Free-roaming lobbyists in Australian parliament face tighter restrictions, Albanese says

Political lobbyists with unfettered access to Canberra’s halls of power could be exposed to more scrutiny as Anthony Albanese suggests greater “transparency and rigour” of sponsored passholders at Parliament House.The prime minister has written to the house speaker, Milton Dick, and Senate president, Sue Lines, ahead of an upcoming review of the policies governing access to the building’s private areas.Visitors with orange passes, which include political lobbyists, have rights to unescorted access to the non-public areas of Parliament House, allowing them to roam free in the corridors of MPs offices.But details about the passholders, including their identity and which MPs sponsored their access-all-areas privileges, has long been shrouded in secrecy despite calls from crossbenchers and integrity advocates for greater transparency.Several crossbenchers proactively disclose which passes they sponsor, including the ACT senator David Pocock, who last year created an online public register that pressured all MPs to follow suit.“Australians deserve to know who can walk in here and lobby their elected representatives. A strong democracy depends on transparency and accountability,” Pocock said at the time.“A pass sponsored by a parliamentarian provides privileged access. Access that potentially allows certain perspectives to reach decision-makers ahead of others. The public has the right to know who’s being given that privilege.”As of mid-2024, there were more than 2,050 sponsored passes for access to Parliament House, an unknown share of which were held by paid lobbyists.The orange passes are issued to a cross-section of visitors to Parliament House outside of lobbyists, including representatives from non-government organisations, business leaders and volunteers.In his letter to parliament’s presiding officers on Monday, Albanese said unescorted access to parliament’s private areas was a “privilege”.“A growing number of individuals, particularly professional lobbyists, hold sponsored passes on the basis of business requirements, which provide unescorted access to the private areas of Parliament House,” the letter, obtained by Guardian Australia, read.“It is my government’s view that the review provides an opportunity to consider increased transparency and rigour in relation to sponsored passes for Parliament House on the basis of business requirements, particularly in relation to professional lobbyists.“In that context, I also consider that the review provides an opportunity to examine the conditions and requirements for unescorted sponsored access to Parliament House, mindful as always of the importance of security.”The names and clients of political lobbyists are maintained on a public register, however the database doesn’t detail which have access to parliament.The speaker and the president are responsible for setting the policies, meaning any changes to sponsored passes would technically be decided independent of the government.But the prime minister will be difficult to ignore, setting the stage for long-awaited reforms to the opaque system.The Labor government’s record on transparency has been repeatedly called into question during its four years in office, undermining one of Albanese’s core promises ahead of his 2022 election win over Scott Morrison.The existing policy was approved in August 2023 and must be re-examined every three years, hence the timing of the upcoming review.“The review will consider all aspects of the policy to ensure it is relevant to the current environment and is fit-for-purpose,” a spokesperson for the speaker said in a statement to Guardian Australia.“As part of the review, the Department of Parliamentary Services will consult with the Australian Federal Police, key Australian Parliament House stakeholders including parliamentary departments and other Commonwealth entities as relevant.”