{{Short description|Political analyst and commentator}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use Australian English|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Ben Oquist | image = Ben Oquist.png | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = Ben Oquist | birth_name = Benjamin Richard Oquist | birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|53|2022|03|04}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/of-course-yes-yes-what-sarah-hanson-young-said-to-ben-oquist-20220120-p59pup.html |title='Of course! Yes. Yes!': What Sarah Hanson-Young said to Ben Oquist |first=Jane |last=Cadzow |date=4 March 2022 |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=21 May 2022}}</ref><!-- {{Birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year with {{Birth year and age|YYYY}} unless the exact date is already widely published, as per WP:DOB. For people who have died, use {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}}. --> | birth_place = | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) --> | death_place = | nationality = <!-- use only when necessary per WP:INFONAT --> | other_names = | occupation = policy analyst, commentator and political and communications strategist | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = | spouse = {{marriage|Sarah Hanson-Young|16 April 2022}} <!-- missing - who was the mother of his daughter --> | children = One daughter, one step-daughter<ref name="swept"/> }} '''Benjamin Richard Oquist''' (born 1968 or 1969) is an Australian political lobbyist, analyst, commentator and communications strategist.
Oquist was (2015 to 2022) the executive director of The Australia Institute, an independent Australian think tank conducting public policy research on a range of economic, social, transparency and environmental issues.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jewell |first=Cameron |date=2015-06-29 |title=Ben Oquist new Australia Institute executive director |url=http://thefifthestate.com.au/jobs-news/ben-oquist-new-australia-institute-executive-director/ |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=The Fifth Estate |language=en-AU}}</ref>
In October 2018, The Australian Financial Review listed Oquist and Richard Denniss of The Australia Institute in equal tenth-place on their 'Covert Power' list of the most powerful people in Australia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.afr.com/brand/afr-magazine/the-20-most-powerful-people-in-australia-in-2018-20180814-h13xqu|title=How the leadership coup changed our Power list|date=2018-10-05|work=Financial Review|access-date=2018-10-24|language=en-US}}</ref> In February 2022, Oquist was included in The Australian's list of Australia's top 100 Green Power Players.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 March 2022 |title=The Green Power List 2022 |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/renewable-energy-economy/green-power-players-list}}</ref>
==Career== A 15-year career with Greens leader Bob Brown was broken briefly by a two-year stint with the public affairs company Essential Media Communications.<ref>[http://www.tai.org.au/content/structure Staff: Executive Director, Mr. Ben Oquist].</ref><ref name="puppet">{{cite web|url=https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2014/10/11/the-australia-institute-are-the-real-senate-puppet-masters/14129460001094|title=The Australia Institute are the real senate puppet masters|first=Mike|last=Seccombe|date=11 October 2014|website=The Saturday Paper}}</ref> Joining The Australia Institute in 2014, Oquist became executive director in 2015. He is currently working as a director for lobbying firm DPG Advisory Solutions.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Belot |first=Henry |last2=McIlroy |first2=Tom |date=2025-06-15 |title=Leading players urge Labor to tighten rules for cashed-up political lobbyists |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/16/labor-rules-cashed-up-political-lobbyists |access-date=2025-12-13 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
===The Australian Greens===
Oquist began working with the Australian Greens in 1996 for both Dee Margetts and Bob Brown. Brown has described Oquist as a "friend and confidant" but also as "a core factor in the Greens becoming the third-largest party in Australian politics".<ref>Bob Brown (2014) 'Optimism: Reflections on a life of action', Hardie Grant Books, Melbourne, p. 265</ref> In a 2014 radio interview, Brown stated that Oquist's approach to strategy aligned with that of his own.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/optimism3a-bob-brown/5646720|title=Optimism: Bob Brown|date=5 August 2014|website=Radio National}}</ref> Oquist was reported to have been favoured by Brown for preselection as Greens senator for NSW in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2017/august/1501509600/paddy-manning/crashing-party|title=Crashing the party|last=|date=1 August 2017|website=The Monthly}}</ref> Upon the resignation of Senator Bob Brown on 13 April 2012, Oquist became chief of staff for the new leader, Christine Milne.
