Political staff make up a significant portion of political actors in both executive and parliamentary offices and hold powerful gatekeeping positions. However, in Australia, where monitoring mechanisms that exist in several Westminster systems are absent, very little is known about the career trajectories of this growing and influential group of elite actors. Using previously unavailable longitudinal data, this paper will concretely demonstrate the growth in numbers and roles of political staff in Australia and attempt to map their career trajectories in and out of political office. This study will holistically elucidate the backgrounds of Australian political staff and what careers they pursue after leaving political service. Thus, this study will reveal significant new knowledge about the practice of politics in Australia. It will also shed new light on whether there are discernible patterns in the career paths of political staff generally and whether there are important distinctions between staff that serve the left or right of politics, and small or large parties.
