By Jacqui Lambie
… The number of orange passes we give out is about three times higher than the number of people who are required to register as lobbyists.
The only ones who need to register their names – and in doing so need to agree to abide by the rules we have in place – are third party lobbyists. …
… Tony Abbott could resign tomorrow, take up a job working as a third-party lobbyist, and he’d be completely within the rules.
Malcolm Turnbull could resign as Prime Minister tomorrow, take up a job as the head of the Business Council of Australia on the same day, and he’d be completely within the rules.
The rules attempt to punish former ministers for taking up jobs as lobbyists by stripping them of their ministerial responsibilities. That’s right. Former ministers get punished by being made former ministers. Our system of checks and balances reads like a typo.
I’m trying to change that. My plan takes the lobbying code of conduct, which was introduced in 2008 by the Rudd government, and turns it into a mandatory industry code, policed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
It will mean anyone who lobbies — whether they’re a third-party lobbyist for the mum and dad shop down the road, or an in-house lobbyist for Google — has to follow the same standard …
• Advocate: Senator Jacqui Lambie wants to shut Canberra’s revolving lobby door
Fairfax
