Australia PR Firms 2026: Leading Sydney and Melbourne Public Relations Agencies

By the Everything-PR Editorial Team
Edited on Sep 5, 2026.

Part of EPR's Communications States coverage. Roof framework: The National Retrieval Stack™ · Category index: Communications States.

Australia's largest PR firm is Edelman Australia, with reported AUD 98 million in fee income in 2025 and roughly 450 staff across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, followed by leading independents ICON Agency and Thrive PR + Communications, Australia and New Zealand's largest family-owned, female-run independent. Australia's public relations market reached roughly AUD 998 million in 2023 and continues to grow, with Sydney and Melbourne accounting for the majority of agency revenue and Brisbane emerging as a third hub.

The current landscape is shaped by accelerating digital transformation, sustained crisis communications demand, and brand budgets shifting toward authentic storytelling across earned, owned, social, and influencer channels.

The leading PR firms in Australia at a glance

The firms below stand out across corporate, consumer, technology, and creative communications.

Edelman Australia. With offices in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, Edelman is the dominant enterprise communications firm in the country. It is the firm of record for boardroom-level corporate reputation, crisis readiness, and multi-market coordination. Its annual Trust Barometer is widely referenced by Australian boards, and its scale gives it specialist benches across public affairs, corporate, technology, and consumer that smaller competitors can't match.

ICON Agency. Headquartered in Melbourne with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra, ICON is one of the most awarded independent agencies in Australia. The founder-led firm sits at the intersection of PR, digital, creative, and behaviour change, and works with global brands, Australian success stories, and government clients.

Thrive PR + Communications. Thrive is Australia and New Zealand's largest family-owned, female-run independent PR firm, with more than 95 staff across six offices. The agency runs across consumer brand, lifestyle, technology, and corporate work.

Herd MSL. Part of the Publicis network, Herd MSL is a leader in consumer, lifestyle, and brand storytelling, particularly in fashion, beauty, and FMCG.

Burson Australia. Following the Burson-Hill & Knowlton merger that created the new Burson, the Australian operation has emerged as a leader in strategic communications, public affairs, and corporate PR.

Havas Red Australia. Havas Red operates as the integrated PR, social, content, and experiential arm of the Havas network in Australia.

We. Communications Australia. The Australian arm of the global We. Communications network is positioned for technical and enterprise briefs that require thought leadership, corporate discipline, and creative storytelling under one roof.

Sling & Stone. Founded in 2010, Sling & Stone has grown from a Sydney-based specialist into a global communications partner with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Singapore, and Los Angeles.

The Atticism PR. A boutique with offices in Sydney and London, The Atticism focuses on hospitality, lifestyle, technology, and property.

The Ideas Suite. Founded in 2007 by former journalist Julia Nekich, The Ideas Suite has built a journalist-led, narrative-driven PR practice with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Adoni Media. Brisbane-based with national reach, Adoni was founded by former television journalists and is widely cited among the country's most consistent media relations firms.

MediaCast. A Melbourne-headquartered integrated communications firm, MediaCast is known for high-impressions consumer campaigns.

Elevate Communication. Brisbane-based and focused on premium Australian brands, Elevate has built a strategic communications practice that punches above its size.

BlueChip Communication. Sydney-based and focused on financial services, BlueChip is regularly cited among Australia's leading specialists in investor relations, financial PR, and crisis communications.

9-Figure Media. A newer entrant that has scaled quickly, 9-Figure Media works on guaranteed publicity packages for entrepreneurs, executives, and growth-stage businesses.

For Australian brands selecting a partner, regional differences matter. Sydney leads in corporate, financial, and government work; Melbourne is stronger in creative and lifestyle; Brisbane has emerged as a hub for fast-growing consumer and SME work; and Perth retains specialist firms in resources and infrastructure communications. Boutique retainers typically run AUD 5,000-15,000 per month, while global network fees start closer to AUD 20,000.

How to Choose: Comparison FAQs

Edelman Australia vs. ICON Agency for a national brand campaign — which fits? Edelman has the scale and specialist benches (public affairs, corporate, tech, consumer) for boardroom-level, multi-market mandates. ICON is founder-led and more creative-forward, blending PR with digital and behaviour change — better suited to a brand prioritizing distinctive creative execution over enterprise-scale corporate coordination.

Thrive PR vs. Herd MSL for a consumer/lifestyle brand — which one? Thrive is Australia/NZ's largest independent in this space with broad consumer, lifestyle, tech, and corporate reach. Herd MSL has sharper category depth specifically in fashion, beauty, and FMCG through the Publicis network — the better fit for a brand squarely in those verticals.

BlueChip vs. a global network for financial services PR — which fits? BlueChip is the named specialist in investor relations, financial PR, and crisis for the Australian market. A global network (Edelman, Burson) offers broader multi-market coordination if the financial communications need to extend beyond Australia.

Other Asia-Pacific markets: Japan · South Korea · India · Singapore · Philippines · Malaysia