• Analysis
MPs sponsored lobbyist passes parliament register reveals resources and gambling access
Australia's first public register of MPs sponsored lobbyist passes parliament records show Labor and Coalition members backing permanent access for major resources companies and the online gambling lobby, with more than 1,000 applications still unprocessed.
Which companies hold passes
The first data from the parliament house access register shows cross-party sponsorship of lobbyists from some of the country's largest resources and betting interests. Woodside Energy, Australia's largest fossil fuel company, holds three access cards sponsored by Labor MPs Meryl Swanson, Glenn Sterle and Tracey Roberts and Coalition MPs Melissa Price, Rick Wilson and Susan McDonald.
- •The Minerals Council of Australia has passes sponsored by Susan McDonald, Coalition frontbenchers Angie Bell, Matt O'Sullivan and Ted O'Brien, and Labor's Dan Repacholi
- •American oil and gas giant ConocoPhillips has access sponsored by Nationals MP Colin Boyce and Labor's Mike Freelander
- •Gas lobby group Australian Energy Producers is sponsored by the member for Bean, David Smith
- •Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan and Dan Repacholi sponsor access for Alinta Energy
- •Shadow health minister Anne Ruston and Labor's Raff Ciccone are primary sponsors of two passes for Responsible Wagering Australia, which represents bet365, Sportsbet and Betfair
The new rules and the backlog
Under the new rules, two MPs are required to sponsor lobbyists to register for a pass, and MPs who sponsor private interests must be disclosed on a public register. Until now there has been no transparency about the more than 2,000 pass holders with access to the building, a situation that frustrated MPs including ACT independent David Pocock.
The changes followed a review of policies governing access to the building's private areas conducted by House speaker Milton Dick and Senate president Sue Lines. Tuesday's first data release gave limited detail, with a backlog of more than 1,000 applications still to be processed.
Critics say disclosure is partial
Campaign group the Australian Democracy Network said as many as 80% of registered lobbyists are still not on the register, and highlighted problems with the separate lobbyists register administered by the Attorney-General's Department. Spokesman Christian Slattery said the first release covers only a fraction of the passes in circulation.
"Unfortunately today's partial disclosure only covers about 10% of total existing passes, meaning Australians still can't see the full picture"
Slattery added that "The new transparency system doesn't give meaningful information to the public about who our elected representatives are meeting with, when they're meeting them, or why." He called for new national laws to cover lobbying conduct and establish a regulator. More than 1,000 pass applications remain unprocessed as the group presses for that reform.
