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Power in Australia 2014
The 2013 election was meant to consign turmoil and uncertainty to the dustbin of political history. But as the AFR Magazine’s Power Panel concludes, it has simply become the new normal.
Overt power: the list
Prime Minister Tony Abbott leads the AFR Magazine’s list of the top 10 most overtly powerful people in the country, followed by Clive Palmer and the Senate crossbenchers.
Covert power: the list
Liberal Party federal director Brian Loughnane leads the AFR Magazine’s list of the top 10 most covertly powerful people in the country. Ian Watt, secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, comes in second.
Cultural power: the list
Ordinary Australians who used their voices to help improve the nation dominate our cultural list. Plus the extraordinary Cate Blanchett makes an appearance.
Can good policy be good politics?
2014 Power Issue | Five years of bitter politics have left many Australians wondering just what is needed to achieve occasional consensus – or whether it is even possible.
The Power issue panellists
“What kind of power are you talking about?” was a common query from the 11 members of our Power 2014 panel who helped drafted our overt, covert and cultural power lists.
Clive Palmer creating disorder in the House
Like the Hindenburg he admires, Clive Palmer is challenging the status quo. The MP is steering an unpredictable path through Canberra. Will he one day crash and burn?
How corporates are yielding to people power
The masses are teaching the bosses a thing or two about influence.
Have power. Lose power. Publish.
2014 Power Issue | Politicians are prolific memoir writers – but who actually reads this stuff?
Angela Merkel, Queen with no crown
The world’s most powerful woman lacks charisma and has an abundance of caution, which makes her perfect for the times.
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Sectoral Power
Richard Goyder leads Captains of Industry top 10 list
AFR Mag power issue | It is the quietly spoken Wesfarmers chief’s third year topping the list, but his power shows no sign of waning.
Tony Abbott leads On Capital Hill top 5 list
Last year’s political sector power list was a rather strange affair, featuring not one but three prime ministers and two contenders for the opposition leadership. This year’s list is more orthodox.
Australia’s most powerful deal makers
2014 Power Issue | In a year when investment banking is firing again, the battle for top spot is closer than ever.
Rupert Murdoch leads Global Aussies top 5 list
All the Australians who make it on the world stage, to paraphrase Shakespeare, are merely players compared with Rupert Murdoch.
Eric Abetz leads In the Workplace top 5 list
The Abbott government has spent its first year shadow boxing on industrial relations. Undoubtedly, the Minister for Industrial Relations sits with the most notional power over the system.
David Thodey leads Tech Heads top 5 list
The Australian technology sector in 2014 has a vibrancy reminiscent of the days before the dotcom bubble burst.
Frank Lowy leads Landed Gentry top 5 list
Asian property giants have stormed into Australia over the past year, pushing up land values, reshaping cities with new apartments and starting to acquire political influence.
Dyson Heydon leads Legal Eagles top 5 list
There has been a significant shift in the legal sector this year, from court-focused litigation to inquiry-type advocacy.
Christopher Pyne leads School Ties top 5 list
Power in the education sector this year revolves around Education Minister Christopher Pyne.
Gillon McLachlan leads Good Sports top 5 list
Never before have the most powerful identities in sport been exposed for the deal-making that goes on behind the scenes.
Malcolm Turnbull leads Media Moguls top 5 list
Malcolm Turnbull has more media experience than many of the sector’s bosses and he is richer than most of them, too.
Andrew Shearer leads Defence Moves top 5 list
Tony Abbott has made a solid start in the foreign policy and national security space with attendant risks of overreach.
