Lobbying can give vested interests unfair advantages, be unduly secretive and serve to exclude the public from negotiations over policy.

This submission suggests that some of these problems can be addressed by disclosing ministerial diaries, expanding the lobbyist register to include in-house lobbyists and introducing a more transparent and fit-for-purpose pass system that reflects the different reasons for visiting Parliament.

Key recommendations:

• Formalise and democratise opportunities in Parliament House that are currently ad hoc and opaque. For example, consider an open application process for the budget lockup, including publishing whose applications were accepted and the reasons for accepting them.
• Restore unaccompanied day passes to make access to Parliament House without a sponsored pass feasible.
• Investigate the possibility of introducing a type of unescorted pass that provides access exclusively to the press gallery and press areas of parliament (not parliamentarians’ offices).
• Publish a webpage or booklet that describes the different tiers of access to Parliament House, the requirements for each, and the number of people with each level of access.
• Extend the lobbyist register to include in-house corporate lobbyists.
• Parliament or an appropriate independent authority should conduct a review into how violations of the lobbyist code of conduct are enforced and possible stronger sanctions for non-compliance.
• Disclose ministerial diaries monthly, including the purpose of the meeting.
• Link the lobbyist register to ministerial diary entries, so the lobbyist’s recent and upcoming meetings appear alongside their other information on the register.