Barton Deakin
Barton Deakin is an Australian and New Zealand government relations and lobbying firm. The firm is openly partisan and works primarily with Coalition governments and oppositions in Australia and the National Party in New Zealand. It employs staff with ties to the Liberal Party of Australia and National Party of Australia including their state affiliates, and the New Zealand National Party.
| Founder | Peter Collins |
|---|---|
| Type | Government relations and lobbying firm |
| Purpose | Works with Coalition governments and oppositions and employs staff with ties to the Liberal Party of Australia, National Party of Australia and their state affiliates |
| Location |
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Official language | English |
Chairman | Grahame Morris |
CEO and Managing Director | Andrew Humpherson |
Managing Director (NSW) | Anthony Benscher |
Managing Director (Federal) | David Alexander |
Parent organization | WPP AUNZ Limited |
| Affiliations | Liberal Party of Australia, National Party of Australia |
The firm has permanent offices in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Wellington. It is touted as the largest firm in federal government lobbying in Australia after an increase in client and staff, particularly following the Coalition's 2013 Federal Election win. Barton Deakin is majority owned by WPP AUNZ Limited, the parent company of more than 80 communications firms in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. It sits within the WPP AUNZ Government Relations division.
The company's staff includes former politicians, political Chiefs of Staff, advisors and tacticians. Barton Deakin also produces briefs on Australian and New Zealand policy and government issues, which are distributed several times a week.