National Archives of Australia
The Hon Dr John Bannon AO (Chair)
Chairman of the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council, the Hon Dr John Bannon AO
John Bannon is currently Adjunct Professor of Law at Adelaide University specialising in constitutional history and federal/state relations and immediate past President of the History Council of South Australia. He has a PhD in history from Flinders University and recently published a biography of Sir John Downer, ‘Supreme Federalist’, extensively using material held by the National Archives. Dr Bannon served as a member of the National Archives’ Adelaide Consultative Forum and in 2009 delivered the Constitution Founders Lecture: Alternatives to Australian Federation: Then and Now focusing on Charles Cameron Kingston, Premier and Attorney-General of South Australia and one of the prime founders of the nation. From 1977 to 1993 he was a member of the South Australian Parliament and was Premier of South Australia from 1982 to 1992. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2007.
My association over several years with the National Archives, my love of history, and extensive experience in public service will all help me to make a contribution to the important work of the Archives. Not only does the Archives maintain the records created by Australian government agencies, but it plays a significant role in ensuring that Australians throughout the Commonwealth have access to a national archive that assists them to understand their own heritage and democracy.
