lobbying, policy, reseach, reform
Patrick Russell Consulting is Australia's premiere private company for all lobbying, policy and research related issues. We represent both national and international clients and are considered one of the best placed companies to develop sophisticated solutions within a complex environment.
+61 2 6287 2709
patrick.russell_optusnet.com.au
Background
PRC is committed to training Australian CEOs, Company Directors and Executives on how our political system works and how best to go about the function of government advocacy.
We established this part of our business in 2011 due to concerns with the lack of knowledge many senior leaders have in corporate Australia of our political system. It is a mistake to think you understand the system because you read the newspaper or watch the 7pm news bulletin on ABC. The process is so much more complex and those in charge of multi-million dollar businesses need to be better prepared.
Programs
PRC runs three types of programs:
1. One-on-one training
This is where senior executives hire us to train them on a one-on-one basis. We fly to you and spend no more than a day or two at your office. We cover the main issues but focus on specific strategy related to your line of business or strategic objectives. We can also continue to mentor you through the process on a structured or ad hoc basis.
2. Group training
Goup sessions are popular with key personnel in a particular section of a company. The media unit of an arts organisation is a perfect example, as is the government and public relations branch of a mining company. Group training is very useful in terms of reinforcing key strategies and / or refreshing a branch within a confidential environment. While you may deal with government on a daily basis, you easily become stale. At PRC we know what we are doing so the solution is to allow us to openly challenge current processes / strategies and to provide refreshing alternatives to the way you do what you do.
3. Open Forums
PRC will run a series of forums throughout 2012 that business leaders can attend. Seats are limited to around 25 people. The forum stretches an entire day and is conducted in an open environment canvassing all the basic concepts. Specific issues are certainly addressed as they inevitably and organically come from the floor when attendees ask questions or raise key points. In essence we take complex academic themes and apply them to every day business.
Tailored Packages
We can tailor the training for you and for a specific need or objective. For instance, a mining executive may delve into the macro elements of the political system but have a specific focus on resource related policy and strategy that warrants attention.
We can also focus on international aspects of your business by addressing the political environment of a particular country that you currently work in or expect to trade with in the future.
Sumamry
Our training is highly technical and comparable to a university campus without the need to do a 3 year degree. We engage specialists where necessary and as noted can easily tailor packages.
Our sole objective is to educate corporate Australia so that when you engage the political and/or policy environment you are well prepared. If there is one lesson to be learnt its this: You wouldn't go to Washington D.C without being briefed and across the system, so don't fall into the trap and think that because you live in Australia you can fly to Canberra or enter your State Parliament and achieve an instant result. From our experience far too many executives leave Canberra dissapointed primarily because they've spoken to the wrong people, entered the debate at the wrong time or implemented the wrong strategy.
Lobbying is a distinct and technical discipline in it's own right.
Whilst we see politics spread across our televisions and newspapers daily, the art of developing policy is often hidden from the reader primarily because it is rarely analysed by journalists, who in pushing to file story after story, fail to dissect let alone understand the detail of the policy cycle.
Lobbyists do what journalists don't do - we represent clients into the political and policy environment and study how policy is developed. We analyse policy, decision makers, policy instruments and a range of internal and external forces that affect, hinder or work to the advantage of our clients. Once we have this information we then develop specific strategies to achieve a pre-determined objective.
Another important element to our work is the provision of advice to senior bureaucrats and politicans. We advise of specific trends, impediments to business growth and a range of additional issues to keep those in the 'political bubble' informed.
The policy process
Businesses employ PRC to give them an insight into this process - what we call the policy process - or to secure an outcome. The process is so much more complex than politics it's self and entails the following generic terms:
Our service
PRC can analyse almost any policy you choose. Some examples include:
How does it work?
Analysing the policy process is not simply writing another research paper. Clients often ask us to explore specific policies questioning where key decisions are at within the policy cycle and how external influences are affecting a particular course of action.
Action
Lobbying is the implementation of this analysis within a pre-determined and agreed strategy. We delve behind the scenes and talk to bureaucrats, politicians and advisers from all sides of politics to assess how the internal political machine is influencing the particular policy. This is useful for a number of reasons:
Summary
There is so much more than meets the eye when it comes to analysing policy, the policy process and delivering effective lobbying. All of our work is strictly confidential and we don't publish our commissioned research unless our client allows us to do so. More importantly, we are completely and fiercely100% bi-partisan. At no stage will PRC be labelled a specific political party lobbying firm that can secure 'special access'.
Feel free to call us to find out more.
