2026 Festival

Speaker Profile

Paul Strangio

Paul Strangio is an emeritus professor in politics at Monash University. A political historian who specialises on political leadership, he is the author and editor of more than a dozen books on Australian politics. These include an acclaimed biography of Jim Cairns and award-winning titles on the Victorian Labor Party and the history of the Australian prime ministership. For many years, Paul has been a leading commentator in the media on Australian and Victorian politics.

How Biographers Work

Saturday April 25
Ellen Grant Hall
4.00pm / 60 mins

Patrick Mullins, Paul Strangio and Lisa Wilkinson with Peter Wilmoth

What is it about someone else’s life that inspires a writer?  How do you decide their story is one worth telling, and where do you begin with your research? 


To Mark Carney, You Had Me At Hello: What does good leadership look like?

Sunday April 26
The Ballroom, The Continental
9.00am / 60 mins

Troy Bramston, Annabel Crabb and Paul Strangio with Natasha Mitchell 

 This session is supported by Thomson Geer