Mark Croxford is a Canberra based government & media relations practitioner who specialises in helping business work effectively with government and media to get great outcomes for their business.

Mark is a former press secretary to Howard Government Ministers Bruce Scott and Mark Vaile, and a freelance Canberra spinner and lobbyist.  He’s also worked extensively with Senator Fiona Nash, providing strategic political and policy advice to Nationals Senators.  In March 2007 Mark returned to government and media relations and is consulting to some of the nation's leading businesses.

Mark has more than 15 years experience as a government and media relations consultant servicing clients from government, public, private and corporate sectors.

He has held media appointments in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Department of Defence and the Royal Australian Navy, where he served for 20-years, and was the first Australian Defence Force military public affairs officer deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina, as part of the NATO Stabilisation Force in 1997.

Mark played key media management roles in the 1996 BlackHawk helicopter tragedy which claimed 18 lives and the Australian Navy’s Southern Ocean rescue of Tony Bullimore and Thierry Dubois in 1997.  He also managed media responsibilities for Navy's search and rescue role in the ill-fated 1998 Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race, which claimed six lives and led to the rescue of 55 sailors.  

During his time in DFAT and as a government & media relations consultant Mark also provided support to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet managing media on foreign Heads of State and Heads of Government visits to Australia, and overseas visits by the Prime Minister and government ministers.

In 2003 Mark played a lead consultancy role to the Australian Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet coordinating the ‘whole of Government’ media management for the Bali tragedy first anniversary activities in both Australia and Indonesia.

Mark was guest speaker at the 2004 Public Relations Institute of Australian National Conference in Canberra on Government Relations.

He has also written and co-authored a number of publications in the government affairs / media relations sector; including Talking to the Media, Dealing with Federal Parliament and Dealing with and/or appearing before Parliamentary Committees.

As a government & media relations practitioner, Mark keeps good contacts within the Australian government, opposition, minor parties and national and state media, as well as the bureaucracy.  

Mark is married to Cath and has four children. He enjoys all of Australia's major football codes, but confesses to not understanding soccer despite finally getting across the off-side rule during the 2006 World Cup. He plays the odd game of golf where the clubs are his handicap, plays tournament Texas Hold'em poker, and likes to share good food and a few drinks with family and friends.

Mark is active in his local community, and is a committee member of the Jerrabomberra Residents Association.