If you want to change

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Essential harnesses over 25 years of research insights and strategy counsel to deliver winning campaigns that strengthen our clients and their communities.

Essential helped Minderoo design and execute the Thrive by Five campaign, which has helped deliver over $70 billion in new funding for early childhood education.

Jay Weatherill AO

Essential helped guide the non-profit aged care sector through the most turbulent time in its history including a Royal Commission, two federal elections and a global pandemic.

Patricia Sparrow

Essential helped the disability sector organise and activate Every Australian Counts, the unstoppable grassroots movement that delivered the NDIS

Kirsten Deane

Essential helped me with the design and execution of my successful advocacy on family law reform and respectful relationship education.

Rosie Batty AO

Our approach

Essential is a public affairs agency that works to an established social research methodology to design its winning campaigns.

Research points you in the right direction icon

Research

Listen & understand

Strategy

Think deeply & long term

Campaigns spread the word icon

Campaigns

Build power & community

Our services

Essential can complement your internal resources with the full range of research and communications services.

Face to face focus groups
Online overtime focus groups
Live online focus groups
Member and supporter surveys
Bespoke stand-alone polling
Omnibus polling
In-depth interviews
Research audit and gap analysis
Interactive web reporting of research insights
Strategy workshop
Creative workshop
Communications audit
Advocacy strategy
Communications strategy
Alliance building
Campaign secretariat
Issues and crisis management
Media relations
Content copywriting
Media training
Media monitoring
Member and supporter communications
Managing launches & events
Government relations
Managing launches & events
Speech and opinion writing
Graphic design
Web development
Supporter community infrastructure

The Essential Report

Essential partners with the Guardian to deliver one of Australia’s leading social and political polls.

Latest report
Prime minister Anthony Albanese

Our people

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Peter Stahel

Peter Stahel

Managing Director
Peter Stahel

Peter Stahel

Managing Director

Peter is an owner and the managing director of the Essential group of research and strategic communications firms. He has led public affairs, government relations and social research-informed strategy development across diverse sectors including health, education, social service, environment, legal, foreign aid and local government. Before joining Essential in 2015, Peter spent a decade as a political adviser and press secretary. He has a particular interest in crisis communications, supporting clients through system failure, organisational change and intense public scrutiny.

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis

Executive Director
Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis

Executive Director

Peter is an owner and director of Essential, and the founder of Civility, a collaborative engagement platform for advocacy campaigns. For more than two decades he has worked with progressive organisations including unions, not-for-profits and responsible businesses to deliver social change. Peter is a regular columnist with the Guardian Australia, a host of the Guardian Essential Report podcast, and the author of five books including Webtopia and The Public Square Project.

Tony Douglas

Tony Douglas

Founder
Tony Douglas

Tony Douglas

Founder

Tony started Essential in 1997 to bring research-driven strategic communications to progressive Australia. Its foundation purpose remains: to work for a more equal, inclusive and environmentally sustainable society by applying an evidenced-based strategy methodology. Tony continues to consult to Essential on key campaigns.

Alana Mew

Alana Mew

Head of Campaigns
Alana Mew

Alana Mew

Head of Campaigns

Alana leads Essential’s team of campaign consultants and sits on the national executive. She has 20 years of experience running political, social change and advocacy campaigns, including over 15 years with Essential. Alana delivers the high-level strategic coordination required of complex multichannel campaigns, and she manages and trains the national team in Essential’s established social research campaign methodology.

Alissa Clement

Alissa Clement

Head of Research
Alissa Clement

Alissa Clement

Head of Research

Alissa leads Essential’s social and market research team and sits on the national executive. She has over a decade of experience working in both corporate and not-for-profit social research. Alissa started her career in the automotive industry in Germany, delivering large qualitative and quantitative projects for brands like BMW and Volkswagen. Since coming to Australia, Alissa has led projects for a broad range of political, civil society and advocacy campaigns across sectors like energy, charity and social inequality non-profits, health and education. Alissa works closely with Essential’s campaign experts to integrate our political and strategic communications expertise with the latest social research methodologies.

