Crime and Corruption Commission targets unions in fresh lobbying reforms

Trade unions and in-house lobbyists will be dragged into Queensland’s lobbying legislation under a major push from the Crime and Corruption Commission to shake up the state’s integrity laws.

Trade unions and in-house lobbyists would be captured under Queensland’s lobbying legislation under a major push from the Crime and Corruption Commission to shake up the state’s integrity laws.

In a surprise move, the corruption watchdog proposed a suite of sweeping reforms on Monday as it warned of gaps in lobbying laws that could lead to corruption risks.

In a 36-page report, the CCC says it had received submissions that detailed examples of “suspected or alleged improper influence” at state and local levels of government.

“This included concerns that elected officials and public sector employees were being improperly influenced through personal or political relationships, money or the activities of trade unions,” the report says.

“Examples were also provided of elected officials and public sector employees attempting to leverage their role and associations for either their own personal benefit or the benefit of others.”

The CCC suggested concerns had been raised about lobbying and political donations potentially shaping government decisions that were “not well-informed and not in the interests of the broader community”.

In a bid to boost transparency, the CCC has recommended the government consider amending the definition of lobbyists to remove exemptions that apply to unions, interest groups and in-house lobbyists.

The watchdog also wants all MP and electorate office employees to be officially classed as government or opposition representatives under the lobbying legislation.

Senior government and opposition representatives would also be barred from registering as a lobbyist for a specific period of time.

The CCC also called for all state MPs and local government councillors to publish extensive information about their meetings with private sector representatives.

The report follows a bombshell discussion paper the CCC released last year, where it warned a small number of key groups and individuals appeared to have a disproportionate amount of access to government decision-makers.

A state government spokesman said the new report would be “carefully considered”.

“As the CCC noted, Queensland’s transparency framework is one of the strongest in Australia and work is already under way to make it even stronger and improve transparency and equity,” he said.

“The work of the CCC will help inform ongoing integrity reforms …”

LNP integrity in government spokeswoman Fiona Simpson called for greater transparency over how key decisions were being made.

“It is clear the corruption watchdog believes trade union officials are the faceless men and women running this state,” she said.

Local Government Association of Queensland CEO Alison Smith insisted the recommendations in the CCC report were “unnecessary”.

“If the CCC had bothered to consult with the LGAQ before finalising its report and making its recommendations, we would have been able to enlighten them to the safeguards that already exist,” she said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a suite of new lobbying rules last year, including expanding the definition of a lobbyist.