Peta Credlin
Peta-Louise Credlin (born 23 March 1971) is an Australian political adviser who served as chief of staff to former Prime Minister Tony Abbott from September 2013 to September 2015, and previously as chief of staff to Mr Abbott as Leader of the Opposition.
Credlin achieved prominence when the Coalition, of which Abbott is the former parliamentary leader, formed government after the Australian federal election, 2013.
Early life
Peta Credlin was born to Len and Brenda Credlin in the small Victorian country town of Wycheproof. Her family moved closer to Geelong, where she attended Sacred Heart College. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Melbourne, before applying for a job as a political staffer with Liberal Senator Kay Patterson in 1999.
Career as advisor
After working for several years on Patterson's staff, Credlin moved to become an advisor to Senator Richard Alston, the Minister for Communications in the Howard Government. She then left politics, and worked for three years as public relations manager for Racing Victoria. Tired of the commute between Melbourne and Canberra, where her husband Brian Loughnane was based, Credlin returned to her career as a political staffer, working for senators Robert Hill and Helen Coonan.