Long-term head of the left-leaning think tank, the Australia Institute, Richard Denniss is to step down, handing the reins to former Greens heavyweight Ben Oquist.
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The change is to be announced to members via email on Monday.
Dr Denniss, a constant thorn in the side of politicians on both sides due to his habit of skewering dodgy economic justifications for policy, will stick around as chief economist. He had held the post of executive director for eight years.
The media-savvy Mr Oquist is one of the broader left's most effective strategists and looks set to increase the profile and influence of the think tank on the progressive side of Australian politics.
After a long association with former Greens leader Bob Brown, Mr Oquist left the leader's office during the Christine Milne period amid acrimony fuelled by differences over policy and tactics, with Mr Oquist favouring a more pragmatic approach.
The Greens party under Senator Milne famously opposed the Abbott government with such fervour that it opposed a return to federal fuel excise indexation even though that was consistent with its own policy on fossil fuels.
"As the Institute has grown in size, profile and impact Richard has found it increasingly difficult to focus on what he sees as his strengths of research and writing while managing a rapidly growing organisation that is at the heart of so many of the biggest debates," Australia Institute chairwoman Lin Hatfield Dodds says in the email to members.
Under Denniss, the Australia Institute has targeted the fossil fuel industry.
Last year, NSW Minerals Council chief executive Stephen Galilee described the organisation's analysis of mining subsidies as "flaky" and said it "is not an independent economic think tank".
Mr Oquist said on Sunday the organisation's focus on climate and economic policy would continue but he thought the institute worked well with parties across the political spectrum.
"To win a debate, you've got to be in a debate," he said.
"I've come to the realisation that think tanks play a really important role in politics and good ideas can transcend the political divide."
In a secondary role at the institute, Mr Oquist has used his experience as a cross bench strategist to assist minor parties, helping to secure agreements on climate change policy for the now largely defunct Palmer United Party.
However, the retention of some elements of climate change architecture, such as the Climate Change Authority and the Clean Energy Fund, came at the expense of agreeing to dump the carbon price. That brought criticism from the Greens and others, including Labor.
