The Farce of Regulating Lobbying

Lobbyists - Business as usual

Legislation to "control" lobbyist in Western Australia has always been ineffective. Geoff Gallop's puny register of lobbyists nets only about 10% of lobbyists actively working in Western Australia.

Independent Liz Constable's two very potent and probably very effective Bills were both ignored by the Labor and Liberal Governments. The Corruption and Crime Commission has failed to have a public or private inquiry into lobbying and its extent in Western Australia. Such an inquiry would have been more effective than the pursuit of high profile political enemies of the ruling elite of the time.

Readers may be surprised to know that some of our most prominent lobbyists are former Prime Ministers.

Bob Hawke has sold his lobbying services to many foreign governments. He was a regular golf partner of the Burmese Generals in his early days. In recent years he has praised the military junta and been silent on Aung San Suu Kyi and didn't raise human rights on his most recent visit.

Paul Keating has long had a client list of foreign governments and government controlled company on his consulting services list going back many years. One company of which he was a lobbyist or shall we use the euphemism "business associate" was a Chinese Government company Aldoga Aluminium Smelter Pty Ltd.

Kevin Rudd became a lobbyist after he fell out with Queensland Premier Wayne Goss. Rudd was his Principal Private Secretary. Rudd promptly went to work for the Chinese Government consulting in Africa.

What Chinese interest was Rudd serving when he went to the Sudan on the Chinese Government's behalf when the Sudanese government backed militia were slaughtering refugees in Dafur?

Former Prime Ministers and other politicians should not be allowed to work as lobbyists without some form of effective parliamentary oversight.

We certainly have not got that in WA - by design, the Desert Rat thinks.