Events.
‘The Final Chapter: Purpose, Endurance, and Legacy 1961-66 and Beyond’
To fulfil our mission to foster research into academic discussion on Menzies, the Robert Menzies Institute is hosting a series of four annual conferences bringing together historians and other thinkers to develop a collection of papers which will make a major contribution to the existing historiography on Menzies and the Menzies era. Once published in four volumes by Melbourne University Press, these will become a comprehensive reference on Menzies.
The Robert Menzies Institute is pleased to announce its fourth annual conference will be held on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November 2024 in the Old Quad at The University of Melbourne.
The theme of this year's conference is 'The Final Chapter: Purpose, Endurance, and Legacy 1961-66 and Beyond’.
The period from 1961-66 was the final phase of the Menzies era, yet in some respects it was the most remarkable. After a near defeat at the 1961 election, Menzies held a razor thin majority and many assumed that he would ride off into the political sunset. However, if anything the near miss reinvigorated him, spurring a new wave of policy innovation in the introduction of State Aid for independent schools, major investments in science education and the space race, and laying the groundwork for the decimal currency. On the geopolitical front, it was a time of heightened danger in which a full-scale war with Indonesia loomed as a very real possibility, prompting a major overhaul of the Australian Defence Force and a controversial commitment to Vietnam.
As an unprecedented term in office reached its sixteenth year, it was also a time when Menzies’s long-term policy investments were starting to bear fruit. Homeownership and university enrolments were ballooning, while Australian exports expanded and diversified – in the process a new and remarkably modern Australia was emerging. When Menzies finally retired of his own choosing in January 1966, the full effects of his legacy were still playing out. It is only now, with the benefit of nearly 60 years of perspective, that we can appreciate their magnitude.
Papers to be presented at the conference:
Saturday 23 November
David Lee, ‘Menzies and the Dual Economy, 1961-66’
Selwyn Cornish, ‘RG Menzies and the Introduction of Decimal Currency’
Jim Walter, ‘Robert Menzies and Allen Brown: The odd couple?’
John Hawkins, ‘Menzies and Vernon’
Nicholas Brown, ‘A risky enterprise’: Menzies, Sir John Crawford and the Vernon Committee'
Anne Henderson, ‘The Menzies Government, B A Santamaria and the Beginning of State Aid’
Jennifer Clark, ‘The forgotten people by the sea? Liberalism, affluence and the Central Coast of New South Wales during the 1950s'
Michael de Percy, From the bottom of the sea to the moon: Menzies and Australia’s communications golden age
James Waghorne & Gwilym Croucher, University unlimited: Commonwealth Scholarships in Australian universities, 1951-1974
Lyndon Megarrity, Menzies and Liberal Education
Sunday 23 November
James Curran, Menzies and the Great Republic: Divergence and Convergence 1961-66 and Beyond
Lucas McLennan, Australian anti-Communist organisations in the Vietnam War debate
Andrew Carr & Peter Dean, The ADF Menzies Built
Tom Lewis, The Menzies defence legacy: wise, brave, and enduring
Damien Freeman & Dean Smith, Recommending an Appointment to the Sovereign
Will Stoltz, Managed Decolonisation
Sean Jacobs, Relaxed and Comfortable: Menzies and the fall of Empire (1961-66)
David Furse-Roberts, Homes Material, Homes Human and Homes Spiritual: The Menzies Government and Housing Policy
Christopher Beer, The frontier of property-owning democracy: Housing, the reform of Australian liberal urbanism, and electoral politics in Western Sydney, 1961-1966
Josh Woodward, ‘A cure for prejudice’: Robert Menzies, Travel and Nationalism in the 1960s
Frank Bongiorno, ‘one of the world’s masterpieces’? Australian reaction to Menzies’s retirement, January 1966
Charles Richardson, Menzies’s Philosophical Legacy to his party
Zachary Gorman, Closing Remarks
2024 Oration and Dinner Oration delivered by Sir Niall Ferguson
You are warmly invited to join us for the Robert Menzies Institute 2024 Oration and Dinner
on Wednesday 23rd October 2024
at the Park Hyatt 1 Parliament Square Melbourne 3002 from 6:30pm - 10.30pm
90 years ago, when the West was mired in the depths of the Great Depression and assailed by the competition of fascism and communism, Robert Menzies posed the question 'Is Democracy Doomed?' in an ABC radio broadcast. Today the nature of the West's ailments may have changed, but the question is no less pertinent.
Join us as we hear from one of the world’s foremost historians Sir Niall Ferguson, MA, DPhil, FRSE on whether Democracy is Doomed.
ABOUT SIR NIALL FERGUSON Sir Niall Ferguson, MA, DPhil, FRSE, is the Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a senior faculty fellow of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard. He is the author of 16 books, including The Great Degeneration: How Institutions Decay and Economies Die, The Pity of War, The House of Rothschild, Empire, Civilization and Kissinger, 1923-1968: The Idealist, which won the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Prize. In 2020 he joined Bloomberg Opinion as a columnist. In addition, he is the founder and managing director of Greenmantle, a New York-based advisory firm, a co-founder of the Latin American fin tech company Ualá, and a co-founder of the new University of Austin.
ABOUT THE DINNER The tickets include canapes commencing at 6.30pm followed by a 3 course meal with drinks included in the Ballroom of the Park Hyatt.
TICKET AND BOOKING INFORMATION There are a range of ticket options for this event.
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS There is an Early Bird Special available until Thursday 1st August 2024. Early Bird Ticket $250 Silver Ticket $300 Gold Ticket $500 VIP Indvidual tickets $1000 Gold and VIP tickets are a seat on a premium table location for the dinner. A 10% member discount is available for all tickets for current members of the Robert Menzies Institute.
BOOKINGS FOR TABLES OF 10 Silver Table of 10 $2700 Gold Table of 10 $4500 VIP Table of 10 $9000 Gold and VIP tables are a premium table location for the dinner. There is a 10% discount for booking a table of 10. SPEAKER’S TABLE Speaker’s table ticket $2000 There are very limited tickets.
PAYMENT OPTIONS Trybooking accepts credit card payment for VISA, Mastercard and Applepay. For payment with American Express or invoices for payment via EFT please contact christina@robertmenziesinstitute.org.au
The Future of the Two-Party System
2024 will mark eighty years since the creation of the Liberal Party by Robert Menzies in 1944.
The creation of the Liberal Party as a party-of-government from the non-Labor centre-right of the political spectrum, marked the beginning of the modern two-party system. The rise of the Liberal Party arguably shaped the modern labour movement as much as it impacted contemporary Australian liberalism. However, the Labor and Liberal parties are currently experiencing record low proportions of the primary vote as well as declining membership numbers. This has led, in part, to incursions by minor parties and independents into electorates historically held by Labor and the Coalition.
Given these conditions it is timely to examine how the Labor and Liberal parties arrived at this position and how they might go about reversing what could be terminal trends. This gathering will be an important health check on the dominant two-party system and a moment to reflect on the structural integrity of Australan democracy at a pivotal time.
Robert Menzies Institute at The University of Melbourne 2024 Open Day
Everyone is welcome at The University of Melbourne Open Day 2024, especially parents and students.
It's an opportunity to discover university life for yourself, explore our campuses, meet staff and students and learn more about your study options.
No matter your high school year level, or even if you're a graduate student, we encourage you to come along and experience our Melbourne community with your family and friends.
