Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus.) one who stirs up trouble or discontent, an agitator, a trouble-maker; an unpleasant, malicious gossip.

[1883		Sth Aus. Register (Adelaide) 3 Feb. 7/4: The most deadly vapours are often those unknown to the nose. Till some ‘stinkpots’ are stirred people are content to abide their presence [...] the stirrer gets abuse, but wise men see in him a public benefactor].
[1917		Argus (Melbourne) 3 Nov. 5/1: The strife-stirrer [...] Their words are filth, their tongue is mud].
1963		N. Dunn Up the Junction 37: Well Dick’s a bit of a stirrer, a bit randy and all that.
1977		K. Gilbert Living Black 37: The Aborigines Welfare Board kicked me off the place. Because I was a stirrer.
1985		B. Humphries Traveller’s Tool 42: There’s always some stirrer who likes to finger husbands to their wives.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 108/1: stirrer troublemaker, especially in politics.
1993		Aus. Word Map 🌐 ‘All this land rights business is just hot air from those southern stirrers’.
2000		S. Maloney Big Ask 162: Don’t tell me that you weren’t at the market to connect with that stirrer Donny Maitland.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].
2019		G. Disher Peace 43: Hirsch’s mother, a sly stirrer.