Robert Menzies’s most enduring achievement was not merely electoral success — it was the cultivation of a liberal democratic culture.

That transformation did not occur by accident. It was built deliberately, through argument, persuasion, and the disciplined practice of democratic politics. This is the inheritance the Institute seeks not merely to commemorate, but to practise and activate.

Over the past year, with your support, we have created spaces across the country where these habits can be exercised, where ideas are tested, not shouted down; where disagreement is engaged with, not avoided.

In 2025-26, we convened 24 public events, bringing together Australians from across intellectual and political traditions to participate in precisely the kind of exchange Menzies believed essential to a free society. At the centre of this work was our 2025 Policy Dialogue on the ‘Conditions for a Successful Democracy’.

Thirty leading thinkers, historians, policymakers, and public figures gathered together, not to perform agreement, but to interrogate it. The result was not uniformity, but a clearer understanding of Australia’s democratic strengths and the pressures now bearing upon it.

From our Annual Oration, delivered by Toby Young on free speech and the courage to disagree, to discussions on the Scottish Enlightenment’s influence on Australia’s political culture, the Institute consistently returned to first principles: what sustains a democratic society, and how to renew it?

Whether examining liberal education with Shadow Minister for Education Julian Leeser MP, exploring home ownership with Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie and NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, or reflecting on national history and identity with former Prime Minister Tony Abbott AC and former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer AC, these were not isolated events, but part of a coherent intellectual project.

Even in moments of national tragedy, as with our launch of The Life and Times of Alexander Downer held a day after the Bondi terror attack, the Institute provided a forum to reflect, anchored in the values of a resilient democracy.

This work continued in 2026. Our ANZAC Oration, delivered by Andrew Hastie MP, reflected on the inheritance of sacrifice and its role in shaping the Alliance at a time of global uncertainty. The launch of Menzies Rediscovered in Canberra by Opposition Leader Angus Taylor MP, and our Afternoon Light Live series, have further extended these conversations to broader audiences —bringing together voices as varied as Troy Bramston, Jackie French, Lydia Khalil, Michael Gawenda AM and Peter Kurti.