The Greens and key crossbenchers are urging the Albanese government to strengthen regulation of political lobbying, leveraging their balance of power in the Senate to push for greater transparency. Greens leader Larissa Waters, along with independents Allegra Spender and David Pocock, have signaled that reforming the federal lobbyist register and improving access rules will be a priority in negotiations with Labor.
Waters described the current system as a 'missed opportunity' from the last parliament, noting that lobbyists 'still walk the halls essentially with the red carpet rolled out for them.' She argued that the regulation of lobbying is 'really weak and effectively nonexistent,' allowing vested interests undue access to ministers and department heads.
A parliamentary inquiry report released last year revealed that the lobbyist register, administered by the attorney general's department, captures only a small fraction of the paid influence industry. As only paid third-party lobbyists are required to register, an estimated 80% of the industry—including in-house lobbyists employed by corporations—operates without transparency obligations.
The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption warned that unregulated lobbying allows private interests to exert undue influence over official decision-making, diminishing trust in government and increasing corruption risks. In mid-2024, there were over 2,050 sponsored passes for access to Parliament House, with no link between the lobbyist register and the pass approval system.
Spender called for greater transparency, stating that the public needs to know who is meeting MPs and why. Pocock highlighted the 'corrosive impact' of unfettered access and transparency gaps, pointing to Labor's failure to crack down on gambling advertising as an example of lobbyist influence. He has drafted legislation requiring lobbyists to provide quarterly updates on their work and banning former ministers from lobbying in their area of experience for three years.
