MPs granting powerful political lobbyists unfettered access to Australia’s parliament, data reveals

Labor and Coalition MPs are facilitating permanent access to Parliament House for the country’s biggest resources companies and the lobby group representing online gambling giants, new data has revealed.

Updated rules about access passes to parliament’s private offices require MPs who sponsor lobbyists and other private interests to be disclosed on a public register. However, Tuesday’s first release of data provided very limited detail, with a backlog of more than 1,000 applications yet to be processed.

Woodside Energy, Australia’s largest fossil fuel company, has three access cards, sponsored by Labor politicians Meryl Swanson, Glenn Sterle and Tracey Roberts, as well as Coalition MPs Melissa Price, Rick Wilson and Susan McDonald.

Lobby group the Minerals Council of Australia also has passes sponsored by McDonald, as well as Coalition frontbenchers Angie Bell, Matt O’Sullivan and Ted O’Brien, and Labor’s Dan Repacholi.

American oil and gas giant ConocoPhillips has access sponsored by Nationals MP Colin Boyce and Labor’s Mike Freelander, while gas lobby group Australian Energy Producers is sponsored by the member for Bean, David Smith.

The shadow energy minister, Dan Tehan, sponsors access for Alinta Energy, along with Repaholi.

The shadow health minister, Anne Ruston, and Labor’s Raff Ciccone are primary sponsor for two passes for lobby group Responsible Wagering Australia, which represents betting giants bet365, Sportsbet and Betfair.

Kai Cantwell, the group’s chief lobbyist, is a former staffer to Ruston when she was a minister in the Morrison government. He was a key witness in an inquiry considering Labor’s legislation to curb gambling advertising earlier this year.

Under the new rules, two MPs are required to sponsor lobbyists to register for a pass. Until now, there has been no transparency about the more than 2,000 pass holders with access to the building, which has led to frustrations among MPs including ACT independent David Pocock.

A review of the policies governing access to the building’s private areas was conducted by the House speaker, Milton Dick, and the Senate president, Sue Lines. In March, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, suggested greater “transparency and rigour” of sponsored pass holders was needed.

Prominent lobbyist Ben Oquist, a former Greens staffer and the husband of Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, is sponsored by the energy minister, Chris Bowen, and the industry minister, Tim Ayres.

Greens leader David Shoebridge sponsors access for the Australian Peace and Security Forum, a registered non-profit which is helping lead a public inquiry into the Aukus defence pact.

Pocock sponsors passes for the Australian Construction Industry Forum, Bees and Blossoms, Queensland University of Technology and Chanel Contos’s Teach Us Consent Global organisation.

Powerful lobby group the Pharmacy Guild has two sponsored passes, signed by Labor’s Gordon Reid, Anne Urquhart, Repacholi and Josh Dolega.

Transparency campaigners the Australian Democracy Network said as many as 80% of registered lobbyists are still not on the register. It has highlighted problems with the existing lobbyists register, a separate transparency tool administered by the Attorney-General’s Department.

“Unfortunately today’s partial disclosure only covers about 10% of total existing passes, meaning Australians still can’t see the full picture,” spokesman Christian Slattery said.

“The new transparency system doesn’t give meaningful information to the public about who our elected representatives are meeting with, when they’re meeting them, or why.”

He called for new national laws to cover lobbying conduct and establish a regulator.

Journalists working in Parliament House are required to apply for an access pass with support from a bureau chief or editor, and endorsed by representatives of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery Committee.