An Introduction to Australian Public Policy

The work of policy analysis and development is varied and multifaceted. It is rare that any one person, or even any one organisation, is responsible for the identification of a particular problem, the generation of an original solution, the development of a specific proposal and the creation of the necessary support required to see a new policy implemented. These multiple layers of ‘policy making’ allow for a wide range of individuals and organisations to participate in the policy process. While the skills and knowledge required to contribute to different elements of the process may differ, an awareness of other participants is likely to be of use to all involved, if only to ensure that they develop the necessary relationships to ensure that their contribution is supported by others.

This chapter builds on the typology developed in Chapter 5 in order to provide an overview of the actual roles of those involved in ‘doing policy’. In Chapter 5 the abstract roles of policy researcher, policy promoter, policy designer and policy gatekeeper were discussed, but in practice such jobs are never advertised and few in the policy community would identify themselves as performing only one of those functions. In this chapter we describe the actual work of some of the main policy occupations, such as politician, adviser and academic, and in doing so highlight the variety of roles that can be played by individuals in each of those positions.