The Gatekeepers: Lessons from prime ministers’ chiefs of staff

The Gatekeepers 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 Ministers’ Office since Gough Whitlam first formalized the appointment of a trusted senior person as head of his private office in 1972.

Addressing a critical gap in our understanding of the contemporary practice of Australian political leadership, it reports 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.