Can you imagine Australian politics without press advisers and spin doctors? The office of the prime minister has evolved immensely over the years. When Edmund Barton was our country’s first leader, he claimed to carry the entire records of the government in his briefcase. Nowadays, the office of the prime minister is a behemoth made up of numerous people, its growth being matched only by our ever-increasing expectations of what the federal government is supposed to do. Learn the how and the why of the development of the most important position in Australia.

Want to learn more? Read this parliamentary paper explaining the origins an evolution of the prime ministership

Want to hear more? Listen to Bridget Griffen-Foley talk about how PMs like Menzies have handled the media

Bonus fact:

Menzies was so close to his leading public servants that they were referred to as ‘the boys’. Sundays at The Lodge often involved boozy dinner parties with them.