Lobbying

In its latest report on Operation Eclipse, ICAC says the Lobbying of Government Officials Act 2011 doesn’t give a robust framework for managing corruption risks.

Nick Warner has been appointed as counsellor to political and strategic advisory firm Dragoman, while also being engaged by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

President-elect Joe Biden is set to introduce ethics rules that will ban incoming public servants from receiving compensation from their former employers for joining the government.

Former Tasmanian senator Lisa Singh has been appointed head of government advocacy in the Australia-Pacific region at the Walk Free Foundation. The anti-modern slavery organisation is an initiative from the Minderoo Foundation.

The Attorney-General’s Department has made little effort to implement past recommendations related to the government’s lobbying code of conduct, the national auditor-general has found.

Most of us would hope the policies governments introduce are based on the best available evidence. However, a study published today suggests former politicians, staffers and public servants who go on to work for the industries they once regulated have a major influence on the current policy environment. They’re paid to advocate what’s best for their client, not for the Australian public.

Business leaders mainly have themselves to blame if they feel governments don’t understand their perspectives or listen to their concerns, according to a group of high profile Australians and New Zealanders who generally need no introductions in the corridors of power.   Are their problems in the relationship between governments and the private sector?   […]

There are few things more frustrating for public servants than the minister ignoring a well-researched policy position in favour of an interest group. Lobbyists know money talks and are spending up big, says the Grattan Institute.

The Commonwealth register for professional lobbyists and the related code of conduct do not seem to live up to their high-minded objectives, but that appears

Former Labor Party state secretary Mike Smith, now a government relations specialist in Brisbane, is writing the definitive book on Australian lobbying — one blog post at a time.

They’re behind the scenes, in ministers’ offices and writing policy — generally displacing public servants in a number of ways — but there’s one place a Senate committee has objected to seeing lobbyists.