Launch of the Butlin Brothers Lecture Series
Launch of the Butlin Brothers Lecture Series
We are delighted to announce the launch of the Butlin Brothers Lecture Series, a new annual event honouring two of Australia’s most influential economic historians, Sydney James (“Syd”) Butlin and Noel George (“Noel”) Butlin.
Syd and Noel Butlin were widely regarded as the pre‑eminent Australian scholars of their generation. Their pioneering work reshaped understanding of Australia’s monetary history, national accounts, economic development, and public policy. The lecture series will celebrate their legacy and highlight the continuing relevance of rigorous, evidence‑based economic research.
Syd Butlin is best known for his landmark study Foundations of the Australian Monetary System 1788–1851, which earned him a Doctor of Letters from Cambridge University. His contributions during the Second World War - including the design of the Universities Commission and the Commonwealth Office of Education - helped shape Australia’s post‑war tertiary system. His multi‑volume histories of Australia’s wartime economy and the ANZ Bank remain foundational works.
Noel Butlin, a long‑serving scholar at the Australian National University, transformed Australia’s national accounts through meticulous reconstruction of colonial statistics and business archives - now housed in the Noel Butlin Archives Centre. His influential books on Australia’s economic development, his work on the mixed economy, and his groundbreaking re‑estimation of Aboriginal populations at European settlement cemented his reputation as one of Australia’s most innovative economic historians.
The Butlin Brothers’ Lecture Series will bring leading scholars and policymakers together to explore themes central to the brothers’ work, including long‑run economic development, public policy, and the role of historical evidence in shaping Australia’s future. The location of the lecture will alternate between the Australian National University and the University of Sydney, reflecting the two institutions where Noel and Syd Butlin spent the bulk of their academic careers.
The inaugural lecture will take place on Thursday 3 December from 6pm till 7pm at the Australian National University, Canberra. Professor Tim Hatton will provide his lecture Human Capital and the Australian Economic Miracle, 1840-1870.
