Australia's $50 note?

On this week’s Afternoon Light Georgina Downer speaks with Hilary Silbert to uncover the remarkable life of Australia's first female parliamentarian, Edith Cowan. Who rose from the familial infamy of having a convicted murderer for a father, to become one of the most influential citizens in the history of Western Australia, and an inspiration to women across the nation.

Hilary Silbert was the inaugural Corporate Events Manager at the newly formed Edith Cowan University. An admirer of Cowan, Silbert has become an advocate for her memory and memorialisation, helping to organise the celebrations marking the centenary of her election to parliament in 2021. She is currently writing a full-length biography of Cowan, which will be the second ever to be published.

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