Prior to my academic career, I worked for nearly 15 years in policy practice in the Australian Public Service, as an adviser to two Cabinet Ministers, and as a senior policy adviser in two industry associations.  Much of this work related to Australian rural policy and I therefore have a deep practical understanding of this policy field. 

I was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia in 2015.

My research is driven by a strong interest in the policy development process; both in understanding how policy is made and the connections between politics and policy.  This is increasingly leading me into the sub-field of political psychology.  My recent book with Edward Elgar (2019) explores the role of values in the policy process, the links between policy and politics, and the limitations in the major public policy theories.  This constitutes a new analytical lens through which to view the policy development process and politics more generally.  My current project examines the role of values in rhetoric and persuasion in policy and politics.

Because of my strong background in Australian rural policy, much of my research has drawn on it as the basis for broader analytical work around the nature of politics and policy.  I am Australia's leading expert on drought policy.

 Areas of Research Interest

• Public policy theory and practice
• The role of values in policy and politics
• Australian Politics
• Political Psychology