John Hirst

Dr John Hirst was Emeritus Scholar at La Trobe University and Honorary Professor of History at the University of Sydney.

He has written books on convicts, the origins of democracy in New South Wales, Federation, Albert Facey, the republic, Australian democracy, and a guide to government and law in Australia which was distributed to schools nationally.

He was co-editor of the Oxford Companion to Australian History. His most recent books are Sense and Nonsense in Australian History, The Australians: Insiders and Outsiders on the National Character since 1770, The Shortest History of Europe and Looking for Australia. He writes regularly for the Australian, the Monthly and the Spectator.

John was founding Convenor of the Australian Republican Movement in Victoria and a member of the Prime Minister Keating's Republic Advisory Committee (1993). He was the chair of the Howard Government’s Civics Education Group (1997 to 2004) and was involved in developing the history component of the national curriculum.

John Hirst died on February 3, 2016.