Lisa Lines
Academic editor, historian, author and former lecturer in history

Lisa Lines
Born
Adelaide, Australia
Occupations
    • Lecturer in history
    • Academic editor
Academic background
Alma mater
InfluencesPaul Preston
Academic work
Era18th to 21st century
Institutions
Main interests
Notable worksMilicianas (2011)

Lisa Margaret Lines is a former academic editor, historian, author and lecturer in history at the University of New South Wales Canberra. As of December 2025[update] she is remanded in custody in South Australia, having been charged with a number of serious criminal offences, including attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. She has written about the history of the Spanish Civil War and the prevalence and influence of plagiarism and academic integrity in higher education.

Early life and education

Lisa Margaret Lines[citation needed] was born in Adelaide, South Australia.[citation needed]

She completed a Bachelor of Arts, an Honours degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide and an Honours degree and PhD in history at Flinders University.[citation needed]

Career

Lines has lectured at Flinders University, the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia, and the University of New South Wales.[1]

In 2007, she founded Elite Editing, serving as director and head editor, until selling the business in 2014.[2] After her tenure at the University of New South Wales, Lines founded Capstone Editing, a specialist academic editing company.[3]

In 2011 Lines authored a book on milicianas—female participants in the Spanish Civil War—exploring their origins in the Republican reaction to the coup of 1936 and contributions as frontline and rearguard combatants during the first year of the war (after which women were largely removed from combat roles).[4] Lines has also argued for a re-evaluation of General Franco's military leadership, strategy and political acumen during the Spanish Civil War, reasoning that Franco's prolonging of the war was purposefully done to solidify his control of the Nationalist camp, ensure the complete destruction of the Republican forces and establish the foundation for his position as head of state in the post-war years.[5]

Research

Lines has criticised the current climate of Australian universities as overcommercialised,[6] apathetic towards student needs, enabling of a monopolised textbook industry and overpriced textbooks,[7] and unwilling to admit or confront the rising issue of ghostwriting for university students.[6][8][9][10] Lines has also highlighted the under-representation of women in senior levels of academia.[11]

Court cases and pending criminal charges

Lines served as a witness in the attempted murder trial of her ex-partner, Jonathon Hawtin (R v Hawtin in the Supreme Court of South Australia). The trial followed an incident in October 2017, in which Hawtin allegedly attempted to murder Zacharia Josef Bruckner, with both being severely injured.[12][13] Hawtin was acquitted by a jury in September 2019.[14]

On 15 November 2023, South Australia Police (SAPOL) released a statement advising that a 43-year-old woman, who was later confirmed to be Lines, was arrested by local Police in Palau on behalf of SAPOL Major Crime Investigation Branch to face charges in South Australia of two counts of attempted murder and two counts of conspiracy to murder involving the October 2017 incident in which Hawtin was rendered a quadriplegic. A 36-year-old Brisbane man was also arrested in Brisbane to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on 16 November 2023 in relation to conspiracy to murder-related offences.[15] This man was later named as Zacharia Josef Bruckner.[16] On 24 November 2023 Lines was extradited from Palau to South Australia on charges that she conspired to murder her former husband and his mother.[17][18]

Lines is charged along with Bruckner, who received a gunshot wound to his stomach in the incident at the Littlehampton home. She appeared in the Supreme Court of South Australia on 23 December 2025, where she applied for home detention bail on grounds of hardship to her children as well as her own complicated health issues. It was opposed by the prosecution and will return to court in January 2026.[14]

Publications

Books

  • Milicianas: Women in Combat in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) (Lexington Press, 2011). ISBN 9780739164921

Chapters

  • 'Representativeness and Positive Discrimination' in Deane-Peter Baker (ed.), Key Concepts in Military Ethics (UNSW Press, 2015), pp. 56–59. ISBN 9781742234380

Journal articles

  • 'General Francisco Franco's Capabilities as a Military Leader during the Spanish Civil War: The Need for a Re-evaluation', Journal of Military History, vol. 81, no. 2, pp. 513–534.
  • 'Female Combatants in the Spanish Civil War: Milicianas on the Front Lines and in the Rearguard', Journal of International Women's Studies, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 168–187.[1] Archived 23 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  • 'Representations of the Spanish Civil War in Twenty-First Century Anglophone Novels (2000–14)', Journal of War & Culture Studies, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 150–164.
  • 'Ghostwriters guaranteeing grades? The quality of online ghostwriting services available to tertiary students in Australia', Teaching in Higher Education, vol. 21, no. 8, pp. 513–534.
  • 'Substantive Editing as a Form of Plagiarism among Postgraduate Students in Australia', Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 368–383.
  • 'Prostitution in Thailand: Representations in Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction', Journal of International Women’s Studies, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 86–100.[2] Archived 23 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine

References

  1. ^ "Dr Lisa Lines". Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016.
  2. ^ O'Keeffe, Darragh (1 February 2017). "Book highlights women in academia's balancing act". The Australian. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  3. ^ ASIC. "Capstone Editing Pty Ltd". connectonline.asic.gov.au/.
  4. ^ Lines 2011.
  5. ^ Lines 2017.
  6. ^ a b Lines 2016.
  7. ^ Lines, Lisa (8 December 2017). "Why Are University Textbooks So Expensive?". Capstone Editing. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  8. ^ Lines 2015.
  9. ^ Havergal, Chris (14 July 2016). "Essay mills turning out high quality work undetected – study". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  10. ^ Lines, Lisa (18 May 2017). "Unethical Editing Services at the Tertiary Level". Capstone Editing. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  11. ^ O'Keeffe, Darragh (1 February 2017). "Book highlights women in academia's balancing act". The Australian. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  12. ^ Lim, Josephine (30 October 2017). "Neighbours shocked after man shot, another wounded with axe in fight at Littlehampton in Adelaide Hills". www.adelaidenow.com.au.
  13. ^ McDermott, Quentin (17 June 2020). "Paralysed after being axed in the neck, cleared of attempted murder". www.abc.net.au.
  14. ^ a b Mason, Olivia (23 December 2025). "Adelaide academic accused of attempting to kill her ex searched methods to kill, court hears". ABC News. Retrieved 23 December 2025. Lisa Lines, 45, appeared in South Australia's Supreme Court on Tuesday, where she made a bid for home detention bail.
  15. ^ "Woman to face attempt murder charges". www.police.sa.gov.au. 15 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Zacharia Josef Bruckner charged with 2017 attempted murder of Jonathan Hawtin". 16 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Lisa Lines extradited to South Australia over attempted murder plot to kill Jonathan Hawtin, Rhonda Hawtin". 24 November 2023.
  18. ^ Noble, Freya (28 November 2023). "How a blocked visa led to the arrest of a woman accused in murder plot". 9News. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  • "Women in Academia": Video on YouTube. Commentary and insight by Lines
  • Dr Lisa Lines, Capstone Editing profile
  • Dr Lisa Lines, Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfED) profile
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-17/axe-attack-victim-speaks-after-court-suppression-order-lifted/12320858
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