Ministerial advisers (Australia)

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Ministerial advisers in Australia are political staffers appointed to provide support and advice to government ministers.

They play a significant role in the Australian political system, serving as a link between the political and bureaucratic spheres.^[1] The Sydney Morning Herald has described them as "a curious, high-octane beast – little-known outside the corridors of power yet enormously influential within them".^[2]

These advisers are often political appointees, often selected for their loyalty, for factional reasons, expertise, or for their alignment with the minister's political party.^{[citation needed]} In this, ministerial advisers are functionally distinct in the Australian system to regular public servants within the Australian Public Service. They are also distinct from parliamentary staff, such as electorate officers and parliamentary political advisers; that are provided by parliament.

The role ministerial advisers play in the Australian system has grown remarkably in recent decades. They have become an "integral part of the political landscape". The number of Commonwealth ministerial staff has increased in headcount from ~160 in the 1970s to ~420 in the 2010s.^[3]

According to scholar Yee-Fui Ng, the role of the ministerial adviser originated in the practice of ministers having informal discussions with their confidants to discuss political strategy. This role has since been formalised and institutionalised in the Australian system, "into the role of the partisan ministerial adviser as distinct from the impartial public service".^[3]

Ministerial advisers are extremely influential in Australian politics, especially those working within the Prime Minister's Office (or Premier's office). Former deputy premier of Victoria John Thwaites has said that such advisers are "often ... as powerful, or more powerful, than some ministers" and have "more influence on the decision-making in most cases than certainly junior ministers, and more than most ministers".^[3]