Revealed: LNP’s secret lobbyist meetings six months out from election

Premier Steven Miles says he will ask the Integrity Commissioner Linda Waugh to investigate a loophole that allowed lobbyists to hold secret meetings with the LNP.

Premier Steven Miles has called on the LNP to go public with any secret meetings it has held with lobbyists as he revealed he would ask Integrity Commissioner Linda Waugh to investigate a lobbying loophole.

Lobbyists have been allowed to hold secret meetings with shadow ministers in a major integrity loophole exposed just six months out from the state election.

Under current lobbying rules, contact between lobbyists and LNP frontbenchers is not required to be disclosed on the state’s lobbying register, The Courier-Mail can reveal.

Lobbyists are required to report contact with government or “opposition representatives” within 15 days of a meeting, but the law does not extend to meetings with shadow ministers.

The significant loophole has been exposed just six months ahead of the state election, where the LNP is on-track to win government.

Premier Steven Miles says he will ask the Integrity Commissioner to investigate a lobbying loophole used by the LNP. Picture David Clark

Mr Miles said he was “surprised” to discover that the current laws mean shadow ministers do not have to disclose meetings with lobbyists

“We only discovered it because we recently moved to force shadow ministers to disclose their diaries, (or) we would never have known about their secret lobbying if it weren’t for that change,” he said.

“It is incumbent on the LNP now to disclose all meetings that have occurred this term with lobbyists, whether they’re required to under the current terms or not.”

Mr Miles also said he would seek the advice of Ms Waugh about whether “those regulations should be changed”.

“It was my understanding that members of Mr Crisafulli’s staff were in that meeting, and therefore it should have been disclosed under the existing rules.”

Existing rules require only meetings between lobbyists and the Opposition Leader, their staff, or the deputy opposition leader be disclosed.

Queensland opposition leader David Crisafulli during parliament sitting in Brisbane. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has previously said his team was formulating policies and would release them before the election.

The state government has faced persistent criticism over its dealing with lobbyists amid revelations two Labor-linked operatives ran Annastacia Palaszczuk’s 2020 election campaign from the government’s One William Street office.

The latest lobbying loophole was revealed when Premier Steven Miles on Thursday noted LNP transport spokesman Steve Minnikin met with Cross River Rail developer CPB Contractors and their lobbyist, Scott Emerson, in March.

Scott Emerson with his family in 2017.

While Mr Minnikin logged the meeting in his diary, Mr Emerson did not log it on his lobbying contact register.

Mr Emerson, a former Newman government transport minister, said he always complied with lobbying rules.

He said “many companies” had been in contact seeking to ensure they were “speaking to both sides of politics” in the lead up to the election.

The meeting between Mr Minnikin and Mr Emerson was revealed following a landmark release of LNP frontbencher diaries for the first time last month.

The lobbying loophole meant these meetings would otherwise be kept in the dark.

Diaries of the Opposition’s 18 shadow ministers were published for the first time after The Courier-Mail campaigned for the diaries of assistant ministers — who earn $90,000 a year extra — to be made public.

Shadow Transport Minister Steve Minnikin. Picture Lachie Millard

A number of shadow ministers in March logged meeting with businesses and organisations arranged by lobbyists, including Mr Emerson.

Queensland Integrity Commission Linda Waugh confirmed the existing lobbying rules did not require them to disclose dealings with shadow ministers.

“A registered lobbyist who engaged in lobbying activity with a shadow minister is not required to enter that contact into the Queensland Lobbying Register,” she said.

“The question about the definition of Opposition representative is not one which arose during the consultation and public hearings conducted in relation to the Integrity and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2023.”