We are former Ministers and Members of Parliament, Chiefs of Staff, Senior Policy Advisers, Press Secretaries and party officials. We have deep government relations, strategic communications and campaigning experience across the economy and civil society.
Mobile: +61 438 439 431
Email: [email protected]
Anthony Benscher is Managing Director at Barton Deakin, supporting clients to effectively engage Liberal National coalitions, parliaments and governments at national, state and local levels.
Based in Sydney, Anthony provides clients with crisis and issues management advice as well as stakeholder and community engagement to strengthen reputation.
Anthony’s deep understanding of communications, stakeholder relations and politics comes from over 30 years of public policy, media management and campaigning experience, advising and supporting corporates, social organisations, and governments to achieve and surpass their goals.
Prior to joining Barton Deakin, Anthony served as Chief of Staff in the NSW state Liberal National Coalition Government from 2011, and earlier for 8 years as a press secretary and senior campaigner and adviser to Australian Prime Minister John Howard both before and after the Coalition’s 1996 landslide election victory.
In the corporate world, Anthony supported business development and policy advocacy for Packer family companies Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) and Consolidated Private Holdings (CPH), and as a consultant.
Anthony completed a full-time Masters of Business Administration at the Australian Graduate School of Management and holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Sydney.
Grahame Morris is one of Australia’s most respected political commentators.
As a political legend in Australian politics, following many years of government relations support for Barton Deakin clients in Canberra during the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments, Grahame continues to share his extensive political knowledge and experience as Chairman Emeritus of Barton Deakin.
Grahame has more than 30 years’ association with the Liberal and National Parties around the country, working on 26 state and federal campaigns around the country, including as Federal Deputy Director of the Liberal Party and State Director of the Liberal Party in South Australia.
Grahame 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.
Along with an encyclopaedic knowledge of politics and government, Grahame has more than a decade of experience in the corporate world as well as earlier work as a journalist with The Australian and regional print publications.
Mobile: +64 27 494 3579
Email: [email protected]
Ben Thomas is Director of strategic communications and public affairs consultancy Capital GR Limited and is Barton Deakin’s Associate Director in New Zealand.
Ben was Press Secretary to former National Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson QC, where he handled communications on many of the government’s most high-profile issues including the repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed legislation and Treaty settlements.
Ben has worked in government relations and public relations since 2014, specialising in work involving iwi and the Crown-Māori relationship, corporate governance, and across commercial sectors. Ben also served as a campaign advisor to the ACT party in 2017 and to the winning Auckland Mayoral candidate in 2022.
Ben has extensive experience in New Zealand politics, media and public affairs, and strong relationships across parliament and the media.
Ben deeply understands New Zealand politics and has valuable insights into how to engage constructively with the Luxon Government.
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 was a long standing Director at Barton Deakin, assisting clients to engage well with the Victorian, South Australian and Tasmanian Liberal state governments and Federal Coalition Government, from 2011 to 2022.
As Special Counsel at Barton Deakin, John’s extensive experience remains available to Barton Deakin and our clients.
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 served as Legislative Assistant to Senator Robert Hill, Senior Private Secretary to 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 Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett and served in that position for five years, including securing Jeff Kennett’s successful 1996 re-election campaign.
Since 1997, including at Barton Deakin, 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.