Lobbyland
Lobbyists are undermining public trust in our political institutions.
They are most prolific in Canberra. Lobby firms infest Barton and Kingston. It is easy walking distance to Parliament House, the National Press Club and the major departments. A real LobbyLand with the Minerals Council of Australia, the Australian Medical Association, Lockheed Martin, the Australian Pharmacy Guild, the Business Council of Australia and many more.
The series addresses the damage they are doing in many areas of public policy and particularly at the moment in the way the fossil fuel lobby is sabotaging attempts to head off the pending climate crisis.
The Lobbyland series will also address possible remedial action.
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Best of 2022: The major parties refuse to tackle the lobbying scourge. Can the Teals and the Greens save the day?
The major obstacle to lobbying reform is that for members of parliament, their staff and senior officials, lobbying provides a very lucrative income when they leave parliament, the military or the public service. So they refuse to act on the lobbying scourge. Continue reading »
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Non-believers, the timid and party rorters have got at corruption bill
Citizens who want an effective agency to weed out corruption and maladministration from Australian public life would do well to get involved in the National Anti-Corruption Commission debate. It is never going to be any better than the first model that goes through the parliament over the next few months. If history in state and Continue reading »
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The major parties refuse to tackle the lobbying scourge. Can the Teals and the Greens save the day?
The major obstacle to lobbying reform is that for members of parliament, their staff and senior officials, lobbying provides a very lucrative income when they leave parliament, the military or the public service. So they refuse to act on the lobbying scourge. Continue reading »
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Paul Frijters & Cameron Murray: How mates and grey corruption rig the political game
If you were a powerful politician, there is a good chance you would make decisions that favour your mates. Continue reading »
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The scourge of lobbyists and a role for the Greens and Teal. A revised post from Jan. 3 2022
Regulation of the way we manage lobbying in Australia is an even more important issue than a National Integrity Commission. The lobbying of governments around the world by the fossil fuel industry is a major reason for the Climate Emergency we now face.. Continue reading »
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Lobbyland: The scourge of powerful special interests and lobbyists
Lobbyists have exceptional access to our Parliament and politicians, and they’re not acting in the public interest. Continue reading »
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Controlling lobbyists is needed to increase trust in government
Good and bad government behaviour, the management of crises, lack of accountability, preferencing of mates, the favouring of powerful interests, undue influence and lobbying, they all impact on people’s trust in government. Continue reading »
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When is a secret meeting for lobbying not a secret meeting?
ICAC urges ban on secret meetings with lobbyists. In other words, ICAC practitioners imagine a new system for governing…or do they? What is ‘their system’s’ purpose and how might it work out in the long run? Some general features pertain. Continue reading »
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ICAC wants real regulation of lobbying with its unfairness and the inherent risks of corruption.
ICAC tried 11 years ago to persuade the NSW Government to introduce a basic system to regulate lobbyists in the state, but only the bare bones of its proposals (essentially, just 5 out of 17 recommendations) were put into effect. It has now revisited the problem and determined a far more comprehensive scheme that would Continue reading »
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Lobbying: British ex-PM shows the way, Australia pretends there is no problem
Don’t you pity David Cameron, the former Conservative Prime Minister of Great Britain, who led the charge (from the Opposition leadership) against the evils of lobbying, but discovered, after he ceased to be PM, that he could profit greatly from his former office by becoming a lobbyist? Continue reading »
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Australian Medical Association’s aged care money grab
The Australian Medical Association, a lobby group and peak body for doctors, has offered up a thinly disguised money-grab in the form of expert recommendations in response to the Aged Care Royal Commission. Continue reading »
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Brendan Nelson’s Gold Brick Road. Part 3
Former Defence Minister Brendan Nelson’s troubling hook-up with Boeing Defence. Continue reading »
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Julie Bishop’s travels along the Gold Brick Road. Part 2
In this second of a three-part examination of the employment of former senior Coalition ministers, we investigate former Foreign Minister Julie (“Duchess”) Bishop’s post-politics employment with the international aid group Palladium. Continue reading »
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The new normal: the former ministers racing down the Gold Brick Road (Part 1)
This is a three-part look at the afterlife of former Commonwealth ministers of the Crown. Because of space limitations, the inquiry focuses on the notorious post-politics employment of two defence ministers, Christopher Pyne and Brendan Nelson, and one foreign minister, Julie Bishop. Continue reading »
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Preferential lobbying: a scourge on our democracy (Part 4 of 4)
Preferential lobbying is endemic to “modern” politics. There are no easy fixes, but democracy will continue to wither unless the root causes are tackled. We need to start with amending constitutions. Although this is not easy, innovative constitution building is happening around the world. Continue reading »
