A new report shows one in five federal government board positions are filled by political appointees. 

Many federal and state government boards, tribunals, and agencies are stacked with people who have worked in politics – almost always for the party that was in government when they got the job.

Currently, half of the Productivity Commission’s board members have a political connection to the Coalition.

More than 20 per cent of federal government business boards have a political connection — including businesses such as Australia Post that employ thousands of people and manage income in the billions. In many states, the figure is closer to one in 10. 

By contrast, fewer than 2 per cent of ASX100 company board members – who exercise very similar responsibilities – have a political connection.

The stacking is especially evident on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) - an independent expert body that reviews government decisions on everything from child support to migration status.

The AAT offers powerful, prestigious and well-paid positions with salaries ranging from around $200,000 to nearly $500,000 a year.

Twenty per cent of the AAT’s 320 tribunal members have a direct political connection to the government that appointed them, and the problem is getting worse.

Political appointments to the AAT have grown substantially in the past five years, and many of these appointments were made on ‘election eve’ – in the lead up to the 2019 and 2022 federal elections.

The stats come from a new report by the Grattan Institute, which says; “When mateship prevails over merit, all Australians suffer”.

“Not all political appointees are without merit, but politicising public appointments can compromise the performance of government agencies, promote a corrupt culture, and undermine public trust in the institutions of government,” the thinktank says. 

The analysis calls on federal and state governments to establish a transparent, merit-based selection process for all public appointments, overseen by a new Public Appointments Commissioner. 

This Public Appointments Commissioner could assess applicants against the selection criteria and provide a shortlist of candidates to the relevant minister, who should themselves  be required to choose the successful candidate only from the shortlist.

The full report is accessible in PDF form, here.