Join us at the Robert Menzies Institute Museum in the East Wing of the Old Quad to learn about Australia's longest serving Prime Minister and past Chancellor of The University of Melbourne, Sir Robert Menzies.
The Museum will be open from 10am - 4pm, free entry and no booking necessary.
A Scottish Enlightenment lecture as part of the Tartan Festival 2024.
The Scottish Enlightenment
Australia’s Scottish heritage is often celebrated for its immense cultural legacy, but less attention has been paid to the way Scottish thought has fundamentally shaped our nation. When the First Fleet arrived on our shores in 1788, Scotland was in the middle of an intellectual flourishing known as the Scottish Enlightenment – the fruits of which were transported to the antipodes. As part of the Melbourne Tartan Festival, join the Robert Menzies Institute for an evening exploring how key figures like David Hume, Robert Burns, Francis Hutcheson, Adam Smith, Henry Home, and more, contributed to the burgeoning of Australia’s liberal democracy. As the proud Scots-Australian Robert Menzies once said: ‘the Scots throughout modern history have shown that wherever they go in the world they make a contribution to the country to which they have gone and to the good order and government of that country’.
The evening will feature four speakers:
Dr Marc Mierowski, ARC DECRA Fellow in the University of Melbourne’s Arts faculty and expert on 17th and 18th century literature and intellectual history, who will speak on the Scottish Enlightenment itself.
Dr Stewart Gill OAM, Master of Queen’s College and longstanding member of the Melbourne Scots, who will speak on the Scots in Australia.
Dr Zachary Gorman, Historian of the Robert Menzies Institute, who speak on the Scots influence on Australian liberalism.
Georgina Downer, CEO Robert Menzies Institute will moderate the panel Q&A.
Book Launch ‘The Art of Opposition’ edited by Scott Prasser and David Clune
The Robert Menzies Institute is proud to host Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham launch The Art of Opposition co-edited by Scott Prasser
Wednesday 19 June 2024
Museum, East Wing, Old Quad, The University
5:30pm - 7:00pm
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Art of Opposition is the first detailed published research study of Australian oppositions across federal and state jurisdictions with additional coverage of the United Kingdom, Canada, United States and Europe. With senior academic contributors from Australian and international universities, practitioners like John Howard who led an opposition to office and former opposition staff, The Art of Opposition is an up-to-date account of what oppositions do and how they do it. An effective opposition is essential for the health of any democracy - holding governments to account, exposing mistakes, and being the “government-in-waiting” with alternative policies ready to take office once an election result is clear.
ABOUT SENATOR THE HON SIMON BIRMINGHAM
Simon Birmingham serves as the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. Prior to entering the Senate in 2007, Simon worked for several industry bodies, establishing particular experience in the wine, tourism and hospitality sectors – industries that are critical to South Australia’s prosperity. Throughout his career, Simon has served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment, Assistant Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Education and Training, and Manager of Government Business in the Senate in February 2018. Under the Morrison Government, Simon then served as Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate from August 2018. Simon was then appointed as Minister for Finance in October 2020 while also having the responsibility as Leader of the Government in the Senate. Simon is an active advocate for mental health and ovarian cancer and is a proud Adelaide Crows fan.
ABOUT SCOTT PRASSER
Scott Prasser has worked in federal and state governments in research and senior policy advisory positions. Between 2013-2019 he worked as senior advisor to three federal coalition cabinet ministers. Scott gained his undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications from the University of Queensland and Griffith University. He has held academic positions in five universities across four states, the last at professorial level. Scott has written extensively on Australian politics in academic and the media publications. His publications include: The Menzies Era (1995), The Howard Mandate (1997); Royal Commissions and Public Inquiries in Australia (2021 2nd ed); The Whitlam Era (2022), New directions in royal commissions and public inquiries: Do we need them? (2023) and The Art of Opposition (2024). Since 2019 he has been Series Editor of Connor Court’s Australian Biographical Series which now has 22 titles and wrote Menzies – Man or Myth.
‘The Poet Among Statesmen’ Exhibition Launch
You are warmly invited to join us for the launch of our latest exhibition ‘The Poet Among Statesmen’, with opening remarks by artist, David McCubbin.
Of special note to both the Institute and the McCubbin family, we will display a book that Menzies gave his father, James Menzies, entitled ‘The Art of F.McCubbin’ (1916) with the inscription "To Father - August 9th, 1919. With loving birthday greetings!"
Showcasing its fifth exhibition, our museum will feature treasured items including: Menzies’s own poem ‘De Natura’ (1916) for the Melbourne University Magazine, a first draft by famed poet Bernard O’Dowd and Menzies’s pocket sized version of Macbeth.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Our latest display examines the influences of poetry on Menzies’s beliefs and values, curated by the Institute’s Curatorial Librarian, William Cook and Museum Assistant, Victoria Hronas.
Some fantastic new objects on display in the exhibition include the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun awarded to Menzies in 1973 by the Government of Japan, and Menzies’s Kodak 16mm movie camera.
ANZAC Oration: World War One 110 Years On
2024 marks the 110th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One. But it is also 60 years since Robert Menzies introduced conscription during the Vietnam War. Both anniversaries raise important questions around the limited number of people on whom the overwhelming burden of defending Australia falls, as well as navigating the balance between enjoying the benefits of peace while making the necessary commitments to secure it.
In this special event to commemorate ANZAC Day, the Robert Menzies Institute is proud to host Senator James Paterson to deliver the ANZAC Oration.
You can purchase your tickets here.
Senator Paterson was elected a Liberal Senator for Victoria in March 2016 at the age of 28.
Senator Paterson is the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security. He was previously Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
He also previously chaired the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference Through Social Media, the Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, and the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee.
Senator Paterson is also the Australian co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China; co-patron of Liberal Friends of Israel; and co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of the Baltics.
Prior to entering the Senate, James was Deputy Executive Director of free market think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs. He previously worked for the Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI), and in the office of Senator the Hon. Mitch Fifield.
He has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne. He is a graduate of the McKinnon Institute Advanced Political Leadership program, was the 2023 SR Nathan Exchange Fellow to Singapore and is a 2023 Asia Fellow of the International Strategy Forum.
The Menzies Watershed Sydney Launch
Join the Robert Menzies Institute in Sydney to celebrate the launch of our second book The Menzies Watershed on Tuesday 9 April 2024 6:00pm - 7:30pm.
We are honoured to have Emeritus Professor Greg Craven AO to launch this book, the second in a four-volume history of Menzies and his world, based on conferences convened by the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne.
You can register for tickets here. The launch will be held at the Centre for Independent Studies, Level 1, 131 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000.
Light refreshments will be served from 6:00pm, with formalities commencing at 6:30pm.
Copies of The Menzies Watershed will be available to purchase on the day and are available for pre purchase at the Robert Menzies Institute Bookstore .
About The Book
The eleven years that passed between the 1943 and the 1954 elections were arguably some of the most pivotal in Australian history. This was a period of intense political, policy and strategic transition, which saw a popular Labor Government and its state-led vision for post-war reconstruction toppled by Robert Menzies and his newly formed political machine, the Liberal Party of Australia. Meanwhile, a backdrop of rising Cold War tensions came to dominate domestic and international policymaking, ushering in a divisive communist party ban, the ANZUS treaty, the Colombo Plan, and Australia's own agency of international espionage, ASIS. But what was the difference in practical terms between Menzies and his predecessors? What role was the state to play under a centre-right government, and would Menzies be able to live up to the liberal ideals with which he had won over the Australian public? All these issues are explored in the second of a four-volume history of Menzies and his world, based on conferences convened by the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne.