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Preferential lobbying: no explicit deals, all unstated understandings. How it works behind the scenes. (Part 3 of 4)
Preferential lobbying is all about access to decision-makers, clandestine decision making, funding of political parties and the often limited subject knowledge of politicians and bureaucrats. It all conspires to subvert the democratic process. Continue reading »
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Preferential lobbying: Money talks … loudly (Part 2 of 4)
Preferential lobbying drives powerlessness, environmental destruction and even in conventional economics is grossly inefficient. Parts 2 and 3 examine how it happens. If your electoral system is open to significant funding by the wealthy, then politicians get bought by lobbyists. And lobby firms are typically made up of former politicians and officials with substantial address Continue reading »
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Preferential lobbying: the rich get richer, the poor get poorer (Part 1 of 4)
In this four-part series, we investigate preferential lobbying – what it is, why it matters, how and why it happens and how to stop it. Preferential lobbying is primarily wealth appropriation and rarely wealth creation. Every time a decision goes in favour of the wealthy it is to the cost of the less well off, Continue reading »
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Corporate power in Australia
Companies can secure so much economic power they can translate it into the political power, which they use to get laws that further advance their economic power. Continue reading »
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Lobby Land -Dan Conifer. Queensland integrity watchdog backs review of lobbying laws.(ABC 7.30,28 Nov. 2020)
The ABC’s 7.30 program this week highlighted the regular, high-level access Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Government has given to a select group of lobbyists. The politically connected lobbying firms represent multi-million and multi-billion dollar companies hoping to influence government decisions. Continue reading »
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LobbyLand: Department of Defence captured by foreign weapons makers Thales, BAE
The culture of cosiness; the revolving door; and undue influence. The relationship between government and military industrial companies is just one strand of the evidence showing the urgent need for a national anti-corruption commission. “Undue influence” is a noted marker for corruption. Continue reading »
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Lobby Land. The power of the health lobby. Health ministers may be in office but they are not in power
The major barrier to health reform is the power of providers- the health lobby. A succession of Australian health ministers Liberal and Labor for three decades have failed in any serious health reform. Any Minister, Liberal or Labor who wants to reform health must be prepared to take on the providers and their lobbyists.They are Continue reading »
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LobbyLand ‘Culture of cosiness’: colossal conflicts of interest in Defence spending blitz
In Part 1 of her three-part investigation, Michelle Fahy investigates the corporate influence on government policy and how weapons makers cultivate relationships with politicians and top officials in the public service. Continue reading »
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LobbyLand. The politics of fossil fuels – the pits!
Fossil fuel lobbying is a cancer inflicting death, illness and misery on Australian society. How does it operate, what are its impacts and how can society allow this disabling condition to continue without treatment? Continue reading »
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Lobby Land: A Corporate Giant’s Dream and a Regulatory Hot Mess
As Australia’s government has grown in size and scope, so too has the desire to gain its favour, or avoid its wrath. This task increasingly falls to lobbyists. For representative democracy to work, constituents, including corporations, must be able to lobby their government. However, due to a failed regulatory regime, it is clear that undue Continue reading »
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Lobby Land: the Pharmacy Guild’s powerful influence over health policy
The Pharmacy Guild has been called the ‘most powerful lobby group you’ve never heard of’ and for three decades has had a stranglehold on funding for community pharmacy in Australia. Continue reading »
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Lobby Land. “Doubt is their product”: The difference between research and academic lobbying (Pro Market Sep 28, 2020)
Research on market power, its causes, and its consequences has received a welcome revival in the past few years. A group of excellent scholars has managed to make progress on rather hot competition policy topics. What’s more, this research was accepted for publication in journals considered to be at the very top of the profession. Continue reading »
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LobbyLand: Democracy on life support as the revolving door keeps swinging
Australian public policy is now routinely moulded to suit the interests of the highest corporate bidders and the lobbyists who represent their interests. Continue reading »
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LobbyLand: An Analysis of Australian Industry Associations’ Influence on Climate Policy
This analysis identified five lobbying organisations that stood out as the ‘most obstructive, negative and influential’ in refusing to address climate change. They were the Minerals Council of Australia, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, NSW Minerals Council, the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Petroleum Producers and Exploration Association. Continue reading »
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LobbyLand: Unhealthy Business? Health sector lobbyists
In contrast to the United States, where businesses spend billions lobbying, we have weak civil society oversight of what businesses are up to and independent policy development. It’s time for our entrepreneurs to give back to society by funding civil society bodies. We need a Soros and a Gates or two. Continue reading »
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