The Menzies Oration on Higher Education

The Menzies Oration on Higher Education at the University of Melbourne honours the late Sir Robert Menzies, former Prime Minister of Australia and Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.

Sir Robert considered that his contribution to the development of universities might prove to be amongst the most lasting of his achievements for Australia. In recognition of this vision and in order to strengthen the role of higher education in Australia, the University of Melbourne and the Menzies Foundation established the Sir Robert Menzies Oration on Higher Education in 1991.

The theme for the Oration is higher education policy and practice in Australia both in view of its national importance and also because of Sir Robert's attachment to both the extension of higher education and the wise development of it. The intention is for each Oration to be a contribution to intellectual debate in Australia.

University of Melbourne

2009	Emeritus Professor Richard Larkins AO Former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Melbourne University and former Vice-Chancellor of Monash University	Universities: the Foundation of Civil and Successful Societies [pdf]
2008	The Hon Julia Gillard MP Deputy Prime Minister; Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations; Minister for Education; Minister for Social Inclusion.	The Challenge for Universities in the Education Revolution (Microsoft word, 52kb)
2007	Professor Arthur K C Li Former Secretary for Education and Manpower, Hong Kong SAR Government	Education: Vision and Reality (Microsoft Word, 116KB)
2006	Professor James Wilkinson Director of the Derek Bok Centre for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University	Undergraduate Education: What Good Is It? An International Perspective (Microsoft Word, 104KB) (Acrobat PDF, 218kb)
2005	Professor Peter McPhee Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), University of Melbourne	Faces in the Crowd? The 'Melbourne Experience' past, present, future (Acrobat PDF, 2mb)
2004	Professor Stephen Leeder Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine University of Sydney	Global Health and the Future of Academic Medicine (Acrobat PDF, 147kmb)
2003	Professor Alan Gilbert Vice-Chancellor University of Melbourne	Some Heretical Ideas about Universities (Acrobat PDF, 117kb)
2002	Dr Bernard Shapiro Principal and Vice-Chancellor McGill University	The Research University: An Undergraduate Challenge (Acrobat PDF, 95kb)
2001	Dr John Hood Vice-Chancellor University of Auckland	The Research-led University - Reflections from New Zealand (Acrobat PDF, 135kb)
2000	Professor Sir Alec Broers Vice-Chancellor University of Cambridge	University Partnerships - Sustaining International Competitiveness (Acrobat PDF, 97kb)
1999	His Excellency The Hon Sir Guy Green Governor of Tasmania	Governors, Democracy and the Rule of Law (Acrobat PDF, 127kb)
1998	Lord Dearing Chancellor University of Nottingham	A Time of Opportunity (Acrobat PDF, 48kb)
1997	Professor Wang Gungwu The National University of Singapore
1996	Professor Sir Stewart Sutherland The University of Edinburgh
1995	Professor Brian Wilson The University of Queensland
1994	The Honourable Nick Greiner
1993	Professor Henry Rosovsky Harvard University
1992	Professor Emeritus Peter Karmel Australian National University
1991	Professor David Penington The University of Melbourne