Register of Lobbyists finalised
Australian Regulatory Compliance Review:
Lobbyists must register on the Commonwealth’s Register of Lobbyists.
A lobbyist is defined in clause 3 of the Lobbying
Code of Conduct to mean a person, company or organisation who conducts
lobbying activities on behalf of a client or whose employees conduct lobbying activities on behalf of
a client. These lobbyists are sometimes known as consultant lobbyists, or third party lobbyists.
The Code does not apply to in-house lobbyists, such as government relations staff employed by companies
to make representations to government on behalf of the company that employs them, or staff employed in
peak industry bodies or trade unions who make representations to government on behalf of their industry
or their members. These people are not required to register.
There are a number of exclusions from the definition. These include:
- charitable, religious and other organisations or funds that are endorsed as deductible gift recipients
- non-profit associations or organisations constituted to represent the interests of their members
that are not endorsed as deductible gift recipients - individuals making representations on behalf of family members or friends about their personal
affairs - members of trade delegations visiting Australia
- persons who are registered under an Australian Government scheme regulating the activities of
members of that profession, such as registered tax agents, Customs brokers, company auditors
and liquidators, provided that their dealings with Government representatives are part
of the normal day to day work of people in that profession, and - members of professions, such as doctors, lawyers or accountants, and other service providers,
who make occasional representations to Government on behalf of others in a way that is
incidental to the provision to them of their professional or other services. However, if a significant
or regular part of the services offered by a person employed or engaged by a firm of lawyers,…