As Professor of History at ANU and lead political commentator for Inside Story, Bongiorno deciphers contemporary policy through historical patterns. His 30-year career has produced seminal works on labor movements and cultural shifts, earning him unprecedented triple ACT Book of the Year honors.
“The best political journalism remembers yesterday while interrogating tomorrow.”
Frank Bongiorno’s journey into the heart of Australian historiography began in the working-class suburbs of Melbourne, where his early fascination with social dynamics evolved into a career dissecting the nation’s political DNA. After completing his PhD at the Australian National University (ANU) under Ken Inglis, Bongiorno became a torchbearer of the Scott-Macintyre historiographical lineage, blending academic rigor with public intellectualism.
“History isn’t just about dates and documents—it’s the lived experience of power, culture, and resistance.”
This 4,000-word essay juxtaposes Australia’s current political climate with historical precedents from the Whitlam dismissal to the COVID-era policymaking. Bongiorno employs oral history interviews with former MPs alongside statistical analysis of voter turnout data to argue that while institutions remain robust, civic engagement requires reimagining. The piece sparked national debate after being cited in parliamentary question time.
In this podcast-turned-article, Bongiorno traces the evolution of Australia’s compulsory voting system through archival research and demographic studies. His revelation of 1920s political pamphlets advocating “democracy sausages” as voter incentives became a viral social media moment, demonstrating his ability to bridge academic and public discourse.
Bongiorno frequently draws connections between contemporary issues and their historical antecedents. A successful pitch might explore how today’s climate migration policies echo the 1970s refugee resettlement programs, citing his analysis of the Fraser government in The Eighties: The Decade That Transformed Australia.
With co-authorship of A Little History of the Australian Labor Party, he’s particularly receptive to stories examining union strategies in the gig economy. Avoid surface-level reports—focus on longitudinal studies of worker collectivization.
His award-winning The Sex Lives of Australians demonstrates interest in how popular culture reflects policy shifts. Pitch analyses of reality TV voting mechanisms or TikTok political satire through the lens of 1980s media deregulation.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Politics, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
