[Greens-Media] Barnett's Lobbying Bill toothless and nothing but a ruse: WA Greens

[Richards, Kirsten]

Following debate of the Governments Lobbyist's Bill, the Integrity (Lobbyists) Bill 2011 in the Legislative Council today, WA Greens spokesperson for Electoral Affairs Alison Xamon declared that the Bill was toothless, did nothing to improve the transparency of Government and that the Greens would not support it.

"This Bill is not this State's first attempt to regulate lobbyists," Ms Xamon said.

"In 2007 the then Labor Government instituted a Register of Lobbyists and established rules for contact with some lobbyists.

"These rules are still in effect today and are widely considered to be inadequate - regrettably, in WA today clandestine lobbying continues.

"This Bill is the Government's half-baked attempt to improve on our existing inadequate regulatory regime and appropriately regulate lobbyist activity.

"Though the Greens support the regulation of lobbyists activities we can't see any evidence that this Bill will improve things one jot.

"Instead, this Bill does little more than enshrine in legislation the existing, deficient, lobbyists regulatory regime that doesn't even capture all lobbyist, or even the bulk of lobbyist, activities.

"Lack of transparency is a major corruption risk.

"The West Australian public is entitled to know who is able to get access to the Premier and other government representatives and the circumstances of such access.

"This Bill should have been our opportunity to make real improvements on the transparency of government decision-making and to ensure that every individual is afforded an opportunity to participate.

"Instead it has completely missed this opportunity.

"Indeed, in many respects, the minimum requirements under this Bill will not be as strong as the regulatory system already in place making the situation even worse.

"Simply, this Bill is nothing more than a ruse by Government.

"It implies that the Government has finally fulfilled their election promise to better monitor the activities of lobbyists and restore integrity to government decision-making.

"Instead, the Bill captures very few lobbyists and subjects them to the weakest of sanctions or in some instances none at all for non-compliance.

"This Bill makes a mockery of the importance of lobbyist regulation.

"The WA public deserves so much more."