Contributors include Christopher Beer, Andrew Blyth, Troy Bramston, Lorraine Finlay, Nicolle Flint, David Furse-Roberts, Anne Henderson, David Lee, Lucas McLennan, Lyndon Megarrity, Charles Richardson, William Stoltz and Tom Switzer, with a foreword by The Honourable John Howard OM AC.
About Professor Greg Craven:
Professor Greg Craven, lawyer and academic, served as Vice-Chancellor of Australian Catholic University (ACU National) from 2008 until 2021.
Professor Craven has researched and written on constitutional law, government, public policy, constitutional history and federalism. An expert in public law, Professor Craven has published numerous journal articles and four books, including Conversations with the Constitution (University of New South Wales Press, 2004). A regular contributor to public debate, he is a columnist for the Australian.
He was a leading advocate of republicanism in the leadup to the (eventually unsuccessful) 1999 referendum on the proposed change in Australia from being a constitutional monarchy to a republic. He is also noted as a key Australian Catholic opinion on most important issues.
Prior to his appointment at ACU, Professor Craven served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Strategy & Planning) at Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia, where he also held the position of Professor of Government and Constitutional Law, having previously served as Executive Director of the John Curtin Institute of Public Policy.
Professor Craven was Foundation Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame Australia, and Reader in Law at the University of Melbourne. He also served as Crown Counsel to the Victorian Government from 1992-95.
The Menzies Watershed Brisbane Launch
Join the Robert Menzies Institute in Brisbane to celebrate the launch of our second book The Menzies Watershed on Wednesday 28 February 2024 5:30pm - 7:00pm.
We are honoured to have The Hon George Brandis KC to launch this book, the second in a four-volume history of Menzies and his world, based on conferences convened by the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne.
Tickets to the launch are available here. The launch will be held at King & Wood Mallesons, Waterfront Place, Level 33/1 Eagle St, Brisbane City QLD 4000.
Light refreshments will be served from 5:30pm, with formalities commencing at 6:00pm.
Copies of The Menzies Watershed will be available to purchase on the day.
About The Book
The eleven years that passed between the 1943 and the 1954 elections were arguably some of the most pivotal in Australian history. This was a period of intense political, policy and strategic transition, which saw a popular Labor Government and its state-led vision for post-war reconstruction toppled by Robert Menzies and his newly formed political machine, the Liberal Party of Australia. Meanwhile, a backdrop of rising Cold War tensions came to dominate domestic and international policymaking, ushering in a divisive communist party ban, the ANZUS treaty, the Colombo Plan, and Australia's own agency of international espionage, ASIS. But what was the difference in practical terms between Menzies and his predecessors? What role was the state to play under a centre-right government, and would Menzies be able to live up to the liberal ideals with which he had won over the Australian public? All these issues are explored in the second of a four-volume history of Menzies and his world, based on conferences convened by the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne.
Contributors include Christopher Beer, Andrew Blyth, Troy Bramston, Lorraine Finlay, Nicolle Flint, David Furse-Roberts, Anne Henderson, David Lee, Lucas McLennan, Lyndon Megarrity, Charles Richardson, William Stoltz and Tom Switzer, with a foreword by The Honourable John Howard OM AC.
About the Honourable George Brandis KC:
The Honourable George Brandis KC is Professor in the Practice of National Security at the ANU’s National Security College. A barrister by profession, he served as a Liberal Senator for Queensland for 18 years. He was a Minister in the Governments of John Howard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull. His appointments included Minister for the Arts and Attorney-General. He was also the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Upon his retirement from parliament in 2018, he spent four years as Australia’s High Commissioner to the UK. He has written and published extensively about liberalism and the Liberal Party, and has a special interest in Sir Robert Menzies.
The Menzies Watershed Canberra Launch
Join the Robert Menzies Institute in Canberra to celebrate the launch of our second book The Menzies Watershed on Monday 26 February 2024 6:30pm - 8:00pm.
We are honoured to have The Hon Andrew Hastie to launch this book, the second in a four-volume history of Menzies and his world, based on conferences convened by the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne.
Tickets to the launch are available here. The launch will be held at Menzies House, cnr Blackall and Macquarie Streets, Barton ACT.
Light refreshments will be served from 6:30pm, with formalities commencing at 7:00pm.
Copies of The Menzies Watershed will be available to purchase on the day.
About The Book
The eleven years that passed between the 1943 and the 1954 elections were arguably some of the most pivotal in Australian history. This was a period of intense political, policy and strategic transition, which saw a popular Labor Government and its state-led vision for post-war reconstruction toppled by Robert Menzies and his newly formed political machine, the Liberal Party of Australia. Meanwhile, a backdrop of rising Cold War tensions came to dominate domestic and international policymaking, ushering in a divisive communist party ban, the ANZUS treaty, the Colombo Plan, and Australia's own agency of international espionage, ASIS. But what was the difference in practical terms between Menzies and his predecessors? What role was the state to play under a centre-right government, and would Menzies be able to live up to the liberal ideals with which he had won over the Australian public? All these issues are explored in the second of a four-volume history of Menzies and his world, based on conferences convened by the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne.
Contributors include Christopher Beer, Andrew Blyth, Troy Bramston, Lorraine Finlay, Nicolle Flint, David Furse-Roberts, Anne Henderson, David Lee, Lucas McLennan, Lyndon Megarrity, Charles Richardson, William Stoltz and Tom Switzer, with a foreword by The Honourable John Howard OM AC.
O-Week Kick Off Event
Time to kick off the semester in style!
Join the Robert Menzies Institute in the East Wing of the Old Quad for a complimentary screening of the 2022 Foxtel documentary The Menzies Movies.
Snacks will be provided.
The Menzies Movies
This captivating 2022 documentary film is a stunning tribute to Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister and the ‘Father of the Liberal Party’, Sir Robert Menzies – and is intimately told through Menzies’ personal collection of restored home movies, which he captured with his own 16mm camera, along with notes from Menzies’ diaries.
Christmas Drinks
The Robert Menzies Institute is delighted to extend to you an exclusive invitation to join us in our museum space on Wednesday, December 6th, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM for Christmas Drinks.
This special gathering is dedicated to celebrating the remarkable year that the Institute has had.
It is an occasion to express our appreciation for the support from our cherished donors, dedicated members, and steadfast supporters.
Please join us as we toast to the holiday season and the year ahead.
Please note that by signing up for this event you are consenting to your information being uploaded to our mailing list.
Book Launch : The Menzies Watershed
The Robert Menzies Institute invites you to join us for the launch of our second book, The Menzies Watershed: Liberalism, Anti-communism, Continuities 1943–1954, edited by the Institute's Research Manager and Historian, Dr. Zachary Gorman.
This exciting event is dedicated to exploring the political, policy, and strategic transformation that defined Australia during the pivotal eleven-year period between 1943 and 1954.
The book will be launched by the Hon. Dan Tehan MP, Member for Wannon in Victoria, and the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.
Light refreshments will be served from 4:30pm with formalities commencing at 5:00pm.
