Home – CMAX Advisory

We’re all in, all the time.We’re disrupters who deliver excellence.We’re partners for positive change.

CMAX Advisory is a full-service, strategic communications, bipartisan government relations and corporate strategy firm.

We’re big-picture thinkers driven by strategy, operating at the intersection of government, politics, public affairs, media and business. At the heart of our success is an uncompromising commitment to understand, shape and deliver our clients’ strategic objectives.

Every day we support our clients to navigate Australia’s political and media landscapes, engage effectively with stakeholders, identify and capture key business opportunities, manage reputation and mitigate corporate risks.

We help our clients build businesses that resonate with key stakeholders and communities, foster and leverage partnerships, and secure commercial opportunities that deliver international growth.

The collective experience of our team is a distinguishing feature of our firm. Our people have worked at the highest levels of government and business internationally, across sectors ranging from defence and national security, health and medical technology, agriculture, to fintech and renewable energy solutions.

What We Do

Strategic
Communications

We resolve complex communications challenges by developing strategies that speak to the hearts and minds of the audiences we target.

Government
Relations

We have the expertise and bipartisan relationships to assist our clients in effectively engaging policy and decision makers at all levels.

Corporate
Strategy

We develop corporate strategies to support our clients’ international growth, change management and brand development.

Who We Are

We’re in,
all the time

We’re passionate about the work we do and are constantly striving to develop the most effective solutions to deliver the best results for our clients.

We’re disruptors
who deliver excellence

We foster a corporate culture that encourages our people to challenge assumptions in order to develop and execute innovative strategies for our partners.

We’re partners
for positive change

Our people have firmly held commitments to social responsibility and seek to do work that contributes to a better world.

29 November 2024

Australian Weekly Report

The federal government has been clearing the legislative decks, using the last sitting week of the year to push through more than 30 bills ahead of next year’s election.

At this stage, parliament will not resume until Tuesday 4 February, with one short (three-day) sitting week, followed by a full four-day sitting. MPs do not return again until 25 March for the federal budget, followed by budget estimates. If the federal government holds the election on the last possible date (17 May), parliament would likely be dissolved on 10 April.

That leaves precious few sitting days in the New Year to accomplish much, hence the rush to get legislation through now. Along with laws banning social media for under-16s, one of the key bills to pass was the federal government’s ‘Help to Buy’ housing legislation. This had been held up in the Senate by the Greens, who wanted more concessions from the government before they voted for it.

In the end, the government offered the Greens nothing and the minor party blinked, waving through the legislation at the last minute. “The Greens can announce that we’ll be waving through Labor’s two housing bills after accepting that Labor doesn’t care enough about renters to do anything meaningful for them,” the Greens’ housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather, told reporters.

For Labor, it was an important win — as much for the politics as the policy. The opposition is keen to paint Labor and the Greens as political fellow travellers, hoping to push undecided voters away from Labor by strongly linking the party to the Greens.

Speaking to Coalition MPs this week, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said, “you can only imagine what would happen under the chaos of a Greens-Labor coalition”. Working out another election pitch, Mr Dutton told MPs that “the government is faltering and taking decisions that are making it even harder for families … but they also understand that if you get the economics right, you support families, and if you focus on what matters, that the country can get back on track”.

With cost of living likely to be the key issue on voters’ minds during the election campaign, the government will be keen to show material progress on inflation. The clearest indication of that would be a Reserve Bank of Australia decision to cut interest rates. With two board meetings next year ahead of a 17 May election, there is a small window for that to happen.

The Senate’s final sitting day came with a surprise announcement, with Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister and former cabinet minister Simon Birmingham saying he would not contest the next election, after nearly two decades in the Upper House.

12.07.23

CMAX Advisory opens Queensland office

CMAX Advisory has announced the opening of our Queensland office in Brisbane’s CBD.

We have been working up and down the east coast and around the country supporting our client partners to navigate policy and political landscapes across energy, climate and environmental challenges, defence industry opportunities, industrial relations reforms and healthcare workforce initiatives, medical technology breakthroughs and supporting Australia’s foreign policy outcomes.

Our Queensland office will be led by our Director Queensland, Alyssa Waters, who has deep expertise in government strategy, stakeholder relations, strategic communications and political risk analysis across a range of sectors including energy and resources, primary industries, infrastructure, industrial relations, and defence and national security – all of which are critical inputs to the Queensland and national economy. This complements the skills and experience of our entire CMAX Advisory team across our Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney offices.

We look forward to hosting many of our client partners and our Special Counsels, the Hon Joel Fitzgibbon GAICD and Neil Hart AM, in Brisbane soon.

10.05.23

Skills and Training Minister joins CMAX Advisory for budget address

CMAX Advisory was honoured to host the Minister for Skills and Training, the Hon Brendan O’Connor MP, and his Chief of Staff Julie Ligeti as Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivered his National Press Club Post-Budget Address at Parliament House after handing down the 2023-24 federal budget.

03.04.23

CMAX Advisory client partner EOS supplies Remote Weapon Systems to Ukraine

EOS is exporting $120 million worth of Remote Weapon Systems to support Ukraine. This capability will be used by Ukrainian soldiers, ensuring they are able to employ their weapon systems while remaining safely behind the protection of their vehicle. EOS is supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the people of Ukraine by providing the country with the lifesaving utility of its Remote Weapon System.

CMAX Advisory provided strategic advice to assist EOS in securing this export, as well as government relations and media engagement activities following the contract award which resulted in positive national print and radio news coverage.

CMAX Advisory is proud to partner with EOS.

02.03.23

CMAX Advisory client partner SYPAQ supplies cardboard drone to Ukraine

SYPAQ is exporting its Corvo™ Precision Payload Delivery System cardboard drones as part of the Australian government’s A$510 million commitment to provide Ukraine with unmanned systems and other sovereign defence capabilities.

CMAX Advisory managed the media engagement around this announcement, including national print, radio and television news coverage, in addition to coordinating briefings for the Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, and Ukrainian Ambassador, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, at the 2023 Australian International Airshow.

Our Partners

G’day USA

CMAX Advisory was a founding partner and producer of the G’Day USA US-Australian Defence Industry Dialogue in 2014 and has remained a proud sponsor ever since.

American Chamber of Commerce in Australia

CMAX Advisory has a strong interest in the US and is proud to be a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia.

Fortem Australia

CMAX Advisory is a founding partner of Fortem Australia, a community organisation supporting Australia’s national security and first responder community.

The Hands of Rescue

CMAX Advisory has a proud philanthropic partnership with The Hands of Rescue Foundation, a charity dedicated to achieving safe motherhood for the women of Papua New Guinea.

Soldier On

CMAX Advisory provides pro-bono strategic advice to Soldier On, a community organisation which supports veterans transitioning out of service into civilian life.

The National Press Club

CMAX Advisory has been a corporate member of the National Press Club of Australia since 2011.