The Australian poetry community is agog with the news that the nation is poised to have its first official Poet Laureate in over 200 years, a position that has been created under the Federal Government’s new National Cultural Policy (NCP).
As The Age pointed out, the very first Australian Poet Laureate was actually a former convict named Michael Massey Robinson. He was appointed to the role by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1810 and granted two cows for his services writing odes to commemorate royal birthdays. Over two centuries later, the next appointment for the position is slated to occur in 2025.
