Dr. Liz Rushen

Liz Rushen is a freelance historian, best known for her work on the migration of women to colonial Australia. She speaks to community groups and senior students about colonial women, and her other area of research – Votes for Women!

Initially trained as a teacher, Liz has practised and lectured in business communications and office management both within Australia and overseas. After completing a PhD in history in 1999 at Monash University, Liz worked with Tim Costello at Urban Seed, helping the marginalised and disadvantaged youth in inner-city Melbourne.

More recently, Liz worked as the Executive Director of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. She is a member of the Professional Historians' Association and an Honorary Research Associate in the School of Historical Studies at Monash University.

Liz has published widely in the field of office practice and business communications. She is the author of Single & Free: female migration to Australia 1833-1837 (Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2005), co-author of Quarantined! The 1837 Lady Macnaghten Immigrants (Anchor Books Australia, 2007) and The Merchant’s Women (Anchor Books Australia, 2008) with Perry McIntyre. She was also a contributor to the Encyclopaedia of Melbourne (Cambridge University Press, 2005).

Liz regularly speaks to schools and community groups and in 2004 she co-hosted a weekly history segment on Melbourne radio ABC 774.