Dr Don Watson (PhD 1977)
Author

Don Watson went to school at Poowong and Korumburra in Victoria. After gaining a BA (Hons) from La Trobe University, he graduated with a PhD from Monash University.

For ten years he was an academic historian before resigning to write, among other things, political satire for TV and the stage (including The Gillies Report), and speeches for the Victorian Premier John Cain.

After time as research fellow at The University of Melbourne, he became Prime Minister Paul Keating's speechwriter and adviser. He stayed in that position until Keating's electoral defeat in 1996.

Dr Watson's columns, articles and essays have appeared in all major Australian journals and newspapers. He also writes feature films, the latest of which was The Man Who Sued God. His 2001 Quarterly Essay Rabbit Syndrome: Australia and America won the inaugural Alfred Deakin Essay Prize in the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards.

Dr Watson has authored a number of best-selling books including Recollections of a Bleeding Heart: Paul Keating Prime Minister (2002), Death Sentence: The Decay of Public Language (2003), and Watson's Dictionary of Weasel Words, Contemporary Clichés, Cant & Management Jargon (2004). One of his most recent books is American Journeys (2008), which won the Age Non-Fiction and Book of the Year Awards, the inaugural Indie Award for Non-Fiction, and the Walkley Award for Non-Fiction. His latest release is Bendable Learnings: The Wisdom of Modern Management, which follows on from Death Sentence and Weasel Words.