About the Book:
The eleven years that passed between the 1943 and the 1954 elections were arguably some of the most pivotal in Australian history. This was a period of intense political, policy and strategic transition, which saw a popular Labor Government and its state-led vision for post-war reconstruction toppled by Robert Menzies and his newly formed political machine, the Liberal Party of Australia. Meanwhile, a backdrop of rising Cold War tensions came to dominate domestic and international policymaking, ushering in a divisive communist party ban, the ANZUS treaty, the Colombo Plan, and Australia's own agency of international espionage, ASIS. But what was the difference in practical terms between Menzies and his predecessors? What role was the state to play under a centre-right government, and would Menzies be able to live up to the liberal ideals with which he had won over the Australian public? All these issues are explored in the second of a four-volume history of Menzies and his world, based on conferences convened by the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne. Contributors include Christopher Beer, Andrew Blyth, Troy Bramston, Lorraine Finlay, Nicolle Flint, David Furse-Roberts, Anne Henderson, David Lee, Lucas McLennan, Lyndon Megarrity, Charles Richardson, William Stoltz and Tom Switzer.
Hon Dan Tehan MP:
The Hon Dan Tehan MP is the Member for Wannon in Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.
Mr Tehan served as Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment from 22 December 2020 until the 2022 election. Prior to this, he served as Minister for Education from 28 August 2018 until December 2020. Between 2018 and 2016, Mr Tehan also served as Minister for Social Services, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Minister for Defence Personnel, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Cyber Security and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of Anzac.
Mr Tehan was elected to Federal Parliament in 2010 and has held positions, including the Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security; Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Youth Mental Health, and; Chair of the Coalition Friends of Tourism.
Prior to entering Parliament, Mr Tehan worked in agriculture in Australia and overseas. He worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade where he held various roles, including as a diplomat at the Australian Embassy in Mexico. Mr Tehan also worked at senior levels of the Howard Government, and as the Director of Trade Policy and International Affairs at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Mr Tehan has a Masters Degrees in International Relations and Foreign Affairs and Trade.
He is married and lives in Hamilton. He is a passionate supporter of the Richmond Football Club and enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.
Please note that by signing up for this event you are consenting to your information being uploaded to our mailing list.
‘The Menzies Ascendency: Implementing a Liberal Agenda and Consolidating Gains, 1954-1961’
Part of our mission at the Robert Menzies Institute is to foster research into and academic discussion of Menzies, his beliefs and ideas, and the policies and achievements of the governments which he led.
In fulfilment of this, the Robert Menzies Institute is hosting a series of four annual conferences bringing together historians and other thinkers to develop a collection of papers which will make a major contribution to the existing historiography on Menzies and the Menzies era. Once published in four volumes by Melbourne University Press, these will become a comprehensive reference on Menzies.
In this, the third of our four annual conferences, our speakers will present a wide range of perspectives to offer critical insight into Menzies-related topics covering the years 1954-1961.
Overview
The period from 1954-1961 was a unique moment in Australian political history. With the Federal Opposition torn apart by the Great Labor Split, Prime Minister Robert Menzies skilfully seized a political ascendency that would see him win back-to-back landslide election victories in 1955 and 1958. Enjoying the full backing of his nation, Menzies was faced with a profound opportunity to impose his liberal vision on Australia, and he seized it with both hands. In this, the third of four annual conferences, our speakers will explore the extensive reforms which defined the era, and examine whether it was masterful political navigation or sheer luck which made them possible.
The period would see a flourishing of policy innovation in areas like immigration, healthcare, and above all tertiary education - where the Murray Report reforged and greatly expanded Australia’s university system, making it the cornerstone of an educated and competitive modern nation. The Menzies Government built enduring legacies with the founding of the Reserve Bank and the development of Canberra into a true capital city, while on issues such as nuclear power and Antarctic geopolitics, Australia confidently encountered new frontiers. Menzies’s political mastery perhaps manifested itself in over-confidence as demonstrated by his ill-fated intervention in the Suez Crisis, and the period would close with the narrowest of election victories. Nevertheless, while it lasted, ‘the Menzies Ascendancy’ was a thing to behold.
Thursday 23 November
Keynote: Paul Kelly
Session One ‘The Split’:
Anne Henderson – Menzies, Evatt, and the Labor Split
Paul Strangio - The Labor split in Victoria: The bedrock of Menzies’ ascendancy
Session Two ‘Economic Management and Reform’:
David Lee - The Menzies Government and the Origins of Australia’s Open Economy, 1956-61
Selwyn Cornish - RG Menzies and the Creation of the Reserve Bank of Australia
Winner of Speaking Competition
Session Three ‘Nation Building’:
Paul Brown – Alick Downer’s Immigration Program
David Furse-Roberts – Standing for the ‘most ample provision in respect of old age and sickness’: The Menzies Government and health reform
Session Four ‘Strategic Navigation’:
Bob Bowker – Menzies, Eisenhower and Suez
Sean Jacobs – Skilful handling: Menzies and the West New Guinea dispute
Book Launch 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Friday 24 November
Session Five ‘Frontiers’:
Elizabeth Buchanan – Menzies and the Antarctic Treaty
Michael de Percy - Australia in the Atomic Age: Menzies’ legacy and nuclear’s unrealised potential
Session Six ‘Equality and Opportunity’:
Andrew Norton – Menzies and Higher Education
Damien Freeman & Andrew Bragg - Menzies, Hasluck, Wentworth and Indigenous People
Julian Leeser ‘Menzies on Presbyterians, Catholics and Jews. Lessons on religious freedom for today.’
Session Seven ‘The Commonwealth’:
Stephen Wilks - ‘Falling Dully’ On His Ears: Menzies, Bolte, and the Travails of Australian Federalism
Ted Ling - Robert Menzies, Canberra’s Apostle
Session Eight ‘Political Endurance’:
Lyndon Megarrity – Menzies, Queensland and the 1961 Election
Greg Melleuish – Was Menzies Lucky?
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Saving Lieutenant Kennedy: The heroic story of the Australian who helped rescue JFK
Join the Robert Menzies Institute as we host former treasurer of Australia Peter Costello for the launch of Brett Mason's new book Saving Lieutenant Kennedy: The heroic story of the Australian who helped rescue JFK on Tuesday 31 October 2023 5:30pm - 7:00pm (formalities commence at 6:00pm).
About The Book
On a moonless night in August 1943, a US torpedo boat commanded by Lt John F Kennedy, on patrol in Solomon Islands, was rammed by a Japanese destroyer. Left clinging to wreckage within sight of Japanese encampments, the eleven surviving members of Kennedy’s crew eventually struggled ashore on a small uninhabited island. Missing, presumed dead, behind enemy lines, with no food or water, and with several injured, the future looked bleak for the shipwrecked Americans. Fortunately, Australian ‘coast watcher’ Lt Reg Evans witnessed the immediate aftermath of the collision from his nearby jungle hideaway. Working under the searching eye of the Japanese military, over the next five days Evans and two Solomon Islander scouts — Eroni Kumana and Biuku Gasa — located Kennedy and his crew and ensured their rescue.
This story of wartime bravery and survival helped create JFK’s legend and paved his way to the White House. It also shone a spotlight on Australia and America’s shared wartime experience. In Saving Lieutenant Kennedy, Brett Mason, author of Wizards of Oz, sets the heroic rescue and its colourful aftermath against the background of the Pacific war and the birth of the Australia– US alliance, which remains as vital today as when Kennedy and Evans first shook hands.
