Lessons in Goveing: A Profile of Prime Ministers’ Chiefs of Staff

by: R.A.W. Rhodes (Author),Anne Tiean(Author)

Publisher: MUP Academic

Publication Date: 2014/7/18

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0522867448

ISBN-13: 9780522867442

Book Description

Lessons in Goveing is a unique contribution to the study of Australian policy, politics and govement institutions. It 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 specialisation of the Prime Minister’s Office since Gough Whitlam first formalised the appointment of a trusted senior person as head of his private office in 1972. Individuals in successive PMOs have long been recognised 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. Lessons in Goveing 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.

About the Author

Lessons in Goveing is a unique contribution to the study of Australian policy, politics and govement institutions. It 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 specialisation of the Prime Minister’s Office since Gough Whitlam first formalised the appointment of a trusted senior person as head of his private office in 1972. Individuals in successive PMOs have long been recognised 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. Lessons in Goveing 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.