Peta Credlin

Peta Credlin
Born c. 1970
Wycheproof, Victoria, Australia
Nationality Australian
Alma mater University of Melbourne
Spouse(s) Brian Loughnane

Peta Credlin (born c. 1970) is a political advisor who is the current chief of staff to the Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott.

Credlin achieved prominence when the Coalition, of which Abbott is the parliamentary leader, formed government after the Australian federal election, 2013.[1][2][3][4]

Early life

Peta Credlin was born to Len and Brenda Credlin in the small Victorian country town of Wycheproof. Her family moved closer to Geelong, where she attended Sacred Heart College. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Melbourne, before applying for a job as a political staffer with Liberal Senator Kay Patterson in 1999.[5]

Career as advisor

After working for several years on Patterson's staff, Credlin moved to become an advisor to Senator Richard Alston, the Minister for Communications in the Howard Government.[5] She then left politics, and worked for three years as public relations manager for Racing Victoria. Tired of the commute between Melbourne and Canberra, where her husband Brian Loughnane was based, Credlin returned to her career as a political staffer, working for senators Robert Hill and Helen Coonan.[5]

When the Howard Government was defeated at the 2007 federal election, Credlin moved to Sydney to work at the Jockey Club until she was asked by Brendan Nelson, who had been elected federal Liberal leader and Leader of the Opposition, to join his staff. When Malcolm Turnbull challenged Nelson for the party leadership, Nelson counselled her to join Turnbull's team and she was appointed his chief of staff, although she was demoted to deputy during this tenure. When Turnbull himself was challenged and defeated by Tony Abbott in December 2009, Credlin joined Abbott's staff.[5]

Personal life

Credlin has been married to Brian Loughnane, federal director of the Liberal Party of Australia, since December 2002. They had worked together in the Victorian office of the Liberal Party during the campaign for 2001 federal election.[6] In 2013, Credlin pleaded guilty to a drink driving offence but did not have conviction recorded against her.[7][8] Credlin is Roman Catholic.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "'Control freak' Peta Credlin accused of pulling Coalition strings". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Credlin critics told to 'back off' by Mathias Cormann". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  3. ↑ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/give-peta-credlin-some-credit-and-give-her-a-break/story-fn53lw5p-1226777343733#
  4. ↑ "Tony Abbott dismisses 'obsessive' slur on chief of staff Peta Credlin". Theland.com.au. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Legge, Kate (5 November 2011). "Who's the boss?". The Australian. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  6. ↑ Knott, Matthew (23 December 2011). "Brian Loughnane and Peta Credlin". Crikey: The Power Index: Power Couples. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  7. ↑ abc news (10 September 2013). "Peta Credlin, Tony Abbott's chief of staff, avoids punishment on drink-driving charge because she had friends in high places.".
  8. ↑ "Ms Fix-it". 5 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "Political Fixers: Peta Credlin". The Political Index.

External links