| Benjamin Law | |
| Birth Place: | Nambour, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Author, screenwriter, journalist |
| Period: | 2000s–present |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Notableworks: | The Family Law, Gaysia |
| Relatives: | Michelle Law (sister) |
Benjamin Law (born 1982) is an Australian author, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his books The Family Law, a family memoir published in 2010, and the TV series of the same name. He hosts the radio programme and podcast Stop Everything! for ABC Radio National.
Born in around 1982[1] Nambour, Queensland,[2] to immigrant parents from Hong Kong and Malaysia,[3] He was educated at Immanuel Lutheran College on the Sunshine Coast. He has a PhD in creative writing and cultural studies from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
The Family Law is a family memoir published in 2010. It was a shortlisted nominee for Book of the Year at the 2011 Australian Book Industry Awards, and was adapted by Matchbox Pictures into a six-part television series for the SBS network in 2016, which Law created and co-wrote with Marieke Hardy (Series 1) and Kirsty Fisher and Lawrence Leung (Series 2).[6] It won the Screen Producers Awards for Best Comedy (2016)[7] and was nominated for two AACTA Awards.[8] In 2012 Law published Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East, a journalistic exploration of LGBT life in Asia.[9] At the 2012 Sydney Writers' Festival,[10] he presented on the topic of bullying, for a panel with Wendy Harmer and Paul Capsis.
In November 2015, he advocated for gay people in a public discussion hosted by Mildura Pride (a Mildura Rural City Council Initiative). The social inclusion initiative focused on making Mildura more welcoming for LGBTIQ communities.[11]
In April 2018, Law became an ambassador for the National Library of Australia.[12]
As a journalist, he has contributed to publications including Frankie, The Australian Financial Review, The Saturday Paper,[13] The Monthly (including a 2014 supplement on the Museum of Old and New Art), The Courier-Mail and its Qweekend supplement, Griffith Review, New Matilda,[14] Fairfax Media's Good Weekend magazine, The Big Issue and Crikey.
Law is founder member of the Australian Writers' Guild's Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee, along with Kodie Bedford and others.[15]
Law's work includes:[17]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-19 | The Family Law | Creator/script writer (based on his memoir) |
| 2017 | Sisters | Episode 3 |
| 2021 | New Gold Mountain | |
| 2023 | Wellmania | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Deep Water: The Real Story | Researcher/associate producer | Documentary film | |
| 2018 | Filthy Rich and Homeless | Himself/participant | Docuseries | |
| 2018–present | That Startup Show[19] | Co-Host | Web series | |
| 2019 | Waltzing the Dragon | Presenter | Two-part documentary | |
| 2023 | Australian Survivor | Contestant | 11 episodes; 14th place |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Nassim | Performer (24 Jan performance | [20] |
| 2020 | Double Delicious | Performer | For Sydney Festival[21] |
| 2020 | Torch the Place | Writer | For Melbourne Theatre Company[22] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–present | Stop Everything![23] | Host | Podcast for ABC Radio National |
| 2019 | Look at me[24] | Host | Podcast for The Guardian |