Andre Brett

Dr. André Brett is a Lecturer in History at Curtin University's School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry within the Faculty of Humanities. He holds dual expertise in Australian and New Zealand history with specialties in British imperialism, environmental history, railway systems, political economy, and genocide studies. His research emphasizes histories of institutional failure and alternative trajectories, including railway policy, territorial separation movements, and colonial governance.

Dr. Brett earned a BA Hons (Melbourne, 2010) and PhD (Melbourne, 2014). He previously held roles at University of Wollongong (2017–2022), University of Melbourne (2011–2017), and National Library of Australia (2021). His work has been recognized with major awards including the 2021 Max Crawford Medal—the top early-career honor in Australian humanities—and multiple fellowships from leading academic institutions.

His current research focuses on two major projects: an enviro-economic history of railways in colonial Australasia (supported by a National Library of Australia fellowship) and a study of territorial separation movements in the region. Other active projects include railway disaster history and histories of academic reform in Australian higher education.

• Awards: Over 20 awards including Australian Academy of the Humanities medals, major historical society prizes, and teaching/research fellowships
• Memberships: Australian Historical Association (executive), Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, European Society for Environmental History, editorial roles for Journal of New Zealand and Pacific Studies and Australian Historical Studies

Teaching responsibilities include coordinating courses on empire legacies, Australian social history, nationalism, local history projects, and military history. His publications span four authored/edited books, over twenty peer-reviewed articles, and contributions to documentaries/museum exhibitions.