Greg Barns is a weekly columnist with the Hobart Mercury and practices as a barrister in Hobart and Melbourne.

He was an adviser to former Tasmanian Liberal Premier Ray Groom from 1994–1996 and chief of staff to former federal Finance Minister John Fahey from 1996–1999.

Greg ran the 1999 Republic Referendum Campaign for the Australian Republican Movement and was Chair of the ARM from 2000–2002.

He is the author of three books; What’s Wrong with the Liberal Party ? (Cambridge University Press, 2003), Selling the Australian Government (University of New South Wales Press, 2004) and, with Anna Krawec-Wheaton, An Australian Republic (Scribe, 2006).