‘Cut ties to lobby firm, too, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’

Annastacia Palaszczuk should cut all ties with a high-profile Labor lobbying firm after she blacklisted its owners, the opposition argues.

Anacta Strategies co-founder Evan Moorhead. Picture: Annette Dew

Annastacia Palaszczuk should cut all ties with a high-profile Labor lobbying firm after she blacklisted its owners, the opposition argues.

Anacta Strategies will be allowed to continue to pursue government decision-makers after the Queensland Premier banned its co founders – Evan Moorhead and David Nelson – from approaching the state government for two years.

The pair were barred alongside former ALP state secretary Cameron Milner after a scathing integrity review recommended a ban on election campaigners acting as lobbyists.

All three worked on Ms Palaszczuk’s successful 2020 election campaign while continuing to lobby on behalf of corporate clients.

In his report into accountability and transparency, released last week, Peter Coaldrake found the “market failure” of government being unable to deal with business and community interests without a “paid intermediary”.

The former Queensland University of Technology boss recommended: “If an individual plays a substantive role in the election campaign of a prospective government, they should be banned from engaging in lobbying for the next term of office.”

Deputy opposition leader Jarrod Bleijie said Ms Palaszczuk should have banned Anacta, not just Mr Moorhead and Mr Nelson, from any government work.

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

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

Mr Bleijie said the community was more concerned about Anacta “because of the extraordinary donations to the ALP, their extraordinary access to the Labor state government and the extraordinary success rate for their clients”.

Anacta has donated $217,000 to the ALP since Ms Palaszczuk helped launch the firm in 2019.

Ms Palaszczuk has said the government would consider Professor Coaldrake’s suggestion of banning political donations from lobbyists, but would not cut off all access to Anacta and Next Level.

“Coaldrake talks about lobbyists, so it is the lobbyists,” she said on Monday.

Since the October 2020 election, Anacta has had more than 550 meetings with government officials, including the offices of the Premier, Deputy Premier and Treasurer.

Anacta did not wish to provide comment.