Dr Blair Williams. Photo: ANU
Dr Blair Williams. Photo: ANU - Former politician Julia Banks' memoir about her time in Parliament has taken the nation by storm. But according to an expert from The Australian National University (ANU) Power Play also highlights a glaring problem in our nation's political biography - female politicians are left to tell their own stories and "correct the record" while men have their stories written for them. How our female political leaders are immortalised today is in sharp focus in a special issue of the Australian Journal of Biography and History , published by ANU Press. The 10 peer-reviewed articles take a deep dive into political biography in Australia, including the ongoing dominance of "old white men" across the genre. Contributing author and feminist researcher Dr Blair Williams from The Australian National University said political biographies have long been the domain of white, middle-aged males. "My research shows that of 31 political biographies published since 2010, only four have been written on Australian women: Penny Wong, Pauline Hanson, Patricia Giles and May Holman," Dr Williams said.
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