After graduation from Sydney University, Babette Smith worked in production in theatre and television and in 1983 became National Marketing Manager for the Hoyts Corporation. In 2001 she established a Sydney practice as a mediator, conciliator and dispute resolution consultant. Through much of her corporate career, Babette was also a writer and her occasional journalism included two stints as a columnist: 1997-1999 for the Australian Financial Review and 1989-1992 for ITA magazine. She is the author of Coming Up For Air (2003) and Australia's Birthstain (2008) and lives in Blackheath in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.