Writing to our political leaders is a core part of our democratic rights and traditions, but we know almost nothing about the contents of a leader’s mailbag. Daniel Casey opens the mailbag for one Australian Prime Minister to discover a very different measure of public opinion
Daniel’s PhD research examines who writes to the Australian Prime Minister, and why they write.
It also looks at the impact of the letters on public policy and the political agenda.
Daniel’s main research interests include responsiveness of political elites to public opinion, political participation, public opinion, and how the political and public agenda is set.
He is also interested in freedom of information; archival research; and the structure of doctoral programmes and the training of doctoral candidates.
Prior to academia, Daniel spent 15 years in the Australian Public Service, working across central agencies and social policy agencies.
He worked on the establishment of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the rollout of digital TV.
He has also worked for Members of Parliament, and for non-governmental organisations in the health sector.
