Auberon Waugh is credited with coining the term “the chattering classes”, which Wikipedia notes is a “generally derogatory term often used by pundits and political commentators to refer to a politically active, socially concerned and highly educated section of the 'metropolitan middle class', especially those with political, media, and academic connections”.

It migrated to Australian commentary in the mid-1990s – about the same time John Howard started fighting "political correctness" – when conservative think tanks were emerging that argued our public policy discussions were captured by the "chattering classes",  by which they meant people like welfare lobbyists, Indigenous leaders and arty types.