Patrick Leslie

Patrick Leslie is a Research Fellow in the Policy & Governance Program at the School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University (ANU). His work bridges political science and public policy, with expertise in legislative politics, law and courts, and gambling policy. He leads projects on politicians' temporal focus, ministerial selection, and judicial agenda-setting in Australia's High Court.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Essex
• M.Sci. in Political Science, University of Nottingham

Research Interests:

• Legislative complexity and parliamentary dynamics
• Judicial ideology and High Court decision-making
• Political careers and electoral behavior
• Public policy evaluation and gambling harm prevention

Key Project Highlights:

• Principal Investigator: Politicians’ Temporal Focus (2023–2024)
• Postdoctoral Lead: Pathways to Power: Australian Political Careers
• Co-Investigator: An Empirical Study of Agenda Setting in the High Court of Australia

Research Trends: His recent work emphasizes judicial strategy in the High Court, parliamentary voting behavior of independents, and quantifying legislative complexity. Cross-national comparisons and policy success metrics feature prominently in his 2025 publications.