Integrity Minister hires ex-lobbyist as chief of staff

The sole owner and a director of a lobbying firm has been recruited to run the office of Queensland’s new Integrity Minister just days after she formally deregistered as a lobbyist in the state.

Queensland Integrity Minister Deb Frecklington. Picture: Liam Kidston

The sole owner and a director of a lobbying firm has been recruited to run the office of Queensland’s new Integrity Minister just days after she formally deregistered as a lobbyist in the state.

Karly Abbott, a veteran conservative staffer who owns The Inner Circle Advisory, has been appointed as Attorney-General and Integrity Minister Deb Frecklington’s chief of staff in the new LNP government.

Premier David Crisafulli – who staked his leadership on “rebuilding trust in government” after spending four years in opposition blasting the Palaszczuk-Miles government over its close ties to lobbyists – said adding integrity to Ms Frecklington’s portfolio would “restore integrity to government for all Queenslanders”.

Queensland’s lobbyist watchdog, the office of the Integrity Commissioner, has confirmed Ms Abbott and her business partner Kathleen Quinn renewed their registration as lobbyists in May and deregistered last Saturday. The firm – which had clients including the Brisbane South Primary Health Network, children’s charity Hope in a Suitcase, and the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth – was ­removed from the state lobbyist register on Monday.

The firm was deregistered on Tuesday from the federal Attorney-General’s lobbyist register, where it had clients including Chinese social media network WeChat International, The Walt Disney Company, Surf Life Saving Queensland, and Australian General Practice Accreditation Ltd.

Ms Abbott was previously a staffer for federal LNP minister Steven Ciobo.

The Weekend Australian asked Ms Frecklington and Ms Abbott whether they had sought advice from the Integrity Commissioner about Ms Abbott’s appointment, whether they anticipated any conflicts of interest with Ms Abbott’s previous clients and Ms Frecklington’s portfolio, and whether Ms Frecklington intended to personally meet with lobbyists.

Deb Frecklington speaks to the media after the new ministers were sworn in. Picture: Tertius Pickard/NewsWire

They did not answer the questions directly. A spokesman said: “The Integrity Commissioner has advised all procedures and requirements have been complied with under the Ministerial Code of Conduct.”

Since the party’s victory at the October 26 state election, LNP-linked lobbyists have sought meetings with new government ministers and officials.

Records show former Newman government minister Scott Emerson met with Housing and Public Works director-general Mark Cridland on Thursday to lobby on behalf of his client, the Community Housing Industry Association Queensland.

Former Liberal candidate and former member of the LNP state executive Malcolm Cole last Saturday contacted newly elected Treasurer David Janetzki, his chief of staff Matthew Tapsall, Mr Crisafulli’s chief of staff Richard Ferrett, and Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek on messaging service WhatsApp.

Contact logs show Mr Cole, a registered lobbyist for SAS Consulting Group, was seeking meetings with the men on behalf of his client Shadowbox Studios, which is negotiating with the Gold Coast City Council to build a movie production facility at Yatala.

Lobbyists and their interactions with governments and political parties have long been a thorny political issue in Queensland.

After The Weekend Australian revealed that Labor lobbyists Evan Moorhead and Cameron Milner had run Annastacia Palaszczuk’s 2020 re-election campaign from her CBD office, Mr Crisafulli created a dedicated “integrity” role on his frontbench.

State law was changed to ban lobbyists from moonlighting as political campaigners and playing a substantial role during elections.