C|T Group

ABN: 58101934454 The controversial communications company, founded in Australia by former Howard government advisor Lynton Crosby and pollster Mark Textor in 2002, was credited with masterminding the election strategies of London Mayor Boris Johnson in 2008 and UK Prime Minister David Cameron three years later. The firm provides social research, corporate strategy and political polling services to its clients. The firm is historically been associated with mainstream right-wing political parties across the world, and has a particularly strong association with the Australian Liberal Party. Crosby Textor was founded by Mark Textor and Lynton Crosby. The firm provides its services throughout the world, but its most notable markets are that of Canada, Australia, Britain, Africa, Italy and New Zealand. The firm has been involved in numerous prominent political campaigns; providing polling and strategy services to political parties. The clientele of the firm has historically been right wing. Examples of political campaigns in which the firm has operated include: Boris Johnson's successful London Mayoral campaign in 2008.[1] Liberal party operations and strategy for the 2010 and 2013 Australian federal election campaigns.[2][3][4] Campbell Newman's Liberal National Party election campaign in the 2012 Queensland election.[5] The 2012 Northern Territory election, which was won by the Country Liberal Party.[6] In 2014 the firm published polling which demonstrated that most Australians were in favour of legalising same-sex marriage. In June 2020, the firm undertook polling research in relation to the proposed Indigenous voice to Parliament; finding that a majority of Australians support a constitutionally-enshrined Voice to Parliament.[7][8] In 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that Crosby would play a leading role in the Conservatives' campaign for the 2017 general election. The Conservatives failed to secure an outright majority and author Hannah Jane described Crosby as running a "disastrous, horrendously negative campaign".[9] In 2019, an investigation by The Guardian revealed that to further the political objectives of its clients, C|T Group created ostensibly independent social media accounts behind adverts on Facebook to promote political ideas, such as promoting a hard Brexit which were in fact administered by employees of CTF Partners (a subsidiary).[10]