Australian Journal of Public Administration, vol. 74, no. 4, pp. 467–483 doi:10.1111/1467-8500.12171 SPECIAL ISSUE: FEDERALISM Intergovernmental Relations and the Role of Senior Officials: Two Case Studies and Some Lessons Learned Glyn Davis University of Melbourne Helen Silver Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is the most important forum for intergov- ernmental relations in Australian federalism. Though decision-making processes in inter- governmental relations in Australia have been well documented in recent research, the role of senior officials within the COAG process is less often studied. Though not the primary decision makers, this article suggests senior officials play a significant role in intergovern- mental outcomes through advice provision and ‘bargaining in the margins’ of COAG. Case studies of the National Competition Policy and the development of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations suggest both the contribution of senior officials and the constraints on their contribution to intergovernmental decision making. Key words: intergovernmental relations, Australian federal relations, senior officials, COAG A federation is a legal expression of a political arrangement, a means to share and coordinate action across levels of government. To oper- ate, a federation requires formal agreements and periodic gatherings at which politicians can negotiate and officials interpret, translate, and deliver outcomes. This small study of the Australian feder- ation follows one group amid this complex interplay of politics, institutions, and people – those senior officials from the Common- wealth, state, and territory governments who meet regularly to inform the work of the na- tion’s peak intergovernmental body. Though rarely discussed, this group of officials proves significant in the operations of the Australian federation. Federalism has operated for more than a cen- tury, with prime ministers and premiers meet- ing each year in a Premiers’ Conference. This pattern changed from 1990, as the Com- monwealth’s microeconomic reform agenda required more regular conversations among jurisdictions amid closer intergovernmental collaboration over competition policy. In De- cember 1992, Prime Minister Keating agreed with state and territory leaders to replace existing arrangements with a new forum, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). To support the COAG work program, regular meetings of political leaders are supported by routine consultation among Commonwealth, state, and territory central agency heads, gath- ering under generic title of the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM). In principle, the SOM com- prises just nine people – the secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) and equivalent officials from each state and terri- tory. The SOM is supported by a larger group, incorporating under-secretaries from the C  2015 Institute of Public Administration Australia