We are former Ministers and Members of Parliament, Chiefs of Staff, Senior Policy Advisers, Senior Bureaucrats, Press Secretaries and party officials. Many of us have deep private sector experience including in key sectors such as energy and mining, agriculture, tourism and hospitality and health.
Mobile: +61 411 222 680
Grahame Morris is one of Australia’s most respected political commentators and has stepped down from an active role after more than a decade as Federal Director of Barton Deakin.
As a political legend in Australian politics, he continues to share his extensive political knowledge and experience with colleagues as Chairman Emeritus of Barton Deakin.
He has more than 30 years’ association with the Liberal and National Parties around the country and served as Deputy Federal Director of the Liberal Party and State Director of the SA Liberal Party. He also had a distinguished career at Parliament House serving as parliamentary adviser to Liberal Leaders Andrew Peacock and Alexander Downer and as Chief of Staff to former Prime Minister, John Howard. He has worked with the Coalition on 26 state and federal campaigns around the country.
Along with an encyclopaedic knowledge of politics and government, Grahame has more than a decade of experience in the corporate world having been Chairman of Pricewaterhouse Coopers’ Office of Federal Government Services, CEO of a leading issues management firm and a director at News Limited.
Prior to his careers in the political and corporate worlds, Grahame was a journalist with The Australian and regional print publications.
Grahame is a regular commentator on politics, government and the mood of the community on ABC TV and radio, Sky News and the print media.
Office: +61 2 9191 7888
Mobile: +61 419 241 587
Email: [email protected]
Andrew Humpherson has over three decades’ experience of government relations in Federal, State and local government environments. He leads Barton Deakin across its jurisdictions.
Andrew has effectively and successfully supported client needs directly in NSW and Federally, as well as providing strategic advice nationally and coordinating multi-government engagement.
Prior to joining Barton Deakin, Andrew was an MP in the NSW Parliament for 15 years and served as a Shadow Minister for eight years with portfolio experience spanning planning, environment, justice and corrections, housing, water and emergency services. Prior to being elected to Parliament he spent five years as a local government Councillor.
On leaving elected politics, Andrew managed the corporate affairs division for Australia’s Federal nuclear agency, ANSTO.
Andrew has also served in government as a Chief of Staff to the NSW Minister for Resources and Energy.
He also spent time consulting across diverse sectors in his own government affairs business and held corporate positions with multinational energy companies. He has strong experience in issues management and crisis communications including with coal seam gas and radioactive waste.
Andrew brings to Barton Deakin’s clients a deep understanding of politics with extensive senior networks across politics at State and Federal levels with a particular emphasis on the resources, energy and development sectors.
He has commentated on elections and been involved in election campaigns for over 40 years. He is a keen representative touch footballer, is a snow skier, has coached junior sport, been patron of many community organisations; as well as holding voluntary sporting body executive positions.
Office: +61 2 9191 7888
Mobile: +61 438 439 431
Email: [email protected]
Anthony Benscher is a highly experienced corporate and government affairs practitioner with a strong history in government, the corporate sector and in management consulting.
Anthony is Managing Director of Barton Deakin’s NSW division, also supporting and advising clients with the Liberal and National Party Coalitions in Canberra and around Australia.
Anthony joined Barton Deakin from the NSW Government where he served as Chief of Staff to the Minister for Family and Community Services from the election of the O’Farrell Government until mid 2013.
Earlier Anthony was a senior policy and communications adviser to John Howard for seven years, from 1993 to 2000, when John Howard was a Shadow Minister, Leader of the Opposition and Prime Minister of Australia.
In the corporate sector, Anthony was a senior executive for Packer family companies Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) and Consolidated Private Holdings (CPH) and worked as a business development and management consultant in sectors including health for more than six years.
Anthony completed a full-time MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management where he won competitions in entrepreneurship and marketing strategy and was elected to the AGSM Faculty Board and AGSM Student Council. Anthony also holds a Bachelor of Economics and Masters in Public Policy from Sydney University.
Mobile: +61 419 901 159
John Griffin is one of Australia’s most experienced government relations and political strategy advisers and is highly sought after in both the corporate and political spheres.
John acts as a Special Counsel at Barton Deakin, with extensive experience across a range of jurisdictions, including in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and with the Federal Liberal National Coalition in Canberra.
Born and raised in Adelaide, John has more than 35 years’ experience as an adviser to Coalition governments and oppositions in South Australia, Canberra and Victoria. In the federal political arena he has served as Legislative Assistant to Senator Robert Hill, Senior Private Secretary to the Hon. John Howard during his first period as Opposition Leader, Parliamentary and Policy Consultant to the Liberal Party Federal Secretariat and as Senior Private Secretary to Dr John Hewson.
After working on the Victorian Coalition’s successful 1992 state election campaign, John was appointed Chief of Staff to the Victorian Premier, the Hon. Jeff Kennett AC and served in that position for five years, including Mr Kennett’s successful 1996 re-election campaign.
Since 1997, John has been a successful government relations and issues management adviser to a range of Australian and international corporations. He has also advised government agencies and private sector companies in the United States, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
John continues to assist the Liberal and National Parties on state and federal election campaigns as a senior political strategist and campaign adviser.
Alexander Back is a Policy and Business Analyst in Barton Deakin’s Sydney office, where he researches government policy, prepares briefs and supports business development and stakeholder engagement, enabling our clients to navigate the complexities of government.
Alexander has extensive experience managing campus political campaigns, combined with senior leadership on multiple club and society executives throughout his time at the University of Sydney. Alexander has a keen interest in current and historical political affairs and elections across Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Alexander is in his last year of a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Honours), majoring in English and Classics & Ancient History and undertaking Honours in Ancient History.