NSW lobbying bill fails to close gap exposed in Rosny inquiry
ICAC's Rosny inquiry exposed secret lobbying. NSW introduced a new bill this week. It leaves about 80% of lobbyists unregulated.
The Icac Rosny inquiry revealed how Liberal operatives, including Dominic Perrottet's brother Charles, were paid $2 million by developer Jean Nassif. These operatives pushed his interests through parliament.
Only one was a registered lobbyist. The NSW government introduced a bill this week to tighten lobbying rules.
The bill gives the Electoral Commission power to regulate third-party lobbyists. It also extends rules to council-level lobbying.
But the bill skips about 80% of people who actually lobby politicians: in-house government relations staff employed directly by companies. These individuals were mostly former political staffers.
They have easy access and no duties to keep records. The government says it would create too much red tape to register them.
Their employer is already known, it says. But the Rosny case showed how this gap lets influence flow without oversight.
- $2 million from Jean Nassif
- Payment to operatives
- One out of all involved
- Registered lobbyists among operatives
- 80% of people who lobby
- Unregulated portion
- In-house government relations staff
- Unregulated category
Why it mattersNSW residents deserve to know who is lobbying their politicians and why. Without proper rules covering all lobbyists, the same undeclared influence that the Rosny inquiry exposed could happen again.
AustraliaNSW voters need to know what happened: their government was influenced by secret operatives working for a developer, and the new reform bill leaves a massive loophole open for the same thing to happen again.
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