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The Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne is Australia’s premier centre dedicated to preserving and advancing the legacy of our nation’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies.

Our Mission

We champion the principles that defined Menzies’ vision for Australia: freedom, opportunity, enterprise, and individual dignity. Through rigorous scholarship, engaging public discourse, and innovative exhibitions, we connect Menzies’s enduring values to contemporary Australian challenges.

Our Purpose

The Institute serves as both guardian of history and catalyst for future leadership, inspiring Australians to engage with the ideas that shaped our nation during a formative period. We believe that understanding Menzies’s leadership provides valuable insights for navigating Australia’s path forward in an increasingly complex world.

Our Activities

• Museum & Collections: Curating a world-class exhibition of Menzies’s papers, books, and artifacts in the historic East Wing of the Old Quad at the University of Melbourne.
• Research & Scholarship: Supporting visiting fellows and original research on Menzies’s era and its relevance to modern Australia.
• Digital Archives: Maintaining the definitive digital repository of Menzies’s personal library, The Menzies Collection.
• Public Engagement: Hosting lectures, debates, and conferences featuring prominent thinkers and policymakers.
• Education & Outreach: Developing curriculum resources and programs for schools, including our annual student speech competition.
• Thought Leadership: Publishing analysis connecting Menzies’s principles to contemporary issues.

Through these initiatives, the Robert Menzies Institute serves as a living monument to a defining figure in Australian history while actively contributing to our national conversation about Australia’s values, identity, and future.