Peter van Onselen

Peter van Onselen (born 19 February 1976) in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian political academic, author and political journalist and commentator. He is currently the contributing editor at The Australian newspaper as well as host of several television programs on Sky News Australia.

van Onselen grew up in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. He went to The Scots College in Bellevue Hill, the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the University of Western Australia.

He was awarded a PhD in political science from the University of Western Australia, converting his dissertation into a book. Van Onselen also holds a Bachelor of Arts with first-class honours in political science, majoring in philosophy, and a Masters in Policy Studies (with Distinction). Both degrees were obtained from the University of New South Wales. He has also completed a Master of Commerce (with Distinction) and was included in the Dean's honours list.

van Onselen debated at university World and Australasian championships with members of the Chaser during their studying days. He was a member of the combined Australian University Test Team at the 1998 Australasian Championships in Sydney, where he reached the semi-finals. He also reached the semi-finals of the 1999 World Debating Championships in Manila.

van Onselen began an academic career at UNSW in 2002, and became an associate professor at Edith Cowan University in 2004, organising the politics and government program. From 2007 to 2008, van Onselen presented stories on the Nine Network's Sunday and wrote a column for The Bulletin. In early 2011, van Onselen left Edith Cowan University to become a Winthrop Professor and Foundation Chair of Journalism at the University of Western Australia.

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