Partisans at the centre of government : the role of ministerial advisers in the Keating government 1991-96

Abstract

This thesis explores the role and significance of ministerial advisers in the Keating government (1991-1996). The role of ministerial advisers has changed substantially since they emerged in Australia in 1972, yet there is surprisingly little research about them. A study of the Keating period is useful as it tracks the evolution of the ministerial office over a critical period in its development: the Hawke-Keating years (1983-1996). In this period the role of adviser grew, developed in new ways and was entrenched as a permanent part of the machinery of government in Austalia. The thesis reports the results of a major qualitative research project undertaken in 1995-6, in which 64 ministers, advisers and public servants were interviewed. The thesis first maps the different elements of the role, focusing on the functions that advisers performed in government. It argues that advisers were very important in government because they could perform key roles for the executive which went beyond their traditional work of political and personal support. These roles were communication, steering policy and coordination. The study distinguishes different types of advisers based on their behaviour, and identifies what were the areas of, and causes of, variation in their work. The thesis then explores several elements of the adviser's role in depth, touching on three key themes: how advisers engaged with departments, advisers' role in policy making, and their contribution to executive coordination. The study reveals that advisers in the Keating years were an important part of the central machinery of government, located at the heart of decision making and policy making in Australia. Their central location, and the major development in their role, made them significant players in the structure and practice of government at this time. Show more