2026 Festival
Speaker Profile
Mark McKenna
Mark McKenna is one of Australia’s leading historians, based at the University of Sydney. He is the author of several prize-winning books, including From the Edge: Australia’s Lost Histories, Looking for Blackfellas’ Point and An Eye for Eternity: The Life of Manning Clark, which won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for nonfiction and the Victorian, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australian premiers’ awards.
Australian History’s Great Divide: How writers view our past
Tony Abbott and Mark McKenna with Sally Warhaft
Books about Australia’s past continue to engage readers and dominate non-fiction bestseller lists. Tony Abbott, Rhodes Scholar, history buff, former parliamentarian and Australia’s 28th Prime Minister, and Emeritus Professor Mark McKenna, of the University of Sydney, will discuss their new books with anthropologist and broadcaster Sally Warhaft.
Don’t Mention The “R” Word: How close is Australia to becoming a republic?
Dennis Altman, Esther Anatolitis and Mark McKenna with Inala Cooper