Peter Howard Costello AC (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the Treasurer in the Australian government from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving Treasurer in Australian history. Costello was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 to 2009, representing the Division of Higgins. He also served as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party from 1994 to 2007.

On 18 September 2008, Costello was appointed to the World Bank's new Independent Advisory Board (IAB) to provide advice on anti-corruption measures.

Costello was born in Melbourne into a middle class family of practising Christians. He was the second of three children: his elder brother, Tim Costello, is a prominent Baptist minister and current CEO of World Vision Australia. Costello was educated at Carey Baptist Grammar School and attended Melbourne's Monash University, where he graduated in arts and law.

During the 1980s, Costello was a solicitor at the law firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques, then became a barrister and represented employers in some of Australia's best known industrial relations disputes.

"Beds Are Burning" is a 1987/1988 worldwide hit single by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, the first track from their album Diesel and Dust. This song was the second from the album to be released as a single, and is among the band's best-known songs outside Australia.

It reached No. 1 in the New Zealand and South African charts, No. 2 in Canada, No. 3 in the Netherlands Top 40, No. 5 in the France Top 50, No. 6 in the United Kingdom charts, No. 11 in Ireland, No. 17 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, in Sweden and Denmark.

It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

It is named #95 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s and #97 by the Triple J Hottest 100 Of All Time in 2009.

In May 2001, Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary by naming the Best Australian Songs of all time, as decided by a 100 strong industry panel. "Beds Are Burning" was declared third behind the Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind" and Daddy Cool's "Eagle Rock".

Bruce Hawker is a political strategist, commentator and chairman of Campaigns and Communications Group which he founded in January 2011. He was the former Chairman and founding member of Hawker Britton (along with David Britton), resigning in January 2011. Hawker was the Chief of Staff to former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr a position he held for 14 years before resigning to establish Hawker Britton in April 1997.

Hawker has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Queensland and a Law degree from the University of New South Wales.

In 1997, Hawker and David Britton resigned from their positions as Chief of Staff and Chief of Communications, respectively, to start Hawker Britton. When asked to comment about Hawker's resignation, Bob Carr joked, "After all, nine years is a long time to spend in a political office." In 1999, Hawker Britton outgrew its The Rocks office, relocating to a heritage post office building in Millers Point. It now has at least six Australian offices; an office in Wellington; another in New Zealand; and three international offices in Washington, D.C., London and Shanghai.

Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is a former Australian politician who served as the 24th Prime Minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996.

Keating was first elected to the House of Representatives at the 1969 election as the Labor member for Blaxland in New South Wales. He came to prominence as the reformist Treasurer of the government of Bob Hawke, which came to power at the 1983 election. In 1991, Keating defeated Hawke for the Labor leadership in a partyroom ballot and became prime minister. He went on to lead Labor to a record fifth consecutive victory at the 1993 election against the Liberal-National coalition led by John Hewson. Many had considered this election unwinnable for Labor due to poor polls for the 10-year-incumbent federal Labor government, and the effects of the early 1990s recession on Australia. Keating Labor lost the subsequent 1996 election to the Liberal/National Coalition led by John Howard.

Keating grew up in Bankstown, a working-class suburb of Sydney. He was one of four children of Matthew Keating, a boilermaker and trade-union representative of Irish Catholic descent, and his wife, Minnie. Keating was educated at Catholic schools; he was the first practising Catholic Labor prime minister since James Scullin left office in 1932. Leaving De La Salle College Bankstown (now LaSalle Catholic College) at 15, Keating decided not to pursue higher education, and worked as a clerk at the Electricity Commission of New South Wales and then as a trade union research assistant. He joined the Labor Party as soon as he was eligible. In 1966, he became president of the ALP’s Youth Council. In the 1960s Keating managed ‘The Ramrods’ rock band.

Michael Norman Kroger (born 30 May 1957) is a businessman and a former powerbroker within the Victorian division of the Liberal Party of Australia.

Kroger was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne, where his father Jack Kroger was a senior master. He became politically active while studying at Monash University. While president of the campus Liberal Club, Kroger is largely credited with the creation of the still-thriving Sir Robert Menzies Lecture. With his close friend Peter Costello he forged an alliance with moderate Australian Labor Party politicians in an effort to defeat far left-wing forces within the Australian Union of Students. He became President of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation in 1978.

After graduating, his association with Costello continued. Working as a solicitor, he assisted Costello in winning the 1985 Dollar Sweets case.

In 1987, at the age of 30, Kroger was elected as the President of the Victorian division of the Liberal Party of Australia and was President until 1992, becoming the longest serving President in the Victorian Division's history. He instituted a series of reforms, the most important of which was his move to increase the power of the party executive in preselections. While this led to several preselection challenges in 1988 and 1989 (most notably Costello's successful challenge against Roger Shipton in Higgins), it also helped in the election of several young Victorian federal parliamentarians who are widely considered to have bright futures, although this pattern has not been replicated at state level.