The Annual History Lecture launches History Week each year. Traditionally held at Government House, the lecture is delivered by an eminent speaker on a topic or theme of general and historical interest, showing how an appreciation of the past may inform our understanding of current issues.

Previous Lectures

2010 Bridget Griffin Foley Voices from the Street

2009 James Spigelman AC The Macquarie Bicentennial

2008 Joy Damousi Elocution Lessons

2007 Iain McCalman Historical Re-enactments

2006 Hilary Golder Evidence and Accountability

2005 Bruce Scates The Ghosts of Gallipoli

2004 Peter Read A Haunted Land No Longer?

2003 Raelene Frances ‘White Slaves’ and White Australia

2002 Tim Bowden Shaping History Through Personal Stories

2001 Ien Ang Intertwining Histories

2000 Shirley Fitzgerald History? You Must be Joking

1999 Don Watson The Politics of History

1998 Jill Roe History for the People

1996 Stuart Macintyre The Necessity of History