Amanda Vanstone’s tips for influencing Ministers

Lindsey Eifler from Criterion Conferences recently blogged about Amanda Vanstone's top tips for influencing Ministers. Vanstone, a former Howard Government Minister, shared the tips with delegates at Criterion's recent Policy Development conference.

1. Respect - That’s right, you respect your Minister!  You may not see eye to eye, you may have grave fears about their knowledge of the subject at hand, but you must respect them. They have been elected by the people and they are your direct link to the people.  You hold different roles and theirs is vitally important.

2. Don’t point out that they’re wrong - This is a big no no.  It’s the fastest way to get them offside!  Instead, try getting your message across in a different way.  Amanda suggests:

“Just before you make up your mind on this, there’s a few things you might want to consider, just so you aren’t caught out”

3. Offer them genuine choice - Don’t try to trick them into going towards your preferred option by not offering any other viable options.  If you do, the Minister will look for this happening in the next brief and they’ll never trust you again.