In September 2013, Oquist was implicated in an attempt to unseat the then leader of the Australian Greens, Christine Milne.<ref name="axe">{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/milne-survives-push-to-axe-her-as-greens-leader-20130926-2uh2c.html|title=Milne survives push to axe her as Greens leader|first=Heath Aston, Chris|last=Johnson|date=26 September 2013|website=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> It was reported that Oquist was motivated to attempt to remove Milne before she restructured the organisation to remove his influence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2014/february/1391173200/guy-rundle/future-greens|title=The future of the Greens|last=|date=1 February 2014|website=The Monthly}}</ref> Senator Milne had described him as an adherent to a hierarchical administrative structure, citing this as the reason behind his subsequent departure from his role on the Greens staff.<ref name=axe/> His subsequent commencement with the Australia Institute aligned him with the economist and then executive director of the Australia Institute Richard Denniss. Denniss was also an outspoken critic of Christine Milne and a former Australian Greens staffer.<ref name=puppet/>
===The Australia Institute ===
====Al Gore, Clive Palmer and carbon tax repeal====
In July 2014 Oquist, at that time a strategy director of The Australia Institute, was named as a party to the meeting between former US Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore and Clive Palmer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/25/how-coal-miner-clive-turned-climate-crusader|title=The strange case of how coal miner Clive turned climate crusader|first=Lenore|last=Taylor|date=25 June 2014|publisher=|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> The meeting was instrumental in a deal brokered between the leader of the Palmer United Party, Clive Palmer, and the federal government of Australia for the concessional repeal of the carbon tax.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-four-who-brought-together-clive-palmer-and-al-gore-20140626-3awgy.html|title=The four who brought together Clive Palmer and Al Gore|first=James Massola, Tom Arup, Heath|last=Aston|date=26 June 2014|website=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> Oquist's role in the context of the repeal was widely reported to be one of pragmatism, driven by a focus on gaining support in particular for the mandated Renewable Energy Target which in 2014 was thought to be under imminent threat.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://myaccount.news.com.au/sites/theaustralian/subscribe.html?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a&mode=premium&dest=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/ben-oquist-the-former-greens-svengali-behind-the-palmer-partys-carbon-tax-backflip/news-story/070dbe2dd913ae6e91dff650df920c0f&memtype=anonymous|title=Subscribe to The Australian - Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps|website=myaccount.news.com.au}}</ref><ref name="puppet"/> Following the demise of the Palmer United Party senate voting block in 2014 the deal collapsed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/clive-palmer-launches-legal-action-against-former-palmer-united-party-senators-jacqui-lambie-and-glenn-lazarus-20150401-1mcmqt.html|title=Clive Palmer launches legal action against former Palmer United Party senators Jacqui Lambie and Glenn Lazarus|first=Latika|last=Bourke|date=1 April 2015|website=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> However, the newly constituted Senate crossbench did not vote to repeal the RET.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/01/australia-institute-director-says-gore-palmer-ploy-reset-climate-debate|title=Australia Institute director says Gore-Palmer ploy reset climate debate|first1=Lenore |last1=Taylor |date=1 July 2014|publisher=|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/crossbench-renewable-energy-mb0888/|title = How the Crossbench Saved Renewable Energy in Australia|date = 6 January 2019}}</ref> The Carbon Pricing Scheme was abolished on 17 July 2014. Oquist's role in these events remains controversial as Palmer stood to benefit financially from the repeal through his ownership of a coal refinery.<ref>Milne, Christine, 2017, 'An Activist Life', University of Queensland, p. 266.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-25/palmer-will-help-axe-carbon-tax-but-courts-gore-in-push-for-ets/5549938|title = Palmer's carbon tax offer tops menu for breakfast meeting with Abbott|date = 25 June 2014}}</ref>
=== DPG Advisory Solutions === Oquist currently works as the director of climate and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) at lobbying firm DPG Advisory Solutions<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2023-02-27 |title=Bill Browne, Ben Oquist |url=https://www.themandarin.com.au/author/ben-oquist/ |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=The Mandarin |language=en-US}}</ref> which represents clients including Rio Tinto, Uber and Wesfarmers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aldred |first=Max |date=December 11, 2025 |title=Camera SHY: Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young cancels Sky News interview amid revelations taxpayer foots bill for lobbyist husband's flights |url=https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/camera-shy-greens-senator-sarah-hanson-young-cancels-sky-news-amid-revelations-taxpayer-foots-bill-for-lobbyist-husbands-flights/news-story/03a9ce1360fe514805fbb65d78244c89}}</ref><ref name="ABC News">{{Cite news |date=2025-12-12 |title=When can politicians bill taxpayers to attend box-office events? |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-13/when-can-sport-be-charged-to-taxpayers/106128390 |access-date=2025-12-13 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref>
==Personal== Oquist's engagement to Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young was announced on 15 February 2022.<ref name="swept">{{cite web |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/swept-off-my-feet-senator-to-tie-knot-at-easter-20220215-p59wq0.html |title = 'Swept off my feet': Senator to tie knot at Easter|date = 15 February 2022 |first1=Stephen |last1=Brook |first2=Samantha |last2=Hutchinson |newspaper=The Age}}</ref> Their marriage was held at Lobethal Road Winery in the Adelaide Hills on the Saturday of the Easter long weekend.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/marriage/greens-senator-sarah-hansonyoung-gets-married/news-story/6e442071d5600a2a33b710456a416f66 |title=Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young gets married |first=Kate |last=Schneider |date=17 April 2022 |website=news.com.au |access-date=21 May 2022}}</ref>
In 2025, it was revealed that Hanson-Young, had charged $50,000 in 'family reunion" flights for Oquist to travel from his home in Adelaide to Canberra, where he works. The allowance was used by Hanson-Young for over 100 family flights between 2022 - 2025.<ref name="ABC News"/>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{Twitter}} * [http://www.tai.org.au The Australia Institute website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oquist, Ben}} Category:Australian political consultants Category:Living people Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Year of birth missing (living people)