Lobby firms blacklisted by Queensland worked on PM’s campaign

The firm of two now-blacklisted Labor lobbyists was paid more than $100,000 for 18 months to work on Anthony Albanese’s federal campaign in Queensland.

Former Queensland Labor politician turned lobbyist Evan Moorhead. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

The firm of two now-blacklisted Labor lobbyists was paid more than $100,000 for 18 months to work on Anthony Albanese’s federal campaign in Queensland.

Financial records show the Queensland Labor branch paid $79,200 in 2021 to Anacta Strategies, founded and run by former Queensland ALP state secretary Evan Moorhead and David Nelson, with party officials confirming the payments continued until June.

Premier Annastacia Palas­zczuk was forced to ban her government from doing business with Mr Moorhead and Mr Nelson, and rival lobbyist Cameron Milner, after a report by Peter Coaldrake condemned the practice of “dual-hatting” – lobbyists running political campaigns and then profiting off the new ­government.

Mr Moorhead and Mr Milner, also a former ALP state secretary, ran strategy for Ms Palaszczuk’s successful 2020 campaign.

After that, their firms Anacta and Next Level Strategic Services – along with Labor-linked Hawker Britton – secured 70 per cent of all meetings granted to lobbyists by Ms Palaszczuk’s government.

Mr Moorhead and Mr Nelson have removed themselves from the lobbyist register in Queensland, following Ms Palaszczuk’s blacklisting, but Mr Milner is still registered as a lobbyist there despite the ban.

The Australian asked the Prime Minister’s office whether he would follow Ms Palaszczuk’s lead and ban Anacta’s lobbyists, but received no response.

Anacta Strategies set up shop in Canberra days after Mr Albanese’s victory, and Mr Moorhead along with Ms Palaszczuk’s former deputy chief of staff Denise Spinks are registered lobbyists.

The firm has seven clients, including coal giant Glencore Australia, Southern Oil Refining and alcohol company Lion.

Mr Milner’s Next Level Strategic Services is also registered in Canberra and has 14 clients.

New Queensland state secretary Kate Flanders – who took up the role after the May 21 poll - said the party started paying Anacta in 2021 because Labor was unsure when the federal election would be.

“Anacta were engaged on the federal campaign … to assist with advertising and research components of that campaign,” she said.

Ms Flanders said now there was not a campaign on the horizon, the party would review all contracts with service providers, including Anacta.

Mr Nelson did media buying and research for the campaign, but Mr Moorhead said he had no role. “None other than volunteering to hand out how-to-vote cards on election day,” he said.

An Anacta spokesman said: “We have had a longstanding arrangement to provide campaign services to Queensland Labor.”

Earlier in July, Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie called for Ms Palaszczuk to ban Anacta, not just Mr Moorhead and Mr Nelson, from lobbying.

He said their loss of access would not have great impact on Anacta’s influence, given Mr Moorhead was leading the firm’s Canberra expansion after the May federal victory.

“Evan Moorhead has left his minions in charge of Anacta (in Queensland) and they will still be getting government work,” he said.

Mr Bleijie did not believe Mr Milner’s firm, Next Level Strategic Services, should be blacklisted, despite insisting the ban be extended to Anacta.

Mr Milner runs Next Level with David Moore, an LNP stalwart and former Howard government staffer.