Collins to offer advice to his former Liberal-National colleagues

Simon Canning
The Australian
7 December, 2009

FORMER NSW opposition leader Peter Collins is to re-enter the political fray in a venture backed by communications giant STW Group to offer advice and business networking opportunities exclusively to the NSW Liberal-National Coalition.

In a week when the NSW government lurched under the weight of more factional skulduggery and installed the state's first female premier, Mr Collins is betting heavily on the victory of a Barry O'Farrell-led coalition in March 2011.

Mr Collins, also a former NSW health minister and treasurer and one-time ABC journalist, will launch the venture, Barton Deakin, in the new year and predicts it will grow to become a Hawker Britton for the conservatives.

"I have been asked by STW to set up a government relations company within their group," he said.
"They are the best, biggest and strongest communications group in Australia and I think that is part of what attracted me to this.

"They have realised that the political cycle is about to change.

"STW in setting up Barton Deakin is preparing for it, preparing for change, and I think it's an exciting opportunity to be part of the change process."

STW chief executive Mike Connaghan said the recruitment of Mr Collins and the launch of the agency was a case of the company "looking ahead".

"We work hard to activate areas of demand and opportunity," Mr Connaghan said. Mr Collins' appointment represents a major cultural shift for STW, with the decision to focus on working exclusively for the Liberals and Nationals.

Since its foundation under the guidance of John Singleton, STW has always been aligned with Labor. STW Group creative director Neil Lawrence was part of the core team that developed Kevin 07 for the federal Labor party.

Mr Lawrence also directed the creative side of Anna Bligh's successful campaign in Queensland earlier this year. (Mr Lawrence is now head of the STW-backed ad agency that bears his name).

Mr Collins acknowledges the shift. "It is very different," he said.

"Government relations companies generally try to cover the waterfront and to cater for all shades of political opinion and have employment practices where they cherry-pick people from Liberal, Labor and Green so they are all things to all people.

"This model of Barton Deakin is exactly parallel to the Hawker Britton model.

"Hawker Britton does Labor; Barton Deakin will only really expect to relate to Coalition and that is a very deliberate decision on how the company is structured."

Mr Collins said his first steps would be to build relations with clients of other STW companies, offering the opportunity to begin communicating with the people he expects to be in government in NSW after the March 2011 state election.

"I think it has an attraction and credibility with both the political and business communities."

He also expects the business to grow beyond NSW.

"It's starting in NSW but there is no reason why in five years' time this won't be a national company with offices in all state capitals."

But he admits the venture is heavily reliant on events in NSW over the next 14 months. "In making this commitment I am making a judgment that there will be a change in March 2011."