Australia’s 10 most powerful people in 2023
Government, the ultimate power in this country, is being shaped by very different political forces than those brought to bear at the 2022 election. From AFR Magazine’s annual Power issue.
1. Anthony Albanese
Prime minister | Last year: 1
Nearly 18 months after his election victory, Albanese is determined to stay in government for at least three terms. He has consolidated his power since moving into The Lodge, travelling on the world stage and pushing a suite of key policy promises through parliament.
Play Khe Sanh: An AI-generated Anthony Albanese created with the prompt “deejaying at a house party”.
Recognised for his experience coming into the job, and his careful management of cabinet and Labor’s factions once there, the PM helped secure a historic Aston byelection victory in April. Determined to do what he promised, he faces real tests on the economy, housing, and whether he can win another majority in 2025.
He says first terms are a chance to show a new government’s character. History will tie his legacy to the outcome of the Voice referendum.
What the panel says
Some people are from a party. Some people are of a party. Albanese understands the Labor Party. He understands its power structures and he knows how to manage them. And if you want to govern from the centre while also pursuing some reform, you need to keep the power structure happy. Joel Fitzgibbon
Anthony Albanese on the cover of the 2023 Power issue. James Brickwood
There’s a lot to come that will test him but if you look at the first 12 months, he was top of the pops. Yaron Finkelstein
It’s very settled. It’s very calm. If you look at all the different activities they’re doing, they signal them. They say what they’re going to do. They then do them, and move on. The result is you get good policy decisions and less turbulence in the media. Sue Vercoe
You don’t come up through the ALP in NSW without a bit of mongrel in you, so he’s got that drive and he’s got the smarts. Ryan Liddell
2. Jim Chalmers
Treasurer | Last year: 2
Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Louie Douvis
After delivering the budget surplus that escaped his mentor Wayne Swan, Australia’s 40th treasurer has solidified his power. Determined to pay down government debt and bolster Labor’s economic credentials ahead of the next election, Chalmers wants to secure a soft landing for a slowing economy. He is reshaping key decision-making bodies, including the Reserve Bank and the Productivity Commission, and remains best placed to succeed Anthony Albanese within cabinet.
What the panel says
I think Jim has proved that economic management is no longer a weakness for Labor, and that’s the direct result of his very thoughtful approach. He’s been meticulous. He’s been instructive. He runs cabinet’s expenditure review committee very well. He’s got a very good office and the results are there. Lidija Ivanovski
He’s become a treasurer with a more than reasonable enough degree of authority over the architecture of the job. He’s had to manage the demands from the Labor Party for more spending on this, that and everything, and spending is still growing. He hasn’t reined it in, and yet who would have thought you’d have a budget surplus. It will be much tougher coming into the end of this year. It will get harder. Michael Stutchbury
One thing which I think makes him such an asset for the government is he’s one of the best, if not the best, communicators. Whether he’s sitting at a boardroom with CEOs and chairs or if he’s at the shops talking to locals, or to some union guys, his ability to communicate a message is second to none. Ryan Liddell
I’ve really been impressed with the discipline that he’s shown. He has addressed the bogeyman in the room for Labor on financial discipline. He’s pragmatic, he’s sensible, he’s disciplined. They’re all traits you’d like to see in a treasurer. Nicola Wakefield Evans
He runs a smooth expenditure review committee, which is where the power is when it comes to making decisions around policy and spending. That really drives the government’s political agenda and I think sometimes outside politics, that’s not really understood. Ryan Liddell
And he’s from Queensland. Lidija Ivanovski
3. Penny Wong
Foreign minister | Last year: 3
Penny Wong. James Brickwood
Wong is a key ally of Anthony Albanese and Labor’s Senate leader. Her determination to re-engage with neighbours in the Pacific region and to reset relations with Australia’s biggest trading partner, China, have been defining elements of the government’s first 18 months in power. Wong has won Labor fans at home and abroad, including on the critical issue of climate change. Leading the powerful South Australian delegation, she is a key voice in cabinet and one of the government’s most important media performers.