About The Author
Brett Mason is Chair of the Council of the National Library of Australia and Adjunct Professor in the School of Justice at the Queensland University of Technology. He was formerly a Senator for Queensland, serving in the Ministry, before being appointed Australia’s Ambassador to The Hague and Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. He is the author of Wizards of Oz, Privacy Without Principle and co-editor of Future Proofing Australia.
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2023 Gala Dinner and Oration
The Robert Menzies Institute is delighted to announce that our 2023 Annual Gala Dinner and Oration will be held on Thursday 19 October 2023 6:30pm - 10:30 in the Grand Ballroom at The Hotel Windsor.
We have secured renowned British journalist Fraser Nelson to deliver the Oration on The State of Modern Conservatism.
Date - Thursday 19 October
Time - 6:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Location - The Hotel Windsor - Grand Ballroom 111 Spring St Melbourne VIC 3000
Dress Code - Black Tie
Fraser Nelson
Fraser Nelson is editor of The Spectator. He also writes a weekly column for the Daily Telegraph and sits on the board of two think tanks: the Centre for Policy Studies and the Centre for Social Justice.
Raised in Nairn, in the Scottish Highlands, he started out as a financial journalist with The Times then became a political reporter for the newly-opened Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. There he met Andrew Neil who recruited him to The Scotsman newspaper where he was political editor until January 2006 when the Barclay family sold the paper. Nelson stayed with the Barclays and joined The Spectator where he was made political editor and then, in 2009, editor.
He then turned The Spectator into the fastest-growing current affairs magazine in Europe, launching an Australian edition and doubling its subscriptions in a market that fell by two-thirds. The Spectator went multi-platform with a live news analysis blog, a suite of podcasts, Britain’s best-read politics email and Spectator TV (which recently passed 300,000 subscribers). He has described his editorship as a “partnership” with James Forsyth, who was The Spectator’s political editor until becoming Rishi Sunak’s political secretary earlier this year. Nelson has edited 700 issues of The Spectator, more than any modern editor. His predecessors as editor include Nigel Lawson and Boris Johnson.
For five years, Nelson combined his work at The Spectator by writing a column for the News of the World, a scabrous tabloid which was the world’s best-selling newspaper until it was closed by the hacking scandal. His interest in free-market economics led him to join the Centre for Policy Studies where he delivered the 2009 Keith Joseph Lecture. One of his innovations at The Spectator has been the data hub (data.spectator.co.uk) intended to give readers the same access to crucial figures as journalists have. His work with the Centre for Social Justice led to a Channel Four documentary on inequality called How The Rich Get Richer.
Nelson has won numerous awards and is the only UK journalist to have simultaneously held the top industry awards for editing and political writing. His last was in 2021 from the British Magazine Society of Editors which named him Editor of the Year in a current title. The Spectator is currently being sold, with the new owner named in October.
Nelson met Linda, his wife, in 2001 and ever since has divided his time between London and her native Stockholm. They have three children and live in Twickenham, Middlesex.
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Menzies Versus Evatt: The Great Rivalry of Australian Politics
Join the Robert Menzies Institute as we host Greg Sheridan for the launch of Anne Henderson's new book Menzies Versus Evatt - The Great Rivalry of Australian Politics on Wednesday 04 October 2023 5:30pm - 7:00pm (formalities commence at 6:00pm).
This launch will coincide with the changeover of our new exhibition which features a number of new items and books including The Task of Nations (1949) and The United Nations (1948) which are both inscribed by Evatt.
About this Book
Liberal Party founder and long-serving prime minister Robert (Bob) Menzies along with Labor foreign minister and attorney-general Bert (the Doc) Evatt were two of the biggest names in 20th century Australian politics. The former led his party to election victories, the latter to defeats. Menzies and Evatt were born in 1894. Both men, from relatively modest backgrounds, were brilliant students who starred at law before entering the Commonwealth Parliament.
From the early 1940s to the early 1960s, they took different sides on such issues as bank nationalisation, the attempt to ban the Communist Party and the Petrov affair – ideological disagreements which co-existed with mutual distrust and personal rivalries.
About the Author
Anne Henderson was educated at Melbourne University and is deputy director of The Sydney Institute – a forum for debate and discussion which enjoys good relations with both sides of Australian politics. She is the editor of The Sydney Papers Online and one of Australia’s leading biographers with studies on Dame Enid Lyons and former prime minister Joseph Lyons along with books on immigration and women in politics. Anne Henderson’s Menzies at War was short-listed for the Prime Minister’s Prize for Australian History in 2015 and she appeared in the ABC TV documentary Howard on Menzies: Building Modern Australia (2016) and Foxtel’s The Menzies Years hosted by John Howard (2022).
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Becoming the 'Mind of the Nation' - How Robert Menzies hoped to place Australian universities at the centre of our national life
Join the Robert Menzies Institute as we host Professor Michael Wesley for Becoming the 'Mind of the Nation': How Robert Menzies hoped to place Australian universities at the centre of our national life on Thursday 07 September 2023 4:30pm - 6:00pm (formalities commence at 5:00pm).
Following Professor Wesley's presentation, there will be a panel discussion featuring John Roskam.
About this Event
When Robert Menzies came to power in 1949, education policy was still largely considered to be a matter for the States. As State budgets faced massive challenges stemming from lost taxation powers and a rapidly expanding population, it soon became clear that the federal government would need to step in if it was to salvage what were then just handful of University institutions – generally amounting to one per State. In the event, Menzies went far beyond this, not only alleviating the immediate crisis but greatly expanding Australia’s tertiary education system which he felt was vital to the success of our democracy.
In this talk Michael Wesley, author of Mind of the Nation: Universities in Australian Life, will discuss Menzies’s vision for Australia’s universities, and explore whether they are living up to the vital role he envisaged for them.
Professor Michael Wesley
Professor Michael Wesley is Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global, Culture and Engagement at the University of Melbourne.
Professor Wesley has extensive experience in international strategy and relations and has worked in higher education, government and the private sector. He has published on Australian foreign policy, Asia’s international relations and strategic affairs, and the politics of state-building interventions.
Previously, Professor Wesley was Professor of International Affairs and Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University and the Director of the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at ANU. He has also held positions as the Executive Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy, Director of the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University, and Assistant Director-General for Transnational Issues at the Office of National Assessments. He has a PhD in International Relations from the University of St Andrews.
John Roskam
John Roskam is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Australian Way of Life at the Institute of Public Affairs. He served as Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs from 2005 to 2022. Before joining the IPA he taught political theory at the University of Melbourne. He was previously the Executive Director of The Menzies Research Centre in Canberra, has been a senior adviser and chief of staff to federal and state education ministers, and was the manager of government and corporate affairs for a global mining company.
His publications include Australia's Education Choices (with Professor Brian Caldwell), 'Terrorism and Poverty' in Blaming Ourselves, 'Liberalism and Social Welfare' in Liberalism and the Australian Federation, and 'The Liberal Party and the Great Split' in The Split Fifty Years Later.
His fortnightly column appears in The Australian Financial Review. He is a member of the Editorial Board of The Australian Journal of Public Administration, and Connor Court Publishing, and the Advisory Board of The Centre for Advanced Journalism at the University of Melbourne. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration, Australia in Victoria, and is an Honorary Fellow of Campion College.