PRC produces a quarterly political / policy market report that is a must for industry and the market titled - Politic.
The research we undertake delves far behind what you see daily on the news and focusses on every political jurisdiction in Australia. We analyse the following:
What we dont do?
Unlike other consultancies PRC DOES NOT speculate on future business and economic trends. We dont forecast retail spending to be X and we don't pre-empt what the next Reserve Bank decision will be. What we do is analyse and provide likely scenarios.
Pricing
Pricing depends on the amount of information required. Some clients require specific information relating to tenders and grants only or a specific State election, whilst others want a concise overview of the entire federal political system.
Full Quarterly Report - Electronic
Per quarter $700
Per half year $1200
Annually $2200
Individual Sections - Electronic
Per quarter $250
Per half year $400
Annually $700
To do this work in your own right would take months. By the time you had finished you would need to start again with fresh information. Moreover, most people dont know where to go to find all this information and condense it into one volume. We know exactly where to go and assure you that the information is the most recent and of the highest quality.
If you would like a copy of our pro-forma template that gives you an idea of the detail inside Politic drop us an email at
FOR TWO WEEKS POLITIC IS ONLY $1,000 FOR THE YEAR
SIGN UP TODAY!
With all this talk about the concerns with our political system what does it mean?
A new organisation has been established recently to reform our political system but why is the message so complex? For instance, do average Australians really understand the following terms and more importantly do they care? What on earth is:
Tuscany Law
Confucian Democracy
Demarchy
The Citizen Legislature
Demoex
Recife Participatory Budgeting
A Senate drawn by ballot
In our view the fundemental trap with any reform agenda is becoming too complex. Many of those advocating reform are academics who sit around talking about the difference between a theocracy and a democracy. It really isnt that hard. For example - Who in their right mind believes that appointing Senators by a common ballot is a good solution? For instance, anyone under this model can theoretically put their name down and be given the title Senator and run the country.
In our view the answer is not wholesale change for the sake of it, but rather incremental re-structure and the abolition or a range of rules and regulations that simply make the entire process so much more complicated than it needs to be. As a recent Fedral Court Judge noted: "Delving into the taxation law is like heading into a parrell universe".
Reformist delves into these issues and many more, articulating the need for reform in a less complex manner. Have a look and sign up. www.reformist.com.au
PRC has offices in Canberra, Brisbane and Sydney. We are indepdenent and 100% bi-partisan in terms of political alliances. We have worked both nationally and internationally developing joint venture partnerships in the USA, Middle East, London, Asia, New Zealand and South Eastern Europe.
Germany pulled the Eurozone out of financial melt-down because of a 25 year comittment to manufacturing and innovation. What can we learn?
Radical change to Australia's marine environment is occuring that will have long lasting consequences.
PRC features issues to stimulate debate. We dont on purpose mean to offend or unduly critisize but we will openly and honestly place the issues on the table for you to decide.
If you have an opinion or would like to contribute by all means drop us an email and yet us know. Moreover, we are still building this part of our site so some information may not be availiable.
The engine drivers of the economy are often forgotten about in terms of policy development.
Indigenous policy continues to fail to deliver on outcomes. Why is this the case and what can be done to spend tax payers money better?
A movement of good ideas or just another overly complicated forum controlled by academics and politicians?
Well planned cities invite investment and yet many of our cities lag behind the world. What can we learn from Singapore and New York?
Why is it that we continue to be let down by the telco's. With skyrocketing levels of complaints is genuine reform with a big stick needed?
Arts in Australia is at a serious cross roads. Young artists are constantly heading overseas for work. What policies need to change?
T:+61 2 6287 2709
F:+61 2 6288 1765
CANBERRA
22 Buvelot St
Weston ACT 2611
SYDNEY
Suite 243/117
Old Pittwater Road
Brookvale, NSW 2100
Executive Strategic Training
Lobbying
Market Research & Advice
Reformist
Dont make the fundamental mistake of convincing yourself that you understand politics because you read the newspaper. PRC has been working with senior business leaders for over 8 years providing them with the insight and the tools to secure a strategic advantage.
Small changes in policy can cost businesses milliions. Pre-empting these decisions is crucial. Thats why our quarterly report is the most comprehensive on the market giving subscribers a distinct advantage as they keep ahead of the game and their competitors.
There is a lot of talk about political reform but is much really being done? We dont think so. Moreover, those advocating reform talk in jargon few understand. Go to our reformist page to find out more.
Lobbying is a complex discipline in it's own right. PRC is a specialist firm focussing on political advocacy at the federal, state and local government levels.
