Margaret Evelyn Barbalet (born 1949) is an Australian novelist, historian and diplomat.
Born Margaret Evelyn Hardy in Adelaide, South Australia, Barbalet grew up in Tasmania.
[3] Her second book, Far from a Low Gutter Girl, was based in part on letters by former State wards about their grievances with the system.
[5] Aside from writing, she has pursued a varied career, working as a history lecturer and public servant.
From 1990 to 2008 she worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including in Kuala Lumpur as second secretary at the Australian High Commission in 1996.