What the panel says
I don’t think you can underestimate the importance of Penny Wong to Anthony. She’s foreign minister, she’s the leader in the Senate. She’s clearly very competent and able. She’s articulate. She’s quite ruthless about Australia’s interests and the Labor Party’s interests, and she has provided a lot of ballast to the prime minister mentally in opposition and now government. Christopher Pyne
Penny is someone who could flex if she wanted to. The fact is that she doesn’t need to. She’s away an incredible amount of time but she’s actually in on the day-to-day decision-making a lot. Annie O’Rourke
Diplomacy should be diplomatic. It should be behind closed doors. I think we had a period there where we were just saying too much, too loudly. I think Penny has taken us back to what is real diplomacy and I think it’s really working. Yasmin Allen
And South Australians do tend to produce incredible people in politics. Christopher Pyne
4. Sally McManus
ACTU secretary | Last year: 6
Enter the dragon: An AI-generated Sally McManus created using the prompt “cinematic half-body portrait of woman in fighting pose”.
A high-profile advocate for workers and unions, McManus has real clout within the Albanese government and when she speaks, employers listen. She is a regular presence inside Parliament House and in the national media, including during debate about Labor’s second tranche of industrial relations reforms. She was seen to outplay business at last year’s Jobs and Skills Summit and won’t take a backwards step on pay and conditions for union members and low-paid workers around the country.
What the panel says
She’s been involved in a number of the big, significant conversations that have happened in the last 12 months, on industrial relations, on the Reserve Bank, on the economy. She’s had a lot to do with the immigration debate. The only negative would be about her relationship with business. Nicola Wakefield Evans
She’s not particularly close to Albanese. But there is no doubting how smart she is, and business people, union people, politicians on both sides, when she comes to the table, treat her with a lot of respect. She always comes prepared. She can work across a range of environments and people. Not a lot of people who have those powerful positions have that dexterity and a willingness to find different ways of delivering. Annie O’Rourke
The reality is the ACTU is back at the top table with government and she’s the head of the organisation. Christopher Pyne
5. Michele Bullock
Reserve bank governor | Last year: N/A
Soft landing: An AI-generated image of Michele Bullock created using the prompt “hot air balloon landing”.
Bullock – a Reserve Bank of Australia lifer – replaced Philip Lowe in September. The first woman to head the bank, she has worked across the organisation and is respected for her intellect and top-tier people skills.
Her power will grow from implementing the largest overhaul of the RBA in its history, including the establishment of two boards for governance and rates setting, and a shake-up in policymaking. She will need to take responsibility for future interest rate shifts and must help steer the economy through high inflation and an economic downturn on the horizon.
What the panel says
The government needed a fall guy because it promised to improve living standards and increase real wages without a plan to do so. So that fell to the central bank and to Phil, whose removal was unfortunate for Australia during a tightening cycle. She’s a very capable person, and very well liked, to steady the ship after change. Michael Stutchbury
What’s been really important over the past year is the community becoming aware of the power of this position. This is the thing that is dominating their lives, and Philip Lowe made the decisions that impacted them. Sue Vercoe
They are seeing Michele as being more of an executive leader. Phil Lowe is an introvert, she’s more of an extrovert. Annie O’Rourke
Her power is directly linked to the cost of living. It’s the central political issue of the next 12 months. Anthony Reed
6. Richard Marles
Defence minister | Last year: 5
Richard Marles. Louie Douvis
Charged with overseeing implementation of the historic AUKUS agreement and managing Australia’s two most important defence and security relationships, Marles has built his power and influence since coming to government. He is a member of Anthony Albanese’s inner circle and a powerbase in the Victorian Labor Party.
He has prioritised relationships across the Pacific region and is a force within the cabinet. Backed by the powerful Transport Workers’ Union in Victoria, Marles maintains close relationships with powerbrokers including former Labor senator Stephen Conroy.
Critically, he has control of the Department of Defence, known for controlling its ministers.
