Power & the PM: The women that rule Anthony Albanese’s network
Women wield significant power over Labor’s policy agenda and first-term social and economic priorities.
Anthony Albanese’s political, business and government networks are heavily influenced by women wielding significant power over Labor’s policy agenda and first-term social and economic priorities.
The Prime Minister is drawing on a growing pool of female business and community leaders, MPs and public service chiefs to help narrow the gender pay gap, boost female workplace participation and deliver domestic violence leave.
Finance and Women Minister Katy Gallagher and Foreign Minister Penny Wong – the only women in the leaders’ group – are confidantes and Left-faction allies of Albanese with enormous authority over government operations, tactics and policy development.
Gallagher, a former ACT chief minister who is wading through Coalition spending to find billions in budget savings, leads the government’s ambitious plans to modernise the public service.
Government sources say that while Wong is close to Albanese, Gallagher is as a sounding board for the Prime Minister.
“Their influence is huge. And it’s not isolated to foreign and economic policy. Their political advice is highly valued by Albanese,” a Labor source said.
“There are few major decisions made without the input of Gallagher and Wong.”
Wong, 53, has maintained an indefatigable pace since the May 21 election traversing the Indo-Pacific region to promote Australia’s upgraded climate change commitments and respond to rising Chinese power.
The leader of the government in the Senate also leads negotiations with the Greens and crossbenchers in the upper house to secure support for government legislation.
Other senior female MPs with influence over government policy include Assistant Climate Change Minister and long-time Albanese friend Jenny McAllister, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth.
In the Prime Minister’s Office, Albanese draws advice from deputy chief of staff Jenny Mason, senior adviser Moksha Watts and communications director Liz Fitch. Philippa Brant, a Mandarin-speaking former ONI officer, is Albanese’s national security adviser, while Kathy Klugman – an ex-high commissioner to Sri Lanka and former head of DFAT’s Pacific division – has been appointed foreign policy adviser.
On the home front, Albanese’s partner Jodie Haydon is an important support base despite their busy schedules. Haydon has joined Albanese on trips to France, Spain and Britain.
Female union, business, industry and community leaders have played central roles in the early months of the Albanese government and at the recent jobs and skills summit, which featured 50 per cent women.
Sally McManus (ACTU), Michele O’Neil (ACTU), Sam Mostyn (Chief Executive Women), Anna Bligh (Australian Banking Association), Robyn Denholm (Tesla), Jennifer Westacott (Business Council of Australia), Alexi Boyd (COSBOA) and Kate Pounder (Tech Council of Australia) have emerged as prominent figures.
McManus and O’Neil – one of the strongest trade union partnerships in decades – have considerable influence over Albanese’s caucus and industrial relations reform agenda.
Mostyn, a former adviser to Paul Keating and first woman appointed as AFL commissioner, is close to Albanese and government ministers. Denholm and Pounder will help the government re-skill women and support them into higher paid, secure work via new tech sector training and apprenticeship pathways.
In his post-election clean-out of public service chiefs, Albanese appointed key women to senior APS roles, with Jan Adams, Jenny Wilkinson, Natalie James and Meghan Quinn taking charge of DFAT, Finance, Employment and Workplace Relations, and Industry, Science and Resources.
Australian Signals Directorate director-general Rachel Noble, the highest ranking female security agency chief, will play a crucial role as the government strengthens cyber security defences. Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins – who led the independent review into commonwealth parliamentary workplaces – is another senior official working closely with the government.
Australia’s first female prime minister and Global Institute for Women’s Leadership chairwoman Julia Gillard retains formidable clout among Labor MPs. Former deputy Labor leader Jenny Macklin – a member of Albanese’s class of 1996 – is also close to the Prime Minister.
Advertising executive and long-time Labor campaign strategist Dee Madigan is another prominent figure in ALP circles.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, a three-time election winner in the Sunshine State, has known Albanese for decades and has a strong working relationship with him.
