Professor Brian Costar

PhD (Qld), BA (Qld)

Brian Costar is Professor of Victorian Parliamentary Democracy and the Director of the Democratic Audit of Australia – Swinburne. His principal areas of research are Australian political parties, state and federal parliamentary politics, and Australian electoral history. He is a frequent commentator on state and federal politics in the press and the broadcast media, and has written widely on contemporary political issues. His current research focuses on the contemporary role of small parties and independents in Australian parliaments, and the political history of Victoria. Among his books are The Victorian Premiers: 1856-2006 (co-editor and contributor) (Federation Press, 2006), The Great Labor Schism: A Retrospective (co-editor and contributor) (Scribe, 2005), Rebels With a Cause: Independents in Australian Politics (with Jennifer Curtin) (UNSW Press, 2004), Deadlock or Democracy? The Future of the Senate (editor) (UNSW Press, 2000) and The Kennett Revolution (co-editor and contributor) (UNSW Press, 1999).

Publications in the Swinburne Research Bank

Office: EW115
Telephone: +61 3 9214 5899
Email: bcostar@swin.edu.au