What the panel says
The twin weaknesses of Labor in government have always been economic management and defence. Marles has played a key role in picking up AUKUS and getting that over the line. He will have to manage pretty strong feelings inside Labor. He’s providing Labor with a strong flank on defence, which Dutton and the Liberal Party would have exploited at the next election. Anthony Reed
Richard is kind of a low-key person, which is why I think people underestimate his importance. He’s very nice and I think in politics, people think he can’t be a ruthless bastard if he’s such a nice guy. His very niceness means he actually solves a lot of problems that people never find out about. Christopher Pyne
Richard is a leading light in the right of the party. He is very important because he has influence on the Victorians. Joel Fitzgibbon
7. Adam Bandt
Greens leader | Last year: 8
Adam Bandt. Louie Douvis
The Greens leader has not wasted time in using his expanded numbers in parliament. With a record four lower house MPs, and 12 seats in the Senate, the Greens have become bigger and bolder since Labor came to power.
Managing a sometimes difficult party room – and the fallout from Lidia Thorpe’s quitting of the party – Bandt had to fold to the government on climate change targets. The bigger stoush was Labor’s housing policies.
With firebrand spokesman Max Chandler-Mather, Bandt is helping reset the politics of housing supply and renters’ rights. The Greens have always played powerful mind games with Labor, and Bandt’s success can be seen on Anthony Albanese’s face.
What the panel says
The Greens have real power and if the Coalition absents themselves from debate, it allows them to come in and negotiate. That has almost given them more power. We have definitely seen that in the energy space. Yasmin Allen
The Greens appeal to young people, and housing and rent stress is absolutely the No. 1 issue for young people. That’s why you’re seeing them emerging in some of those inner-city seats. Bandt led the party to a significant expansion of seats. They look like they’ve played the politics of the whole housing affordability fund really well, positioned themselves with that younger voter that really cares about rent stress. Anthony Reed
I think he handled the Lidia Thorpe situation very well. That he held that together, in a situation which could have gone a different way, shows he’s got the power. Annie O’Rourke
The Greens did really well out of the election, but I don’t know that he’s played his role effectively since. David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie I think are probably more powerful. Nicola Wakefield Evans
In the Greens you’ve got the old guard and a new guard, and there’s a real sense in Canberra that some of the younger types that are coming through are really driving the agenda, and that’s causing the leadership of the Greens – Bandt, Sarah Hanson-Young, Larissa Waters – quite a bit of grief. Ryan Liddell
What is their narrative? Yaron Finkelstein
8. Peter Dutton
Opposition leader | Last year: 10
The battlers: An AI-generated Peter Dutton created with the prompt “Josonia Palaitis’ portrait of John Howard”.
As most politicians enjoyed some sun and respite from the hothouse of Canberra, Dutton used the summer months to gear up for a fierce fight on the Voice, tapping into the lack of details.
Still recalibrating from the return to the opposition benches, Dutton’s success in framing the debate galvanised the Coalition and left Labor on the back foot.
With few signs of disunity among Liberals, Dutton continues to press Labor on the Voice and matters that resonate with swing voters, including cost-of-living pain and new areas such as nuclear power.
His path to victory is likely to be long, but he can help set the agenda. If the Voice goes down, Dutton will be well placed to lead his team to the 2025 election.
What the panel says
I think the muscular approach on cost of living is paying off in the polls. Some say it is a brave move on the Voice and there’s some things he’s doing which might make you ask ‘is it the best strategy?’ But it is the strategy he’s taking and it’s having an impact. Yaron Finkelstein
He’s concentrating dissatisfaction upon the cost of living issue and really helping to propel the No campaign on the Voice, so that’s pretty big. It is early days but that’s a pretty significant sort of position to be in. Michael Stutchbury
I think Dutton has done as good a job as anyone could do over the course of the last 12 months and I think he’s incrementally getting somewhere. But an opposition leader only exercises real power when the mob thinks he can win and I don’t think he’s done enough to put himself in what’s perceived to be a winning position. Joel Fitzgibbon
From a community perspective, he’s starting to cut through on the cost of living and on the Voice. Sue Vercoe
He hasn’t really addressed the challenge of the teals in the last 12 months. And that’s his pathway back to power. Anthony Reed
He’s got power in the federal Liberal Party because of the numbers in Queensland. He does not have power in the Liberal Party across Australia. He can’t reform it and it needs reform to win. Annie O’Rourke
9. Noel Pearson
Indigenous leader | Last year: N/A
Noel Pearson. Paul Harris
One of the country’s best known Indigenous activists, Pearson is a powerful force in the Yes campaign for the Voice. He founded the Cape York Institute and has been a leading voice for self-determination and social reform in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities going back to the Keating era.
