The Gatekeepers ─ Lessons from Prime Ministers' Chiefs of Staff

A unique contribution to the study of Australian policy, politics, and government institutions, this book examines the position of chief of staff to the Australian prime minister from the perspective of key individuals who have held it. Exploring the support needs of Australian political leaders, it traces the forces that have shaped the growth and specialization of the prime minister’s office since Gough Whitlam first formalized the appointment of a trusted senior person as head of his private office in 1972. Individuals in successive PMOs have long been recognized as key players, but their role has come under greater scrutiny as the link between prime ministerial effectiveness and the performance of their private offices has become more widely understood. While insights and advice have been passed from one incumbent to the next, there has been no systematic attempt to understand and document the evolution of the chief-of-staff position. The book addresses this critical gap in our understanding of the contemporary practice of Australian political leadership, reporting the findings of a project designed to develop an empirically informed understanding of the role of prime ministerial chiefs of staff as seen by those who held the post.

R. A. W. Rhodes is professor of government (research) at the University of Southampton (UK), professor of government at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, and emeritus professor of politics at the University of Newcastle (UK).Anne Tiernan is an associate professor in the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University in Brisbane, a faculty member of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, and ANZSOG director in Queensland. She is the author of Power Without Responsibility: Ministerial Staffers in Australian Governments from Whitlam to Howard and coauthor ofLearning to Be a Minister.