Ms Fix-it

Woman of influence: Peta Credlin and Tony Abbott in Brisbane, shortly before the Coalition's 2013 federal election campaign launch. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Tony Abbott had been prime minister for seven weeks when he visited the Australian military base at Tarin Kowt last October. On his way home, in a relaxed and expansive mood, he fraternised with journalists at the back of the RAAF Boeing-737. With him was his chief of staff, Peta Credlin.

"We were having a couple of beers and a chat about the trip to Afghanistan," says Seven Network political editor Mark Riley, "and he made a couple of remarks that she thought were just a little bit out of school." How did Credlin signal to Abbott that he should watch his words? "She gave him a swift kick in the shin." Riley pauses. "It was done with good humour. But for us, it was a really interesting insight into their relationship."

Credlin, 43, is the most discussed woman in Canberra, and probably the most powerful. She heads the prime minister's office, effectively the command centre of the Liberal-National Coalition government, and is widely believed to have more influence over the way the country is run than most of our elected representatives. (She has been known to refer to parliamentarians as "the front men".) The key to her clout is the nature of her alliance with Abbott. "He relies on her heavily and respects her judgment," says a senior Liberal. "She is the person in politics he's closest to, no doubt about that."

In the House: Credlin with Malcolm Turnbull in Parliament House in 2013. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Credlin is a physically imposing figure: 183 centimetres tall, with long, dark hair, a taste for leopard print and a collection of elegant size-11 stilettos. The term "glamazon" might have been invented for her. And that isn't the only significant difference between her and the chiefs of staff of previous prime ministers. Traditionally, they have been back-room people, operating quietly behind closed doors. For Credlin, "one has to construct a new paradigm", says Stephen Brady, official secretary to the governor-general, who has had semi-regular dealings with her and several of her predecessors. "It's a different type of authority. It's more overt."

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Brady, a career diplomat, suggests Credlin is best compared with a US president's chief of staff, "who has cabinet-level status, and is not just gatekeeper and policy adviser but the voice, in a way, of the president. When you are speaking with Peta, you know that she's speaking, really, on behalf of the prime minister."

Unlike desk-bound chiefs of staff of the past, Credlin is at the PM's side at many official events. Internet entrepreneur Daniel Petre tells of a dinner at which "a person across the table asked a question of Tony Abbott and she jumped in with the answer. Not only did he let her finish the answer, he didn't actually say anything." I relay the anecdote to a former senior Liberal Party official, who replies: "I've seen that on a number of occasions. And it makes me very, very uncomfortable."

Liberal love: Credlin with her husband, Liberal Party federal director Brian Loughnane in 2006. Photo: Courtesy of Peta Credlin

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Ms Fix-it