Respected by business leaders and the political class, Pearson has been quoted by both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton during the Voice debate.
But his inflammatory rhetoric and personal attacks have knocked the Yes side off message, including when he accused former human rights commissioner Mick Gooda of being “a bedwetter” and said he’d done little for Indigenous people.
Pearson later apologised and has struck a strident and optimistic tone since. Perhaps one of the last people in Australia to fully appreciate the power of rhetoric, his words speak to the soul.
What the panel says
I believe that Noel is the most powerful person in the Yes campaign. He can talk to everybody. There’s no doubt he has made mistakes, but he’s thought through for years how this will work. Annie O’Rourke
The Yes campaign is gravitating towards Noel as a figurehead. Anyone who has heard him speak knows he’s incredibly captivating. The opportunity for him, in terms of power, is that he could be a figure above politics and one of the driving forces behind getting the Voice across the line. Ryan Liddell
The behind-the-scenes work that Noel has done, in the non-government side of the community, has been significant. His group has single-handedly won support from the large business organisations, sporting organisations, many others. Most of the ASX 200 have come out or will come out in support of the Voice and he’s done a lot of that. Nicola Wakefield Evans
Not quite with Gandhi’s temperament though. Yaron Finkelstein
I think the Voice will probably go down, which I think is going to be really bad. I think everyone who’s in favour of the Voice has not been able to win through – not Marcia [Langton], not Noel or even Anthony. It’s a fiasco really. Christopher Pyne
This might be a Brexit moment for Australia, where the leadership class underestimates where the mass is. Michael Stutchbury
10. Jacqui Lambie
Crossbench senator | Last year: N/A
Jacqui Lambie. Louie Douvis
Returning to the Power list for the first time since 2019, Lambie is the most influential Tasmanian deal maker since Brian Harradine. Part of the expanded Senate crossbench, and with her offsider Tammy Tyrrell also in the upper house, the former soldier isn’t making up numbers.
She has a savvy staff and sees every piece of legislation through the prism of her own constituents. Plain speaking and with media cut-through most in the major parties can only dream of, Lambie’s vote will be sought by Labor on any number of issues before the next election. Perhaps worryingly for the major parties, she could look to further build her party’s numbers at the 2025 election.
What the panel says
Lambie, along with David Pocock and the Greens, are the ones who make decisions about the government’s legislation. The teals don’t. That is power. Christopher Pyne
Jacqui is from Tasmania and that’s so important because the government is trying to make inroads in the state. She does have that ability to extract things out of the government for Tasmania. Lidija Ivanovski
She’s real. She’s got lived experience of the issues that everyone is facing in their lives. Sue Vercoe
Lambie’s more important, particularly since Lidia Thorpe resigned from the Greens. Before, the government needed the Greens plus Pocock [in the Senate]. Now they need Lambie as well. Joel Fitzgibbon
There’s nothing more dangerous than someone who’s come back. She’s come back and she’s got nothing to lose. Annie O’Rourke
The panellists
- Joel Fitzgibbon | Former Labor government defence and agriculture minister.
- Yasmin Allen | Non-executive director, ASX, Santos, Cochlear and QBE.
- Christopher Pyne | Former Liberal government ageing, education and defence minister.
- Ryan Liddell | Managing partner of Principle Advisory; former chief of staff to Bill Shorten.
- Annie O’Rourke | Founder, 89 Degrees East; former senior adviser to prime minister Kevin Rudd.
- Lidija Ivanovski | Founder of Brookline Advisory; former chief of staff to Richard Marles.
- Sue Vercoe | Managing director for research, SEC Newgate.
- Michael Stutchbury | Editor-in-chief, The Australian Financial Review.
- Anthony Reed | Co-founder, Populares; adviser, teal candidate campaigns
for 2022 federal election. - Yaron Finkelstein | Former principal private secretary to prime minister Scott Morrison.
- Nicola Wakefield Evans | Non-executive director, Lendlease, Macquarie Group and Viva Energy.
The AFR Magazine annual Power issue is out Friday, September 29, inside The Australian Financial Review. Follow AFR Mag on Twitter and Instagram.
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