Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
But informed sources say that Environment Minister Peter Garrett and Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese will also lose key staff.
“It won’t be as bad if we win government, but people are just exhausted and can’t wait for the campaign to be over,” one staffer told Capital Circle.
The brain drain follows an exodus from Kevin Rudd’s office when Ms Gillard took over, including advisers Sarah Adams, Matt Levey, Corri McKenzie and Kate Sieper (as Capital Circle has previously reported here and here).
The former prime minister was famed for demanding long hours and a punishing schedule from his political staff and the public service.
In May 2008, the former PM famously told public servants struggling with the long hours “I’ve simply got news for the public service – there’ll be more. The work ethic of this Government will not decrease, it will increase”. As recently as April this year he was unapologetic about making staff burn the midnight oil, saying a “dog year” in politics was worth seven working elsewhere