Menzies’ legacy omitted key facts

Elena Douglas’s attempt to restore RG Menzies ’ reputation has rather gilded the lily (“Robert Menzies’ stolen legacy", AFR, January 24-27). She has omitted reference to Menzies as a wartime prime minister. 

During most of Menzies’ prime ministership, Australia was involved in armed conflict. At least two of these were failures: Korea and South Vietnam.

Menzies remains the only prime minister who attempted to outlaw another political party.  This, with his decision to fund Catholic education, suggests his understanding of a secular democratic state was flawed.

Menzies was not the first to perceive the need for higher education. The University of NSW was founded by the NSW government before Menzies became prime minister. While Menzies introduced the Commonwealth Scholarship, the scheme was flawed as the living allowance was inadequate.

Menzies’ relationship with Churchill was less clear-cut than Douglas suggests.  Some think Menzies, during his time in Britain in 1941, attempted to have Churchill replaced as wartime leader. 

Menzies’ reputation had been “trashed" long before Keating appeared on the scene. It was Menzies’ confreres who said he was better at sending others to war than going himself.

To many he appeared to be a “British Empire man" unable to differentiate Australia’s good from that of an empire in terminal decline.