Is Government Policy Boring?

Being asked what I do for a living is complex and, sometimes, anxiety-producing.

If I say “public policy” or “government relations”, most people’s eyes glaze over and they start rocking on their feet, not even bothering to stifle a yawn. I pre-emptively put an arm out, in case I need to catch them before they hit the floor fast asleep.

When I worked in Treasury, my boss warned me “be careful what you say everywhere. Especially parties. There are journalists trying to get a scoop. Do NOT EVER tell anyone you work for Treasury.”

At the ATO, my colleagues had war stories of rooms becoming silent at the mention of the ATO. “Tell them you work for Treasury.”

25 years into my career, Mum still has no idea what I do. I have tried to explain at many family dinners over the decades. I even sent Mum my job description a few times. To no avail.

“Lobbyist” comes with connotations of dodgy backroom deals.

I developed legislation to stop backroom deals between charities and money launderers, who even tried to claim tax deductions for the deals!

Yet, public policy, government relations, advocacy, lobbying, or whatever you want to call it, is exciting. It gets me up every morning, itching to make the world a better place, one government decision at a time.

?

“What do you do for a living?”

I stare desperately and respond “Ah… what do you do?”

This article comes from my column entitled "Here to Help" in Hunter Local, May 2024. If you have an everyday problem just begging for a simple, real world solution, send it to "Here to Help" and let's see what we can achieve.

Elaine Abery has a closet full of great ideas and empowering solutions. She’s also the Director of Unravelling Red Tape, a company dedicated to helping everyday people, not-for-profits and companies change the world through improved decision-making and legislation.

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