Julia Lawrinson has been actively involved in the Australian writing community for three decades, and is a passionate advocate for the rights of creators. She has published 17 books, ranging from a picture book to memoir, which have been recognised in the Children’s Book Council Awards, the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards, and the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards.

Julia has been involved in arts governance since 2000, including chairing the Arts Development Panel of the WA Department of Culture and the Arts (as it was) and the board of the State Literature Centre (now WritingWA). Her most recent governance role was as Chair of The Literature Centre (2020-2024), guiding the organisation through a period of unprecedented change. She was also the secretariat to the board of the Child and Adolescent Health Service between 2018 and 2021. She has a deep appreciation of responsibilities of boards and board members to the organisations they govern.

As well as a PhD in Writing and a Graduate Diploma of Education, Julia holds a Bachelor of Laws with Distinction, and is an admitted lawyer. During her studies she won the Wrays Lawyers Award for Intellectual Property. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

In her other work, Julia has produced reports for parliamentary committees, written speeches for ministers and a director general, and drafted a range of other material across government, including regulations and legislative amendments to various acts. Most recently, she was the lead writer for Western Australia’s Statutory Review of the Mental Health Act 2014.