44 Peta Credlin

There's no bigger control freak in Canberra than Peta Credlin. Tony Abbott's chief of staff travels everywhere with the opposition leader, pulls Liberal MPs into line when they veer off message, and is driving the Coalition's relentlessly negative agenda.

"She's tough, she's a player, she makes demands, she gives directions, she bawls people out," says one Liberal insider. "She's not afraid of stabbing someone in the front if she needs to," says another.

Six foot tall, with a long face, and a mane of brown hair, Credlin's an imposing figure with an imposing personality. Her authority within Abbott's office is absolute -- and extends far beyond it. She's worked closely with Scott Morrison on asylum seekers and George Brandis on the pursuit of Craig Thomson.

An unabashed populist, Credlin's from the Graham Richardson "whatever it takes" school of politics. Getting Abbott into the Lodge is her all-consuming passion.

"She's not a policy-driven person," says an adviser who worked closely with her in Brendan Nelson's office. "She was too interested in playing silly buggers."

In February, the 40-year old was threatened with permanent expulsion from the House of Representatives for heckling Julia Gillard and Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese during question time (she called Albanese an idiot).

Many Liberals, especially the more ideologically inclined, are fed up with her focus on short-term politics and authoritarian style. Some have even stooped as low as spreading vicious -- and untrue -- tales about her personal life and travel expenses.

Such tactics are, of course, inexcusable. But it's a fact that there's little scope for Liberals to complain internally about Credlin's performance. Abbott trusts her implicitly -- and you've got to be brave to go to Brian Loughnane, the Liberal Party's federal director, to criticise her. He's her husband.

Former federal Liberal Treasurer Michael Yabsley reportedly told friends that when he rang Loughnane to discuss concerns about Abbott's office last year, he replied: "I'll tell Peta when she gets out of the shower." Yabsley, gobsmacked, wondered why he bothered.

So did Peter Reith last June when Abbott, after urging him to run for the Liberal Party presidency, switched his vote to the incumbent, Alan Stockdale. Credlin and Loughnane, fearing an organisational shakeup, played a crucial role in Abbott's change of mind.

The power couple met in 2001: Credlin was a staffer for federal Communications Minister Richard Alston, Loughnane was the Liberal Party's Victorian director. A day before their wedding, the couple learned that Loughnane had been appointed the party's federal director.

That's why Credlin resumed her career in Canberra as a Liberal staffer. Determined to rise through the ranks on her own merits, she turned down an offer from John Howard's chief of staff, Arthur Sinodinos, to find her a chief of staff position, taking up a job with Defence Minister Robert Hill instead.

Stints as a senior adviser to Brendan Nelson and Malcolm Turnbull (not chief of staff as has previously been reported) then followed.

Credlin, never close to Turnbull, had accepted a job with Corrs Chambers Westgarth, a top Melbourne law firm, before Abbott took over the leadership. Since then, she's never looked back.

Her top priority was transforming the opposition leader's office into a highly-centralised campaigning machine. She brought in a raft of new media advisers (including veteran Howard government press secretary Tony O'Leary), prioritised talkback radio, and worked tirelessly to get Abbott on the evening news.

The pictures Credlin & co. dished up -- Abbott pushing a billycart; Abbott filleting a fish; Abbott driving a crane -- were so good that he got a run even if he had nothing new to say.

There have been stuff-ups: Abbott's "shit happens" moment in Afghanistan, his bizarre idea of a plebiscite on the carbon tax, a recent off-key joke about the sinking of the Costa Concordia. But, overall, she's kept Abbott ruthlessly on message, homing in, day after day, on the government's failings.

Credlin -- who, like Abbott, is a Catholic -- has also softened his "mad monk" image by getting his wife and daughters to participate in more of his media appearances. She's also advised him that, if he must mention religion, he should talk about going to Church, not to Mass.

Credlin has been asked to run for office, but sources close to her tell us she plans to pursue a career in media or the law when her time with Abbott is up. She's knows she's got more influence than any backbencher, and most senior ministers, can dream of.

Such talk, of course, is extremely premature. Her aim this year is to make Abbott more prime ministerial, with offsiders such as Christopher Pyne to take on the attack dog role in parliament.

If Labor keeps ripping itself limb from limb, she needn't bother: Abbott will barnstorm into power at the next election. The Queen of No's reign has only just begun.