Advanced Political Leadership

Australia’s first advanced leadership course for members of parliament who are potential ministers in the short to medium term.

Advanced Political Leadership (APL) is Australia’s first advanced leadership course for members of parliament
who are potential ministers in the short to medium term.

APL is a selective, cohort-based program that supports participants to reflect on the role of ministers in our governance, their personal leadership needs and challenges, and the strategic policy challenges they and Australia will face over the decade ahead.

This unique program has been developed with insights from experienced and successful political leaders. It is practical and applied, challenging participants to prepare for their future roles through self-reflection, structured small group work and whole-of-cohort dialogues.

Supported by professional facilitation, participants will have the opportunity to hear from and engage with an unparalleled line up of:

Former leaders, ministers and chiefs of staff from the major parties;
Some of Australia’s most respected public service leaders; and
Global thought leaders on a range of strategic topics.

APL is a non-partisan program that is open to MPs from the federal, state and territory parliaments.

Our presenters include

Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell AO Director, School of Cybernetics, Australian National University
The Hon Mike Baird AO Former Premier of New South Wales
The Hon Julie Bishop Former Minister for Foreign Affairs
Sally Cray Former Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
Dr Alan Finkel AO Former Australian Chief Scientist
Ben Hubbard Former Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister
The Hon Jenny Macklin Former Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs, and Disability Reform
Sam Mostyn AO President, Chief Executive Women
Professor Beth Noveck Director, The Governance Lab, New York University
Dennis Richardson AO Former Secretary, DFAT; Former Secretary, Department of Defence; Former Australian Ambassador to the USA
Professor Anthea Roberts School of Regulation and Global Governance Australian National University
Dr Don Russell Former Australian Ambassador to the USA; Former Secretary, South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet
Senator the Hon Scott Ryan President of the Senate
Helen Silver AO Former Secretary, Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet
The Hon Arthur Sinodinos AO Australian Ambassador to the USA; Former Cabinet Minister; Former Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister
Professor Gary Sturgess AM NSW Premier’s ANZSOG Chair of Public Service Delivery
The Hon Jay Weatherill AO Former Premier of South Australia
Jeff Whalan AO Jeff Whalan Learning Group
Danielle Wood CEO, Grattan Institute

Advanced Political Leadership 2021 Cohort

Dr Katie Allen MP
Senator Andrew Bragg
Sharon Claydon MP
Mark Coure MP
Senator Perin Davey
James Griffin MP
Jo Haylen MP
Julian Hill MP
Sonya Kilkenny MP
Dr Fiona Martin MP
Senator Jenny McAllister
Lance McCallum MP
Dr Daniel Mulino MP
Hon Amanda Rishworth MP
Tim Smith MP
Tim Watts MP
Tim Wilson MP

More information on how to apply for Advanced Political Leadership 2022 will be available later this year. To register your interest, please email us at: APL@mckinnoninstitute.org.au

Advanced Political Leadership 2021 Cohort

Dr Katie Allen MP
Senator Andrew Bragg
Sharon Claydon MP
Mark Coure MP
Senator Perin Davey
James Griffin MP
Jo Haylen MP
Julian Hill MP
Sonya Kilkenny MP
Dr Fiona Martin MP
Senator Jenny McAllister
Lance McCallum MP
Dr Daniel Mulino MP
Hon Amanda Rishworth MP
Tim Smith MP
Tim Watts MP
Tim Wilson MP

More information on how to apply for Advanced Political Leadership 2022 will be available later this year. To register your interest, please email us at: info@mckinnoninstitute.org.au

Other activities

Fellows

Party elders to guide and support.

Alumni Network

Enabling ongoing connections for Fellows and participants, to build the McKinnon Institute community.

Research & Publications

Curating McKinnon Institute’s unique knowledge base of political leadership.

Marketing & Events

Tailored events and communications to build participants’ networks and knowledge.

Resources

Reasons why New Zealand’s coronavirus response has been a masterclass in crisis leadership

It has been difficult for leaders to communicate well during the Covid-19 pandemic. The challenge [...]

Achieving significant policy reform

Gary Banks AO was the Chairman of the Productivity Commission from its inception in 1998 [...]

How to be a successful political leader

It’s not often that former political leaders reflect publicly on the skills and attributes needed [...]

Ministers reflect

The Institute for Government in the UK is often an excellent source of insight on [...]

Find out more

What our graduates say about us

When I was first asked to be a part of this course, I thought two things — firstly, do I really need to do this, and secondly, do I have time for this?

Well, the answer to the first question was yes — I absolutely needed to do this, and the answer to the second part of the question — I have to find time to do this, there's no excuse. We've never experienced a situation like COVID-19, whether as a Member of Parliament and as a member of the community. It's something that we are learning to deal with.

So what the McKinnon Institute team are doing is absolutely brilliant and we need you to keep doing it, and we need to be encouraging our colleagues to attend more of your courses. So, thank you for putting this all together.

John Ajaka

Former President of the NSW Legislative Council
Political Leadership for 2020 Graduate

In a year of so many obstacles and unprecedented events such as drought, bushfires and of course the COVID-19 pandemic, the course provided a unique environment to help shape our approach and objective thinking, as we are tasked with responding to these crises.

The expert guest speakers across the various panels and modules of the course were brilliantly diverse and well versed in their fields. They provided excellent first-hand experience, advice and challenges for us to consider, for which I am grateful.

Please know that I shall have no hesitation in commending the course to colleagues and political affiliates considering undertaking professional development. Raising the standard for our civic leaders is vital and the opportunity to participate in such a forum is most worthwhile.

The Hon. Natalie Ward MLC

Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General
Parliament of New South Wales
Political Leadership for 2020 Graduate

If you’d like to know more, we’d love to hear from you.

If you would like to get involved and find out more about our upcoming courses,
please get in touch with our team who can assist you.

Enquire Now