The Robert Menzies Institute established the Menzies Early Career Network to create an opportunity for young Australians to engage with the history of the Menzies era and connect with like-minded peers and established figures interested in Australian political history.

To participate, prospective participants should demonstrate a high level of academic achievement as well as a personal interest in some aspect of Australian political history during the time that Menzies served in the federal parliament (1934-1966, non consecutively).

Participants may have formal training in Australian political history, but this is not a requirement for participation. What is required is enthusiasm for understanding the legacy of Sir Robert Menzies and his political era.

Participants will be encouraged to identify some topic that connects with their particular interests and will be supported in developing a deeper understanding of the relevance of historical analysis for contemporary understandings of those issues.

MECN 2025

Application and Nomination Process

Nominees are invited to submit a CV and an abstract for a proposed research project.

Participants will be accepted on the strength of their research proposal as well as their CV (feedback will be provided, if necessary, to help refine proposals that are potentially suitable).

Acceptance into the programme will also be conditional upon a commitment to:

attend a Sydney workshop, three online seminars, concluding Melbourne event, and Canberra book launch
revise chapter to publishable standard
record a podcast about your chapter

If you would like to nominate an emerging scholar to be considered for the Menzies Early Career Network, please contact Damien Freeman at damien@robertmenziesinstitute.org.au.

Schedule

Programme

The programme will be run over a five-week period including:

Week 1: One-day workshop in Sydney – see below for proposed schedule
Note: ten of the thirteen participants in 2024 were based in NSW/ACT This Sydney event could be combined with an RMI book launch/event that evening
Weeks 2-4: Three weekly two-hour online seminars – see below for structure
Week 5: Concluding event in Melbourne combined with RMI dinner lecture or conference
Note: participants outside Melbourne would get a free flight, and those in Melbourne would get a free flight to the Sydney workshop, so everyone gets one free flight.

Opening workshop

1000 registration
1030 introductory session with Georgina Downer
1130 Lecture by Stream 1 expert mentor and discussion
1230 Lunch
1400 Lecture by Stream 2 expert mentor and discussion
1500 Lecture by Stream 3 expert mentor and discussion
1600 Workshop concludes
1800 optional invitation to join Georgina for standalone RMI evening event

Online Seminars

Weekly online seminars at 1730-1930
Each week there will be 15-20-minute presentations by four participants in that stream
Each presentation to be followed by a 10-15-minute response by the expert mentor and discussion

Oppertunities

Jeparit Press publication
The twelve seminar papers are to be revised and then edited for publication in a book to be released by the Jeparit Press in early 2026.

Parliament House launch
Launch at Parliament House, Canberra, in 2026 following format of 2025 launch.

Afternoon Light Podcast
Podcasts with contributors about their chapters to be released in the Afternoon Light series to coincide with launch.

MECN 2024

About

Twelve current students and recent graduates were invited to participate in a twelve-month pilot program in 2024.

Each participant had the opportunity to present a short paper on current research to an online seminar for discussion with other emerging and established scholars, including Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer and research manager Dr Zachary Gorman.

Participants were mentored by Robert Menzies Institute Fellow, Dr Damien Freeman, who workshops papers with participants and edit their final work for publication in a collection to be published by the Jeparit Press.

Participants

2024 MECN Participants

Publication

The publication: Finding Menzies is the product of research undertaken by members of the Menzies Early Career Network, an initiative of the Robert Menzies Institute, which aims to nurture an appreciation of the enduring legacy of Menzies and his government in the next generation of Australian scholars as they embark on careers in history, law, and public life.

Contributors engage with Menzies’s understanding of Australia’s war aims and post-war relations with the UK, USA, and USSR; his approach to changes in families, housing, and education; and his attitude to liberalism, tolerance, aspiration, and Catholicism.

The collection addresses topics in Australian political history ranging from defence and foreign policy through to the rule of law and social and economic policy, as well as topics in the history of political thought and at the intersection of politics and religion.

Participant Podcasts

Listen on Podbean App and search: the Afternoon Light Podcasts

The available podcasts are by participants: Abby Smith, Jesse Seeberg-Gordon, Patrick Irwin, Priscilla Spalding and Samuel Chamberlain.

Finding Menzies - Launch Event

Finding Menzies: A new generation’s inspiration for foreign affairs, social policy and political thought was launched at Parliament House, Canberra in 2025.

Participants attended with their guests.

Senator James Paterson delivered this speech to the attendees.Read Speech Here

Photos of the event are attached below.