Hugh Mackay
Australian psychologist, social researcher and writer
About Hugh Mackay
Born 1938. Hugh Mackay is an Australian journalist, psychologist, novelist and social researcher.
Hugh Clifford Mackay (born 1938) is an Australian psychologist, social researcher and writer, who founded the Australian quarterly research series The Mackay Report 1979–2003, which later became The Ipsos Mackay Report. He was a weekly newspaper columnist for 25 years and is a regularly appearing commentator on radio and television.
Career He is a graduate of Sydney Grammar School, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney and a Master of Arts from Macquarie University. He was a founding member of The Australian Psychological Society and is one of the founders of The Ethics Centre (formerly known as The St James Ethics Centre).
Mackay has held a number of honorary academic positions, including adjunct professor in the Faculty of Arts of Charles Sturt University, Professor of Social Science at the University of Wollongong and professorial fellow in the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.
He is a patron of the Asylum Seekers Centre and was previously a member of the Bell Shakespeare Artistic Advisory Panel. He was the inaugural chairman of the ACT Government's Community Inclusion Board, chairman of trustees of Sydney Grammar School and deputy chairman of the Australia Council. He has also served on committees of the Law Society of New South Wales, the Sydney Peace Prize, and the National Heart Foundation of Australia.. After an in air incident on a flight from Sydney to Brisbane Hugh didn’t fly for 15 years despite his busy nationwide work commitments over that time.
Mackay is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and the Royal Society of NSW, and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.
Honours and awards He holds honorary doctorates in Letters from Charles Sturt University, Macquarie University, the University of New South Wales the University of Western Sydney and the University of Wollongong
Publications Non-fiction
drew on 60 individual reports (subsequently re-published as 'The Good Listener'. 1998)
(2nd edition published 2019).
(2nd edition published 2019) (originally published 2013)
Periodical The Mackay Report quarterly research series (subsequently The Ipsos Mackay Report), over 100 reports including:
Fiction
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Important facts
People in Hugh Mackay's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Hugh Mackay's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Hugh Mackay?
Australian psychologist, social researcher and writer
When was Hugh Mackay born?
Hugh Mackay was born on 31 March 1938 in Sydney.
What is Hugh Mackay's occupation?
Hugh Mackay is a journalist, psychologist, novelist and social researcher.
What nationality is Hugh Mackay?
Hugh Mackay is Australian.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Hugh Mackay (social researcher)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Hugh Mackay. https://biography.guide/hugh-mackay-journalist/
MLA: "Hugh Mackay." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/hugh-mackay-journalist/.
Chicago: "Hugh Mackay." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/hugh-mackay-journalist/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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