Lobbying and influence

On 29 August 2024 the Commission’s report The Room Where it Happens: Lobbying and Influence in South Australia was tabled in Parliament. The report, which makes 31 recommendations, is based on work conducted by the Commission since early 2023.

Integrity risks

The integrity risks associated with lobbying activity are well documented. The experience of anti-corruption and integrity agencies both across Australia and internationally is that those seeking to influence the outcome of government decisions sometimes employ improper means to achieve the ends they want. They may, for example, unfairly leverage personal connections or provide financial or political incentives to motivate decision makers to promote their private interests, rather than acting in a way which best serves the public interest.

In 2021 representatives of more than twenty anti-corruption and integrity agencies from around the country attended an integrity summit with the theme, Lobbying and the public sector (external site) (PDF) (external site) (PDF) (external site) (PDF). This event highlighted both the importance of a robust regulatory scheme, and the potential weaknesses in the scheme in South Australia.

The Commission’s approach

In examining the effectiveness of the South Australian lobbying regulatory scheme the Commission adopted a multi-faceted approach, involving:

open source research (for example, reports prepared by other Australian integrity agencies, research reports published by academics and civil society organisations, media reports and articles, and legislation and other instruments governing lobbying activity both in South Australia and in other jurisdictions)
information from chief executives of South Australian government departments about measures put in place to address lobbying risks
a public call for submissions following the release of a discussion paper (see below links to the discussion paper and submissions which the authors have given permission to publish)
a public forum (see below for further information).

The Commission also undertook an evaluation, pursuant to s 40(2) of the ICAC Act, of the practices, policies and procedures of both the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) and the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) insofar as they relate to the administration of the lobbying scheme. Documentary material was received from both agencies and interviews were conducted with key personnel from both departments.

Public forum

As part of this project the Commission conducted a public forum on Thursday, 9 May 2024.

The forum was a panel discussion focusing on potential areas for reform (based on the Discussion Paper). hosted by Commissioner Ann Vanstone and facilitated by Jodeen Carney, Commissioner of Equal Opportunity SA.

More than 50 guests attended the forum in person, with more than 200 registering for online attendance. Both in-person and online attendees were given the opportunity to pose questions to the panel. Questions came from the local government sector, the public sector, academics and members of the public, and demonstrated the high level of engagement with, and interest in, this topic.

The information arising from the panel discussion and questions posed by attendees helped to inform the Commission’s report on lobbying and influence regulation in South Australia.