Alys Gagnon

Alys Gagnon

Team Leader (Campaigns)
Alys Gagnon

Alys Gagnon

Team Leader (Campaigns)

Alys leads one of Essential’s campaign teams and has over 20 years experience spanning politics, journalism and advocacy. She has been at the centre of major shifts in early childhood policy in Australia, both through her work at Essential for Thrive by Five and in her previous role as Executive Director of The Parenthood, the nation’s largest independent voice for parents. Alys has particular expertise in earned media, government relations and community engagement strategy. Alys has also worked as an editor in women’s media, advised federal parliamentarians and served as a National Organiser with the ALP.

Kayla Foster

Kayla Foster

Team Leader (Campaigns)
Kayla Foster

Kayla Foster

Team Leader (Campaigns)

Kayla leads one of Essential’s campaign teams and manages some of its largest and most successful campaigns. She has over a decade of experience working across various integrated public affairs and communications projects in sectors such as disability, early learning, housing and environment. Kayla has particular expertise in digital engagement and persuasion. She has developed and executed multi-million dollar paid strategies across dozens of channels including influencer, programmatic online, traditional online, print and broadcast media.

Ariane Stark

Ariane Stark

Senior Account Manager
Ariane Stark

Ariane Stark

Senior Account Manager

Ariane is a digital campaigns expert with over a decade of political campaign experience in Australia and America. She began her career in the non-profit sector, and has since worked on varied campaigns ranging from local council races to federal elections. She has worked on two political cycles in the US on coordinated Senatorial and Presidential campaigns. Ariane wrote her thesis on the use of data in political organising and has a Masters in Strategic Public Relations. Ariane has a passion for all technology, but specialises in the digital space, helping clients improve supporter engagement and loyalty.

Rob Leaver

Rob Leaver

Research Consultant
Rob Leaver

Rob Leaver

Research Consultant

Rob is one of Essential’s quantitative research specialists and works on design, analysis, presentation, and project management for various complex research projects. This includes the production and management of the fortnightly Essential Report, one of Australia’s leading political and social issue polls. Rob was shortlisted for the Research Society’s Young Researcher of the Year award in 2023. Prior to joining Essential, Rob completed his studies at the University of Melbourne.

Natalie Dubois

Natalie Dubois

Chief Financial Officer
Natalie Dubois

Natalie Dubois

Chief Financial Officer

Natalie is Essential’s Chief Financial Officer and sits on the national executive. She is also responsible for managing the business services team and overseeing business operations. Natalie is passionate about the design and implementation of project management, human resources and accounting systems, helping to keep Essential’s public affairs and advocacy campaigns on time and budget. Before joining Essential, Natalie worked in a variety of Operational and Finance roles, most recently as General Manager with Raines Carpets and as Group Financial Controller for Ogilvy Public Relations.

Amelia Brock

Amelia Brock

Senior Account Manager
Amelia Brock

Amelia Brock

Senior Account Manager

Amelia has designed and delivered winning campaigns for organisations across the not-for-profit sector, on issues like gender equality, workplace conditions, healthcare and disability services. A pillar of the Essential team since 2016, she has built a strong reputation as a trusted advisor, in particular for issues that require a delicate or nuanced approach. Amelia is also a rigorous project manager and has driven improvements to Essential’s service offering on highly complex multichannel projects.

Bron Matherson

Bron Matherson

Senior Campaigns Consultant
Bron Matherson

Bron Matherson

Senior Campaigns Consultant

Bron is a media expert and political adviser with a passion for social justice campaigns, and in particular for those that address inequality and animal welfare issues. Bron has coordinated and delivered media campaigns in the union movement, disability sector, community housing and for environment groups. Prior to joining Essential, she spent a decade in broadcast media as a journalist and producer. Bron ghas also worked for NSW Labor and in local government as a media advisor.

Tamara Kotoyan

Campaigns Consultant

Tamara Kotoyan

Campaigns Consultant
Mayank Gurnani

Mayank Gurnani

Campaigns Consultant
Mayank Gurnani

Mayank Gurnani

Campaigns Consultant
Catalina Casar

Catalina Casar

Campaigns Consultant
Catalina Casar

Catalina Casar

Campaigns Consultant

Contact us

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Melbourne

Level 2, 458 Swanston Street
Carlton VIC 3053
+61 03 9929 9999

Sydney

Level 1, 341 George St
Sydney NSW 2000
+61 02 8280 9100

Research  |  Strategy  |  Campaigns

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Acknowledgement of country

We pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on whose lands we live and work. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

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