How British slave money flowed to colonial Australia

Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast · Jul 23, 2026 · 28m

In 1833, slavery in the British Empire was abolished, but not without a massive compensation scheme paid out to slave owners. Some of that money flowed to colonial Australia. Two-thirds of Australia's colonial governors had links to slavery. That money helped fuel vast pastoral enterprises and build prestigious institutions. A new book examines how our supposedly 'slavery-free' nation was shaped by this money.

You can search the UCL Legacies of British Slavery Database here

Guest: Zoe Laidlaw, Professor of History at the University of Melbourne, co-editor, with Jane Lydon, of Legacies of…