Philip Eliason was the senior adviser to the former Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), sub-Saharan Africa and international security. He has worked on various development assistance projects in Yemen, Libya and Tunisia. He was also adviser to the Australian minister for agriculture and the minister for natural disasters and emergency management. His career began with diplomatic postings in Cairo and Damascus, running national industry associations, representing Australia's private sector on Australian delegations at UN treaty and convention negotiations to the aid sector and into Parliament.