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Troy Bramston and Alexander Downer In Conversation
Join Troy Bramston and The Hon Alexander Downer AC in conversation on Robert Menzies the art of politics over lunch at the Arkaba Hotel on Thursday 31 August 2023 12:00pm - 2:00pm (formalities commence at 12:30pm).
Tickets include a two-course lunch and beverages.
The Hon Alexander Downer AC
Mr Downer is the Chairman of the UK think tank Policy Exchange and a trustee of the International Crisis Group. Until June 2023, he was Executive Chair of the International School for Government at King’s College London.
From 2014 to 2018, Mr Downer was Australian High Commissioner to the UK. Prior to this, he was Australia’s longest-serving Minister for Foreign Affairs, a role he held from 1996 to 2007.
Mr Downer also served as Opposition Leader and leader of the Australian Liberal Party from 1994 to 1995 and was Member of the Australian Parliament for Mayo for over 20 years.
In addition to a range of other political and diplomatic roles, he was Executive Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, in which he worked on peace talks between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.
Troy Bramston
Troy Bramston is a senior writer and columnist with The Australian newspaper. He was previously a columnist with The Sunday Telegraph.
He is the bestselling author or editor of eleven books, including Bob Hawke: demons and destiny (2022), Robert Menzies: the art of politics (2019), and Paul Keating: the big-picture leader (2016). Troy co-authored The Truth of the Palace Letters (2020) and The Dismissal (2015) with Paul Kelly. He is currently writing a biography of Gough Whitlam.
Troy’s biography of Bob Hawke was shortlisted for the Australian Political Book of the Year Award. He was the co-winner of the Australian Book Industry Award for The Dismissal. His biography of Paul Keating was a finalist for the Walkley Award, shortlisted for the National Biography Award, and longlisted for the Australian Book Industry Award. He was awarded the Centenary Medal for services towards the centenary of federation commemorations in 2001.
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Australia's Dilemmas: Then and Now
The Robert Menzies Institute and Asialink invite you to attend the launch of Australia's Dilemmas: Then and Now in the Yasuko Hiraoka Myer Room, Sidney Myer Asia Centre on Tuesday 22 August 5:30pm - 7:30pm (Formalities commence at 6:00pm).
About the Event
In July 2022, Queen’s College at the University of Melbourne played host to a gathering of historians and foreign policy experts, including both scholars and practitioners from the professions of politics, diplomacy, intelligence, and business. The purpose of this Dialogue – convened by the Robert Menzies Institute with the support of Asialink - was to take stock of Australia’s current moment in history by evaluating Australia’s present policy challenges against those of approximately seventy years ago, when the Menzies government was in office and contending with the onset of the Cold War.
We are pleased to announce the launch of an occasional paper written by Robert Menzies Institute fellow, Dr. William A. Stoltz.
The paper is informed by the proceedings of the Dialogue and is structured around four grand strategic tasks that were identified as a result of the Dialogue. These are the overarching tasks that transcend domestic and foreign policy towards which Australia needs to direct its energies to find security and prosperity in a more volatile, treacherous era. These tasks were also what framed Australian grand strategy in the early years of the Cold War and they came to define how Australia contributed to world affairs during the Menzies era and well into second half of the twentieth century.
Navigating Ideological Contest
Accelerating national development
Exercising new leadership
Reforming alliances and partnerships
Moderator
Georgina Downer
CEO of the Robert Menzies Institute
Presenters
Dr William Stoltz
Robert Menzies Institute Visiting Fellow and Senior Adviser for Public Policy at the ANU National Security College
Dr Bec Strating
Director of La Trobe Asia and Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at La Trobe University
Professor Michael Wesley
Asialink Board Member and Deputy Vice Chancellor Global, Culture and Engagement at the University of Melbourne
A Forgotten Platform for Reform: Indigenous Policy During the Menzies Era
Join the Robert Menzies Institute for A Forgotten Platform for Reform: Indigenous Policy During the Menzies Era to be delivered by Nyunggai Warren Mundine AO on Wednesday 02 August 2023 5:30pm - 7:00pm (Formalities commencing at 6:00pm).
While it is often assumed that the Menzies era was a time in which Indigenous Australians received little attention from political leaders, the period actually saw a number of important innovations which deserve to be better remembered. Menzies's Minister for Territories Paul Hasluck introduced a wide range of reforms aimed at ensuring Indigenous Australians achieved legal and political equality in the Northern Territory, despite Indigenous Policy remaining a matter for the States until 1967. The States were not left alone to their own devices, as Menzies's landmark 1962 Electoral Act overturned State-based bans on Indigenous voting in both Queensland and Western Australia. The Menzies Government established the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies - which greatly expanded the knowledge and preservation of Indigenous culture. Menzies also laid the foundation for the famous 1967 referendum, while simultaneously warning of the dangers of having race in the Constitution in a manner highly prescient of the debates of today.
To discuss these issues and their nuances, the Robert Menzies Institute is proud to host Nyunggai Warren Mundine AO to deliver this lecture.
Mr Nyunggai Warren Mundine AO
Mr Mundine is a member of the Bundjalung Indigenous Nation of Australia and a descendant of the Gumbaynggirr and Yuin Indigenous Nations of Australia. He is from Grafton, NSW.
Mr Mundine is a highly respected and influential businessman, political strategist and advocate for empowering the Indigenous people of Australia to build businesses and sustainable economies. His life and career have been shaped by a personal commitment to community and economic development. He has more than 40 years’ experience working in the public, private and community sectors.
He has advised successive Australian governments since 2004 and his appointment as Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council from 2013 to 2017 follows a long career in the public, business, policy, arts and community sectors.
He is currently Chairman and Managing Director of Nyungga Black Group, Chairman of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation and a Governor for the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, Chairman of Fuse Minerals and Aura Energy and was previously Chairman of Real Futures, RISE Ventures, NAISDA College, NAISDA Foundation and the Australian Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, among others.
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Book Launch - Markets and Prosperity
Join the Robert Menzies Institute on Tuesday 18 July 2023 for the Melbourne Launch of Markets and Prosperity edited by Harry Stutchbury.
This book will be launched by Senator the Hon Jane Hume.
Light refreshments will be served from 5:30pm with formalities commencing at 6:00pm.
About the Book
Markets and Prosperity is a collection of 17 essays from politicians, academics, business leaders and journalists focusing on the need to leverage markets and incentives to solve our most pressing problems.
The goal of the collection is twofold.
First, to gather the combined input of original thinkers representing the broad swath of the free-market polity in Australia, from centre-left rationalists to libertarian ideologues, and highlight the common thread that aligns them: namely the belief that ceteris paribus, markets are a more efficient tool for the allocation of resources than political decision making.
Second, to present bold and original thinking on our country’s problems including housing, tax and the size of government, childcare and climate change.
