Brenton Prosser

Professor Brenton Prosser is Professor of Public Policy and Leadership at UNSW Canberra, University of New South Wales. He holds a BA (Hons), GDE, and PhD. His academic interests encompass public policy, governance, leadership, the impact of minority parliaments on policy-making, medicalisation, mental health policy, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in public policy contexts. With over 20 years of research experience across Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Prosser specializes in co-design methodologies with public sector leaders, social modelling, evaluation techniques, citizen participation, devolution, and democratic engagement. He currently directs the UNSW Public Partnerships and Impact Hub, which connects UNSW expertise to public sector challenges through tailored short courses, policy partnerships, and research initiatives. Prosser has led evaluations such as the Australian Defence Department Mental Health Strategy and contributed to APS Capability 2025 through co-design and research reviews.

Prosser's distinguished career spans academia, government, and consultancy. He previously served as Professor of Public Policy and Head of the School of Politics, Economics and Society in the Faculty of Business, Government and Law at the University of Canberra from March 2020 to September 2022, where he also directed the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling. Earlier roles include Associate Professor in the University of Canberra-Australian National University joint program from 2012 to 2015 and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield's Crick Centre for Understanding Politics from 2015 to 2016, where he co-led the UK's first citizens' assemblies on devolution. In public service, he was Chief of Staff to Senator Nick Xenophon during the balance of power period, senior policy and media advisor to the parliamentary leader of the South Australian Democrats, a senior executive in the Australian Public Service, Director with a peak social services body, and Director (Policy) at an international management consultancy focused on national policy evaluations and evidence-building for non-government organizations. Key publications include the book Minority Policy: Rethinking Governance when Parliament Matters (2015, co-authored with Richard Denniss), which analyzes minority government's effects on public policy; Caring for those who care: perspective on spirituality in human service professions (2020); and recent works such as 'Psychostimulant medication for ADHD and socioeconomic status in Australia (2003–2022)' (2026), 'Parliament – the Senate' (2024), and 'Civic journeys: a national metanarrative to foster democratic resilience?' (2024). He is the author of five books and has over 850 citations.