Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion. I'm pleased to support the Lobbying (Improving Government Honesty and Trust) Bill 2023. I'm proud to stand with a group of crossbench parliamentarians who are fighting so hard to reflect the wishes of their communities to strive for better transparency, greater integrity and more accountability in politics. Part of accountability and integrity is understanding who is influencing our top decision-makers. We should know which lobbyists have access to ministers and cabinet. Currently, Australia lags behind our counterparts in Canada, the UK and even the US in the transparency and accountability of lobbying activity. In each of those countries there's a legislated lobbying regime with clear reporting obligations arising from lobbying activities.

Currently, in Australia's federal parliament, we only have an administrative system, governed by the Lobbying Code of Conduct and overseen by the Attorney-General's Department. There are no meaningful consequences for breaching the federal code of conduct. The code of conduct applies only to professional lobbyists acting on behalf of third-party clients. That means lobbying activity that's undertaken in-house by businesses and industry bodies isn't included. In-house lobbyists are able to conduct invisible activity without regulation or oversight.

Australia's comparatively weak regulation heightens the concern expressed by the Grattan Institute. It says, 'Disparity in access is a concern if it translates into policy decisions that benefit the few at the expense of the many.' Grattan Institute's analysis showed that highly regulated businesses have the most meetings with senior politicians, make the most use of commercial lobbyists and are disproportionately large donors.

We have a right to know who is accessing our ministers and executive so citizens can make up their own minds about whether our government is focused on the public interest or private and vested interests.

In the explanatory memorandum to my restoring trust bill, which I tabled in August this year, I referred to the need for disclosure of ministerial diaries and the expansion of the lobbyist register as important other reforms that complemented the reforms in that bill to return trust to politics. This bill delivers those contemplated reforms. It requires the publication of ministerial diaries and requires both professional and in-house lobbyists to tell us who they're meeting with. By substantially limiting gifts and hospitality from lobbyists this bill also continues the work of my restoring trust bill in reducing financial influence.

I support this bill as another effort of the crossbench to pursue greater transparency in government and in decision-making.

Debate adjourned.

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