Contents
Introduction. Harry Stutchbury
1 Australia as a leader in cutting emissions and attracting investment through corporate law. Andrew Bragg
2 Revitalising the Australian childcare sector: The role of federation reform. Jane Buncle
3 Menzies and Free Trade: Lessons for Today. Georgina Downer
4 Are markets anti-social? Craig Emerson
5 The opportunity gap. Jason Falinski
6 Government by the people. Gigi Foster and Paul Frijters
7 What are you doing with my money? If you can’t tell me, you don’t deserve to have it. Robert Holt
8 Tilting at Windmills: Government delusion as the hero in Australia’s future prosperity. Gisele Kapterian
9 We should be so lucky. Andrew Low
10 Reforming our criminal justice system. Evan Mulholland
11 Markets in publicly-funded services – the case of demand-driven university funding. Andrew Norton
12 Fixing housing policy. Aaron Patrick
13 Reforming the states. Chris Rath
14 A country with less regulation will have a smaller government. Gerard Rennick
15 Markets and prosperity Harry Stutchbury
16 A new pathway to prosperity Tom Switzer
17 Common good, not culture wars. Chaneg Torres
Bibliography
About the Editor
Harry Stutchbury is a Management Consultant with Kearney.
He has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney and a Masters of Commerce and a Masters of Analytics from the University of New South Wales.
He has previously worked as an adviser to State and Federal Liberal politicians.
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Book Launch - Joseph Cook: The knight who climbed up a mineshaft
Join the Robert Menzies Institute to celebrate the launch of Joseph Cook: The knight who climbed up a mineshaft on Wednesday 24 May 2023 5:30pm - 7:00pm.
This new addition to the Australian Biographical Monographs series written by Zachary Gorman will be launched by Deputy Chair of the Robert Menzies Institute The Hon David Kemp AC.
Cook was Australia’s sixth prime minister, and his Liberal Party featured Menzies’s uncle and political mentor Sydney Sampson. Cook helped to directly shape the tradition of Australian liberalism which Menzies would later revive when he founded the Liberal Party of Australia. It is a little known fact that it was Cook, rather than Menzies, who became the first Liberal to win an outright majority at a Federal election, doing so in 1913.
David Kemp is a former Federal Member and Minister in the Howard Government. Before entering Parliament he was Professor of Politics at Monash University, and after leaving Parliament Professor and Vice-Chancellor's Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He is the former Chairman of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House and of the Australian Heritage Council. He has published books on voting behaviour and political analysis, and is particularly known for his ground-breaking series on Australian Liberalism published by Melbourne University Press.
Light refreshments will be served from 5:30pm, with formalities commencing at 6:00pm.
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About The Book
Sir Joseph Cook was Australia’s sixth Prime Minister and a truly remarkable man. His greatest political achievement was becoming the first leader of the Australian centre-right to win a parliamentary majority in their own right, directly shaping the enduring and unique understanding of what liberalism means in this country. This political story is inherently intertwined with an astounding personal one, as Cook lifted himself up by the bootstraps from an adolescence spent providing for his family in an English coalmine to become a knight and statesman.
Cook’s life demonstrates that Australia was and is a land of tremendous opportunity and social mobility - and that is precisely why he argued passionately for the necessity of individual freedom and personal responsibility as the true driving force behind national progress. These values were informed by a profound belief in Christian tenets, and the agency, autonomy and duty of each human being. Initially entering NSW Parliament as a foundational member of the Labor Party, Cook’s career charts the how and the why of the emergence of the Australian party system and the philosophical lines of cleavage which continue to shape our nation.
Dr Zachary Gorman
Dr Zachary Gorman is the academic coordinator at the Robert Menzies Institute. A professional historian, Gorman has worked as a researcher and academic since 2013, including several years at the University of Wollongong, where he received his PhD. He has previously written two books, Sir Joseph Carruthers: Founder of the New South Wales Liberal Party and Summoning Magna Carta: Freedom's Symbol Over a Millennium, and edited and annotated the 250th anniversary edition of Captain James Cook, R.N.: 150 Years After. He was also editor of The Young Menzies: Success, Failure, Resilience 1894–1942. He has been published in a wide range of academic journals.
Debate
On Wednesday 10 May 2023 5:30pm - 7:00pm the Robert Menzies Institute is delighted to be hosting a monarchy vs republic debate to coincide with the coronation of King Charles III which is taking place on Saturday 6 May 2023.
While Menzies was famously a monarchist, the Institute is committed to fostering free and open discussion, so save the date and come along and decide for yourself what Australia’s future should be.
Light refreshments will be served from 5:30pm with formalities commencing at 6:00pm.
We have assembled an impressive line up of speakers who will be presenting their cases.
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The Chair
Georgina Downer
Georgina Downer is CEO of the Robert Menzies Institute. A former diplomat and qualified lawyer, with a Masters degree in Public International Law from the London School of Economics, she has worked across Asia and the Pacific for the Australian Government, the International Republican Institute, and the UNDP. Georgina was a Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs and the inaugural Director of Asialink Diplomacy. Georgina has served on the Boards of the indigenous not-for-profit, The Torch, the Menzies Research Centre, the Victorian Liberal Party, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
The Adjudicator
Roshena Campbell
Roshena is a barrister with expertise in commercial and public law. She advises some of Australia’s largest companies, government departments and bodies as well as pro bono clients. Prior to that she was a solicitor with a leading national law firm for nearly a decade.
In 2020 Roshena was elected as a Melbourne City Councillor. Her portfolio responsibilities include major events and investment attraction. Her priority is ensuring Melbourne is the easiest city in which to start and grow a business.
She has been a contributor to the Age and regularly appears on Sky News.
The Affirmative Team
In Support of Australia Becoming a Republic
Cr Nicholas Reece
Cr Nicholas Reece was elected Deputy Lord Mayor in November 2020, after having previously been elected Councillor in the City of Melbourne in 2016.
Nick is an executive in Chancellery at the University of Melbourne and holds an academic position of principal fellow and teaches at the Melbourne School of Government.
Nick is the former chairman of global men’s health charity Movember. For over 10 years, Nick was a director for the street newspaper The Big Issue.
Nick has considerable experience in government and policymaking, having worked as a senior adviser to Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Victorian premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby. He is a commentator for SKY News and a regular columnist for The Age.
He is portfolio lead for City Planning and deputy portfolio lead for Finance, Governance and Risk and Heritage portfolios.
Nick is also Council’s representative on the Committee for Melbourne, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute Advisory Board and Melbourne Art Trust.
Associate Professor William Partlett
William Partlett is an Associate Professor at Melbourne Law School. He writes and teaches in the field of public law. Before coming to Melbourne, Professor Partlett was an Assistant Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Columbia University Law School, and a Fellow at The Brookings Institution. Professor Partlett holds a JD from Stanford Law School as well as a DPhil in Soviet History and MPhil in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford (where he was a Clarendon Scholar). He also holds a bachelors degree in International Affairs and Public Policy from Princeton University and speaks Russian.
Tristan Layton
Tristan has long been passionate about Australian independence and believes that with our own Head of State, Australia will finally be able to assert its place in the world as a proud, independent nation.
Tristan formerly served as the Convenor of the Victorian branch of the Australian Republic Movement.
He is currently a policy adviser to a Shadow Minister and is a Juris Doctor candidate at Melbourne Law School.
The Negative Team
Against Australia Becoming a Republic
Michael Gronow KC
Michael is the author of McPherson's Law of Company Liquidation, the co-author of Australian Bankruptcy Law and Practice, the joint editor of Australian Bankruptcy Cases (New Series) and the author of the sub-title, 'Compulsory Bankruptcy' in Laws of Australia.
He has published journal articles in Australia and overseas on a range of topics including Insolvency, Arbitration, Intellectual Property, Equity, Professional Negligence, Trade Practices and Remedies.
