• Well-known political journalist to visit Orange and Bathurst for free lecture
• Gabrielle Chan will discuss politics in regional Australia and why country voters are ‘fed up’ with Australia’s government

Residents of Orange and Bathurst keen to discuss politics in regional Australia will have the chance to do so with political journalist from The Guardian Ms Gabrielle Chan at a free lecture hosted by Charles Sturt University (Charles Sturt).

Ms Chan will lead the public lecture commenting on the divide between country voters and major political parties in Bathurst on Wednesday 9 October and in Orange on Thursday 10 October.

The lecture will explore topics from Ms Chan’s book, ‘ Rusted Off: Why country Australia is fed up,’ such as why many rural and regional Australians are deserting major political parties and what the way forward for government is.

The University is hosting Ms Chan as part of the Charles Sturt ‘Exploration Series’, which aims to engage the University’s rural and regional partners in matters of significance.

Charles Sturt’s Director of External Engagement for Bathurst and Orange Ms Julia Andrews said the University’s was delighted to host Ms Chan in what is sure to be a lively discussion.

“Gabrielle Chan is a great fit for our Exploration Series because we want the series to spark discussions around important topics that are impacting communities in our regions,” she said.

“Conversation around politics is important for people in our regions and we are happy to provide a platform for people to learn about and discuss different points of view.

“The University is looking forward to hearing the insights around politics in rural and regional Australia that Gabrielle Chan will share at our lecture series.”

Registrations for the upcoming ‘Rusted off – Why Country Australia is Fed up’ lecture are available on the Charles Sturt website's events page.

Ms Chan has been a journalist for more than 30 years. Since 2013, she has worked for The Guardian as a political correspondent, blogger and senior writer in its Australian edition.

Her latest book, Rusted Off: Why country Australia is fed up, was released in September 2018 and was recently short-listed for the 2019 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards in the non-fiction category.

BooksPlus in Bathurst and Collins Booksellers in Orange will be selling copies of Ms Chan’s book at the lectures.

The lecture in Bathurst starts at 6pm on Wednesday 9 October at the Bathurst Library, 70 Keppell Street.

The lecture in Orange starts at 6pm on Thursday 10 October at Groundstone Café, 151 Byng Street.