Dorothy Johnston (born 1948) is an Australian author of both crime and literary fiction. She has published novels, short stories and essays. Born in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, Johnston trained as a teacher at the University of Melbourne and later worked as a researcher in the education field. She lived in Canberra from 1979 to 2008, and currently lives in Ocean Grove, Victoria (Australia). She is a former President of Canberra PEN. She was a founding member of the Seven Writers Group, also known as Seven Writers or the Canberra Seven, established in March 1980. Five of the original members ceased with the group, but Johnston and Margaret Barbalet continued with new writers.