Michael is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and has for some years lectured on commercial legal topics at the Leo Cussen Institute and the University of Melbourne.
He is a Senior Fellow and the subject co-ordinator for Insolvency Law in the JD program at Melbourne Law School.
He is a Member, of the Anglican Church Professional Standards Review Board (Victoria), a Member of the UMSU and GSA Electoral Tribunals and a Member of the AFSA Trustee Registration Committee.
Before joining the Bar Michael was a Senior Associate at Blake Dawson Waldron practising in Commercial Litigation including Banking and Insolvency.
Bev McArthur MP
Bev McArthur MP has served as Liberal Member for Western Victoria Region in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament since her election in November 2018.
She is currently Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Road Safety, a member of the Legislative Council’s Environment and Infrastructure Committee, and of Parliament’s powerful Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC).
Bev has always supported Constitutional Monarchy as a system of Government incorporating the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. She ceaselessly advocates for less government not more, preferring the intrinsic capacity of the individual to better manage their lives rather than big Government.
Jeremy Mann
Jeremy became a member of the Australian Monarchist League at the age of 16.
He is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne majoring in Politics/International Studies and Italian Studies.
Jeremy has experience working for both State & Federal Members of Parliament, particularly in campaign and community outreach roles.
He is the Chairman of the League’s Victorian Young Monarchist branch and is passionate about maintaining the status quo of constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy in Australia.
ANZAC Event: 70 Years of the Korean War Truce
In this special event, Keith Wolahan MP will discuss Australia’s involvement in the Korean War and its lessons for the modern world.
The Korean War is in many respects the war that never ended. This year marks 70 years since the signing of the Armistice Agreement which ended the three-year conflict in which 340 Australians lost their lives. These soldiers were part of a United Nations force which defended South Korea from an invasion from the Communist North. The conflict was the first clear flare up of the Cold War in the Asia-Pacific and the first to which the Menzies Government committed Australian ground troops. While the armistice served as an acknowledgement of a hard-fought stalemate in which the border between the two Koreas ended up in virtually the same place it had been at the outbreak of hostilities, the respective sides have never signed a full peace treaty. Tensions between North Korea and the West remain high to this day. In many respects the conflict is a lesson that history never ends, and that the maintenance of international peace and security is a constant work in progress.
In this special ANZAC Day event, the Robert Menzies Institute is proud to host the Federal Member for Menzies, Keith Wolahan MP for a talk on Australia’s involvement in the Korean War and its lessons for the modern world. Prior to being elected to Parliament at the 2022 election, Keith served in the Australian Army, completing part-time officer training at Duntroon, reaching the rank of Captain. He qualified as a commando, serving several periods of full-time service within Special Operations Command, including one tour of Timor-Leste (2007) and three combat tours in Afghanistan (2008, 2009/10, 2014). In the 2011 Australia Day Honours, he was decorated with a Commendation for Distinguished Service for performance of duty in action as a platoon commander.
Exhibition Launch
The Robert Menzies Institute invites you to join us in our museum space in the Old quad at The University of Melbourne for our exhibition launch.
Now up to our third exhibition, the displays feature some fantastic new items from the Menzies Collection including Menzies's personal projector and school prizes as well as displays on the Menzies Clan and ANZUS Treaty.
About The Exhibition
The exhibition examines the influences on Menzies’s liberalism, and has been curated by the Institute’s Deputy Chair Dr David Kemp and Menzies Research Centre Executive Director Nick Cater.
The exhibition covers eight key themes comprising Menzies as a Liberal, a Political Architect, a Leader, a Parliamentarian, a Family Man, a Nation Builder, a Patriot, and his Legacy.
Taken together the themes form a complete, nuanced and remarkable picture of Australia’s longest serving prime minister, which is brought to life by a range of unique and evocative artefacts. These are drawn heavily from the Menzies Collection, Menzies’s personal library of some 4500 books which he bequeathed to the University of Melbourne and which capture the breadth of his reading and thought, as well as other items on loan from public and private collections around Australia.
If you are unavailable to attend the launch we encourage you to visit us during our opening hours, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10am - 2pm.
Semester 1 - Kick Off Event
Time to kick off the semester in style!
Join the Robert Menzies Institute in the East Wing of the Old Quad for a complimentary screening of the 2022 Foxtel documentary The Menzies Movies.
Snacks will be provided.
The Menzies Movies
This captivating 2022 documentary film is a stunning tribute to Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister and the ‘Father of the Liberal Party’, Sir Robert Menzies – and is intimately told through Menzies’ personal collection of restored home movies, which he captured with his own 16mm camera, along with notes from Menzies’ diaries.
The Young Menzies Sydney Launch
Join the Robert Menzies Institute in collaboration with The PM Glynn Institute at ACU in Sydney to celebrate the launch of our first book The Young Menzies: Success, Failure, Resilience 1894-1942 on Tuesday 21 February 2023 5:30pm - 7:00pm.
We are honoured to have The Honourable John Howard OM AC to launch this book, the first, in a four-volume history of Menzies and his world, based on conferences convened by the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne.
Tickets to the launch are available here. Venue will be advised upon registration.
Light refreshments will be served from 5:30pm, with formalities commencing at 6:00pm.
Copies of The Young Menzies will be available to purchase on the day.
Venue will be advised upon registration.
About The Book
The Young Menzies: Success, Failure, Resilience 1894-1942 explores the formative period of Menzies's life, when his personal outlook and system of beliefs that would help shape modern Australia were still being formed. Contributors look at Menzies's ideas prior to their political practice and examine their context and origins. This period is also the time in which Menzies first attained power, though in difficult circumstances, when the focus of the nation was on survival. It was in losing office that Menzies was given the impetus to develop his vision for post-war Australia.
Contributors include Frank Bongiorno, Troy Bramston, Judith Brett, Nick Cater, Justice James Edelman, David Furse-Roberts, Anne Henderson, David Kemp, Angela Kittikhoun, Greg Melleuish and Scott Prasser, with a foreword by Geoffrey Blainey.
The Young Menzies Brisbane Launch
Join the Robert Menzies Institute in Brisbane to celebrate the launch of our first book The Young Menzies: Success, Failure, Resilience 1894-1942 on Friday 3 February 2023 11:00am - 12:30pm.
We are honoured to have The Hon Peter Dutton MP to launch this book, the first, in a four-volume history of Menzies and his world, based on conferences convened by the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne.
Light refreshments will be served from 11:00am, with formalities commencing at 11:30am.
Copies of The Young Menzies will be available to purchase on the day.
Venue will be advised upon registration.
About The Book
The Young Menzies: Success, Failure, Resilience 1894-1942 explores the formative period of Menzies's life, when his personal outlook and system of beliefs that would help shape modern Australia were still being formed. Contributors look at Menzies's ideas prior to their political practice and examine their context and origins. This period is also the time in which Menzies first attained power, though in difficult circumstances, when the focus of the nation was on survival. It was in losing office that Menzies was given the impetus to develop his vision for post-war Australia.
Contributors include Frank Bongiorno, Troy Bramston, Judith Brett, Nick Cater, Justice James Edelman, David Furse-Roberts, Anne Henderson, David Kemp, Angela Kittikhoun, Greg Melleuish and Scott Prasser, with a foreword by Geoffrey Blainey.