Patterns of institutional development: political staff structures in Australia

Abstract

There is currently international interest in the development of political advisory structures in different countries. The question explored in this paper is: why did Australia’s distinctive institution develop in the way that it did at the time it did? In Australia, new advisory arrangements occurred earlier than in most other Westminster countries and were wholly partisan, instead of a mix of partisan and non-partisan staff. Historical factors relating to the nature of the public service and the experience of ministers in the 1970s and 1980s explain why the institution emerged as it did. The paper applies historical institutionalism as a framework and traces the factors and events that led to the creation of a new institution in Australia, rather than the ‘adaptive’ response seen in most of the other Westminster nations. The paper argues that historical institutionalism is a useful lens through which to view the development of the political advisory structures. The Australian case provides a basis for comparison with institutional development in other countries.