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.

Please note that by signing up for this event you are consenting to your information being uploaded to our mailing list.

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.