The Robert Menzies Institute is dedicated to fostering academic inquiry into Menzies, the Menzies era, and its enduring legacy. As part of this mission, we have established a fellowships program to bring in leading academics from around Australia and the world to engage with Menzies-related topics, benefiting the nation by expanding our understanding of the history and development of modern Australia.
This year the RMI is proud to have Dr William Stoltz as our first ever Visiting Fellow. Dr Stoltz is a Senior Adviser for Public Policy at the National Security College at the Australian National University, where he contributes regularly to policy debates on national security and international affairs.
His primary research project with the Institute is to explore the Menzies government’s creation of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), an organisation which commemorates 70 years of existence this year. ASIS is Australia’s secret foreign intelligence service, equivalent to America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS).
The creation of the Service is one of the less examined legacies of the Menzies government, not least of all because the existence of ASIS was not officially acknowledged until 1977 and many records regarding its creation still remain classified. Will’s work therefore promises to be ground-breaking and unique.
We look forward to being able to share some of Dr Stoltz's research and findings with you on May 5 2022.
Please note that it is a requirement for anyone attending campus to be fully vaccinated.
