Documented public records • Victoria • Updated 11 August 2026

The IPA ↔ Victorian Liberal connections

These are not merely shared political ideas. The records below document employment, declared associations, staff and adviser links, family or network connections, and continuing contact involving the Institute of Public Affairs.

#VicPol#VicVotes26#IPAexposed
2

direct employment links

4

declared associations

3

staff, adviser or network links

Follow the network

The documented connections

Open the source links on each card to examine the underlying public record.

Direct employment

Evan Mulholland MP

Northern Metropolitan Region

Worked for the IPA for six years, ultimately as Director of Communications, before entering the Victorian Parliament.

Direct employment

John Pesutto

Former Liberal leader and MP for Hawthorn

Worked at the IPA as Director of its Productivity and Employment Unit in 2010 before entering Parliament.

Declared association

Georgie Crozier MP

Southern Metropolitan Region

Repeatedly declared the Institute of Public Affairs under “party, body or association” in Victorian parliamentary Registers of Interests.

Declared association + ongoing contact

David Davis MP

Southern Metropolitan Region

Declared the IPA in his 2015 Register of Interests. A July 2025 parliamentary travel report records a telephone discussion with senior IPA members about Victorian policy.

Declared association

Ryan Smith

Former Liberal MP for Warrandyte

Declared the IPA in his 2015 Victorian parliamentary Register of Interests.

Declared association

Tim Smith

Former Liberal MP for Kew

Declared the IPA in his 2015 Victorian parliamentary Register of Interests.

Adviser link

Brad Rowswell MP

Sandringham

Has employed John Lloyd as a part-time adviser. Lloyd was previously a director at the IPA.

Staff link

Nick McGowan MP

Northern Metropolitan Region

Former chief of staff Chetna Mahadik previously worked as the IPA’s Member Communications Manager.

Family/network link + use of IPA research

Jess Wilson MP

Kew — Leader of the Opposition

Her husband, Aaron Lane, was an IPA research and legal fellow. Wilson has also used IPA research in parliamentary debate. These facts document links; they do not alone establish coordination.

What this shows

A pipeline, a network and continuing access

Evidence standard

Facts first

Merely quoting or agreeing with IPA research does not, on its own, prove a personal or organisational connection. This page distinguishes direct employment, formal declarations, staff or adviser relationships and documented contact from broader political agreement.

All statements are based on publicly available sources. Current titles and roles can change. The page should be updated when new official evidence becomes available.