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Robert Menzies Institute

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Robert Menzies Institute

The Robert Menzies Institute is a prime ministerial library and museum established to honour Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies.

Our mission is to uphold and promote Sir Robert’s legacy and vision for Australia.

14/10/2026

Was the Northern Territory still ‘unexplored’ when the Anzacs landed at Gallipoli?

This week join Georgina Downer and Mark Smith to explore the remarkable story of Australia’s Forgotten Explorer, William Wilkinson. A man who embarked on a journey across Northern Australia and inadvertently helped to inspire and fund St Francis House – one of the earliest and most successful efforts to provide remote Indigenous children with the opportunity to get an education and become advocates for their communities.

Listen here: https://zurl.co/c7PUa

12/10/2026

Next month, we will be hosting our Sixth Annual Conference, which marks the 75th anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty signed by the Menzies Government in 1951. Bringing together leading historians, political scientists and strategic thinkers from Australia and overseas, the conference will examine how the United States has shaped Australian politics, strategy and national life.

While this event is noteworthy to groups like academics, policymakers, teachers, diplomats and students, we encourage anyone interested in Australian history to consider joining us for this two-day event running from 12 November to 13 November.

If you'd like to attend, visit our website for more information and to register: https://zurl.co/CRR0t

Image: Archives New Zealand, “ANZUS Logo (20921987801)”, CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped/edited.

09/10/2026

On this day, 9 October in 1928, Robert Menzies is sworn in to the Victorian Legislative Council, having been elected as the representative of the East Yarra Province. Robert was taking up a family tradition of parliamentary service: his father James had held the Victorian seat of Lowan, his uncle Hugh had held the Victorian seat of Stawell, another uncle Sydney Sampson had held the Federal seat of Wimmera, and his wife’s father John Leckie had held the Victorian seat of Benambra and then the Federal seat of Indi before finally ending up in the Senate.

By the time of the 1929 general election Menzies decided to stand for the Lower House, a clear sign of growing ambition, winning the seat of Nunawading. Menzies’s time in the Legislative Council would thus prove short-lived, but it was still a vital steppingstone on a remarkable upward trajectory that would see Menzies become Prime Minister by the age of 44.

Read more about this day in history on our website.

07/10/2026

Has immigration really made Australia more prosperous? Join Mark Cully and Georgina Downer to explore the full history of Australia’s immigration on this week’s episode of Afternoon Light.

Listen here: https://zurl.co/nP0Hg

Mark Cully is an economist and author of ‘Waves of Plenty: Immigration and the making of Australia’ which has been reviewed in The Australian.

05/10/2026

Meet Anand Warrier, our 2026 Menzies Speech Competition winner for the Year 11/12 student category!

Representing Xavier College, Anand impressed the panel with his speech on the 2026 theme - "After 75 years, is the Australia-US alliance still in our national interest?"

As the winner of the Year 11/12 category, Anand had the opportunity to speak in front of an international audience recently at the Sydney International Strategy Forum 2026.

Thank you to the United States Studies Centre for inviting Anand and reflecting on his insights of the Alliance as a young Australian.

Fantastic job, Anand!

02/10/2026

Now is a great time to become a Robert Menzies Institute Member.

With membership options that suit students, teachers and more, anyone can become a member and enjoy a variety of benefits throughout the year.

Thinking of becoming a member? Join us here: https://zurl.co/N5lw0

30/09/2026

This week Lord Andrew Roberts sits down with Georgina to discuss the enduring importance of the Anglosphere family of nations, why Churchill continues to capture our imaginations, and the importance of heroes in inspiring a new generation to realise their capacity to shape history.

Listen here: https://zurl.co/FsaNS

Interested in more Andrew Roberts? Watch his Oration speech here: https://zurl.co/IzPXp

28/09/2026

Meet Laisa Gordon, our 2026 Menzies Speech Competition winner for the Year 9/10 student category!

Representing Bethany College Hurstville, Laisa delighted the panel with her inspired speech on the 2026 theme - "After 75 years, is the Australia-US alliance still in our national interest?"

We are excited to see her again in November during our Sixth Annual Conference, where she will present her winning speech at the event.

Well done, Laisa!

25/09/2026

We have hosted our Robert Menzies Institute Annual Oration & Dinner for six years, and each year we've been fortunate to have such wonderful speakers delight our members.

A heartfelt thank you to Lord Andrew Roberts, Lord Toby Young, Sir Niall Ferguson, Fraser Nelson, Lord Jonathan Sumption and Josh Frydenberg - your speeches offer deep and engaging reflections on Australian history and the liberal democratic principles that have shaped our nation.

You can view each of their orations on our YouTube, so be sure to watch and subscribe!

24/09/2026

If you missed out on attending our 2026 Annual Oration & Dinner last week, we have the full speech by Lord Andrew Roberts up on our YouTube channel.

Be sure to follow our YouTube to see his oration, along with several other videos from the evening.

Watch the videos here: https://zurl.co/JvM52

Address

Old Quad, East Wing, At The University Of Melbourne
Melbourne, VIC
3010

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm

Website

https://www.robertmenziesinstitute.org.au/

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