Political opinion polling and the professionalisation of public relations: Keith Murdoch, Robert Menzies and the Liberal Party of Australia

This article addresses the political machinations of Sir Keith Murdoch, managing director and chairnan of the powerful Herald & Weekly Times group. It pays particular attention to Murdoch's public treatment of, and private dealings with, Robert Menzies and the infant Liberal Party of Australia. In focusing on this relationship, the article explores broader issues: How Australian politicians reacted to the advent of public opinion polling; the Liberal Party's "discovery" of public relations and its growing emphasis on promoting its leader and the party's innovative promotional activities in the years preceding the crucial 1949 federal election campaign.