Palaszczuk’s ex-adviser linked to access
Annastacia Palaszczuk helped launch the lobbying firm of one of her closest advisers in August.
Annastacia Palaszczuk helped officially launch the new lobbying firm of one of her closest government advisers in August, which in the same month secured six meetings with the Premier’s top political staffer over a client seeking approval for a controversial coalmine expansion.
Ms Palaszczuk, accompanied by Transport Minister Mark Bailey, gave a speech at the August 15 office opening of Anacta Strategies, set up by Evan Moorhead, who resigned in May as the Premier’s chief of strategy, and Labor campaign veteran David Nelson.
The start-up firm quickly secured two major clients in the New Hope Group, seeking approval for its $900m expansion of the New Acland Mine, west of Brisbane, and the Downer Group, which it emerged last month is seeking to win a contract to build new trains.
Queensland’s lobbyist register shows Anacta Strategies secured six meetings in August on behalf of New Hope with the chiefs of staff to both the Premier and State Development Minister Cameron Dick over its stalled mine expansion.
The declarations about the meetings were made by Anacta after The Australian revealed Mr Moorhead’s involvement with the firm, raising integrity questions in the face of a two-year ban under the Integrity Act on former staffers lobbying for companies they had dealings with while in government.
Mr Moorhead was involved in high-level government deliberations over the proposed mine expansion and met with New Hope executives before quitting the Premier’s office.
New Hope and Anacta Strategies have since parted ways, but both the coal company and Mr Moorhead — who maintained he complied with the Integrity Act by leaving the lobbying for the mine expansion to Mr Nelson — failed on Wednesday to respond to questions.
Ministerial diaries for August, released this week, show Ms Palaszczuk and Mr Bailey both attended the launch of the lobbying firm, which has been given the use of two offices rent-free by ALP-aligned lawyers Holding Redlich.
A spokesman for Ms Palaszczuk confirmed that the Premier had helped launch the lobbying firm for Mr Moorhead, who was ALP state secretary until he was lured to the Premier’s office after overseeing the 2017 state election win.
“The Premier wishes Mr Moorhead well as she did publicly at the launch of his business and disclosed in the publication of her diary,’’ the spokesman said.
“She is confident he is aware of his obligations.’’
The ministerial diary did not disclose that the event was the firm’s launch or that Ms Palaszczuk had given a speech.
The diaries also show Downer and unnamed representatives paid for access to closed-door meetings at the ALP state conference in August with cabinet ministers, including Mr Bailey, Mr Dick, Deputy Premier Jackie Trad and Shannon Fentiman.
When asked last month by The Australian why it engaged Anacta Strategies, the company issued a statement saying: “Downer engages a number of organisations in each state to provide strategic advice across the range of our operations.”
Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said Ms Palaszczuk needed “to guarantee that she has followed all integrity rules”.
Ms Palaszczuk “has form not enforcing integrity rules”, Ms Frecklington said.
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