Sir Robert Menzies, Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister, was honoured by national leaders today for his life-long commitment to education at the official opening of the Robert Menzies Institute.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison led the tributes to the life and work of Sir Robert. “In the life of any country there are but a handful of men and women who, through their character and perseverance, their intellect and their values, they change the future of a country. Robert Gordon Menzies changed the course of Australia,’’ Mr Morrison said via video link.

“Central to Menzies’ vision of Australia was education. His decisions expanding funding for higher education and non-government schools transformed Australia. He had a great love for places of learning. Places where wisdom embodies hope for the future. Menzies grasped every opportunity to advance the place of learning in Australian life. Schools, universities, libraries; he saw them as places for a constant interchange of ideas. He believed that freedom of the enquiring mind was vital for the future and so it is today, as is the pursuit of knowledge being a right and a duty.

“The Robert Menzies Institute that now sits within the University of Melbourne’s Old Quad is such a superb acknowledgement of this continuous thread of liberal education that wove and wandered through Menzies life.’’

The Institute’s first annual conference: Menzies The Early Years – Success, Failure, Resilience, was held at the University of Melbourne, where Sir Robert studied law before entering politics and later returned to serve as Chancellor.

The Minister for Education and Youth, Mr Alan Tudge, officially opened the conference. “Menzies was our greatest Prime Minister, and a central part of the story of our democracy in the 20th century. It is important that students here will be able to study his life and achievements,’’ he said.

“He has an extraordinary legacy on many of the biggest education questions this nation has faced, many of which remain battlegrounds today.”

Federal Treasurer, Mr Josh Frydenberg officially opened the Robert Menzies Institute at a gala dinner at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne.

“If we don’t take responsibility for preserving and promoting the story of Menzies, his detractors will, blurring his legacy and the important lessons it provides. Menzies understood that politics should be a battle of ideas not of warring personalities. His conviction, his principles, his achievements and his understanding of the power of the individual vis-a-vis the state makes him the standard bearer for liberalism and our great party,” Mr Frydenberg remarked.

More than 160 guests, including former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu AO, former Federal Treasurer Peter Costello AC and former Liberal Leader Brendan Nelson AO also attended the dinner.

The Robert Menzies Institute is a prime ministerial library and museum commemorating the life and legacy of Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister.  It curates Sir Robert’s papers, books, and other significant items in a joint venture between the Menzies Research Centre and the University of Melbourne, which was represented at the dinner by their Chancellor Allan Myers AC, QC.

Sir Robert’s daughter Heather Henderson said “It’s very important he should be remembered in the future, which is why I like this Institute, so that future generations can come here look around learn something about Menzies and what sort of person he was”.

Chief Executive Officer Georgina Downer said it was an important day for the Institute and the wider community.

“Never has it been more important to preserve the timeless principles championed by Sir Robert, such as the freedom to flourish within a vibrant democracy and apply them to the challenges of today.”

In addition to conferences, research and events, the Institute will host visits by schools and develop educational resources. Its first exhibition in the Old Quad at the University of Melbourne will open in February 2022.