Ponch Hawkes (Australia 1946– ) is a Melbourne based photographic artist. She has recorded and commented on Australian society and cultural life through photography since the seventies.

She first took up photography while working as a journalist for the counter-cultural magazines Digger and Rolling Stone. During the 1970s Hawkes was part of a feminist collective based in Melbourne’s experimental arts and theatre space the Pram Factory. Her early photography was informed by her role as a commentator on social issues. Since that time she has continued to work closely with community groups across Australia.

Her work explores themes of the body, the environment, community and relationships through a feminist perspective. Hawkes often uses her images to engage with contemporary critical debates. She is currently working on a large-scale project, photographing 500 women over the age of 50 naked, for the forthcoming exhibition Flesh After Fifty.