Ross McMullin is an Australian historian who has written a number of books on political and social history, as well as several biographies.

[1] McMullin wrote a biography of Dyson, Will Dyson: Australia's Radical Genius,[2] that was shortlisted for the 2007 National Biography Award, and was one of three books to be cited as "highly commended" by the judging panel.

[4] He was commissioned to write the official history of the Australian Labor Party to coincide with the 100th anniversary of its founding.

[5] He later published So Monstrous a Travesty, a book about the Watson government, to coincide with its 100th anniversary in 2004.

In 2016, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had personally overruled the judging panel (which had chosen another book) to award the prize to McMullin.