Kooyong MP Dr Monique Ryan will reintroduce her Clean Up Politics bill next month in an attempt to tighten the regulations on lobbyists. Photo: Monique Ryan Facebook.
Lobbyists may soon be subject to much tighter regulation if a private members’ bill aimed at limiting access to parliament is passed.
Federal Teal independent Member for Kooyong Dr Monique Ryan said her Clean Up Politics bill would be reintroduced in October after it failed to gain traction in late 2023, and this time it comes hot on the heels of new transparency rules for lobbyists that were introduced in July.
Dr Ryan said spokespeople for gambling, tobacco, fossil fuel and mining industries had been given “almost unfettered access” to political parties, and had provided “millions in donations”.
Under the previous rules, there was no obligation for MPs to disclose which lobbyists had visited them, nor for lobbyists to detail their visits, nor how many lobbyists an MP may have sponsored to obtain a pass.
The new rules introduced in July were supported by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, House Speaker Milton Dick and Senate President Sue Lines. Lobbyists now require two MPs to sign their pass register, with the primary sponsor to remain responsible for the lobbyists’ behaviour while in Parliament House.
But Dr Ryan said that despite the new rules, the government had done almost nothing to improve transparency or accountability.
“Parliament House is the most visited building in the country,” she said in a statement.
“It’s supposed to be the people’s house, but every day that Parliament sits, hundreds of lobbyists roam its halls, meeting with ministers and influencing government decision-making.
“Right now, 80 per cent of federal lobbyists operate entirely outside the scope of the Lobbying Code of Conduct.
“Fifty-eight per cent of ASX100 companies, including Commonwealth Bank, Santos and Qantas, are not listed on the Lobbyist Register.”
Dr Ryan said her bill would create a lobbyist register with genuine regulatory power to capture in-house corporate lobbyists and industry associations, and would put a stop to what she said were “a revolving door of ministers and senior public officials” moving straight from government employment into the private sector to lobby parliamentarians while armed with insider knowledge and contacts gained while on the public purse.
She said it would also open ministerial diaries to the public, enabling scrutiny of who gained access to whom, when, where and why, and would ban political donations from harmful industries such as gambling and tobacco.
“Australians are losing trust in government,” she said. “It’s easy to see why.
“There’s too little transparency in what goes on inside the nation’s capital. Our communities didn’t send us here to protect big coal, big gambling, and big banks. They sent us here to act in their best interests. We’re failing to do that while we allow lobbyists to influence government decision-making without transparency or oversight.
“The federal Lobbying Code is almost 20 years old.
“It has not kept pace with growth of the lobbying industry or with reforms already underway in the states and territories. Our Parliament should set an example. We need a strong legislated National Lobbying Act in this term of government.”
In July 2025, the Centre for Public Integrity called for a tightening of the rules for lobbyists in the release of a position paper titled A Seat at the Table.
The paper focused on embedding transparency, integrity and equality into the federal lobbying regimen, and pulled no punches in describing the pitfalls of the current system, which it says makes it too easy for big money to call the shots.
The Democracy Counts alliance of organisations has thrown its support behind Dr Ryan’s announcement.
“Democracy Counts, a campaign to renew Australia’s democracy, welcomes Dr Monique Ryan’s announcement that she will reintroduce a national lobbying bill into federal parliament,” campaign director Tom Mooney said in a statement.
“Every Australian should be able to advocate on the issues they care about to the parliamentarians that represent them. But when those with significant money and power have more access to politicians and influence, it affects the decisions that impact everyone.
“There is strong public support for measures to reform the rules and regulations around lobbying in Australia, with 67 per cent saying they support an introduction of a ban on politicians becoming lobbyists for five years after they leave parliament.
“There is a clear need to rebuild trust in politics. We call on every parliamentarian to support real measures to increase transparency and strengthen protections against undue influence.”
Transparency International Australia echoed Democracy Counts’ views in supporting the bill.
“When Australians engage their political representatives to advocate for the policies and programs they support, they expect a level playing field,” CEO Clancy Moore said.
“But currently, the playing field is stacked against ordinary Australians. Those with the deepest pockets and strongest relationships get more access and influence over decision-makers, leaving the risk of corruption wide open.”
