Queensland Premier Steven Miles claims third-party lobbying restrictions ‘very hard’

Queensland Premier Steven Miles says it is too difficult to force in-house lobbyists into the state’s transparent lobbying regime despite warnings from the crime and corruption watchdog that it is a ‘corruption risk’.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles during a visit to Sandstone Point in Moreton Bay. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Queensland Premier Steven Miles says it is too difficult to force in-house lobbyists into the state’s transparent lobbying regime, despite warnings from the crime and corruption watchdog that it is a “corruption risk”.

The Weekend Australian revealed that former Labor minister turned in-house lobbyist Kate Jones previously met with Director-General Mike Kaiser alongside her millionaire client Bevan Slattery, but it didn’t have to declare it in accordance with Queensland law.

On Sunday, Mr Miles ruled out forcing director-generals to make the same diary disclosures as ministers to close that loophole. In Queensland, all third-party lobbyists are tracked by a lobbyist register.

“It’s very hard to draw a line between what is currently regulated lobbying and pretty much everyone else we meet with,” Mr Miles said.

“You’d need to define just about everyone we meet with as a lobbyist. Any business that comes to see us, any community organisation president … where would you draw the line between them?”

The meeting between Mr Kaiser, Ms Jones and Mr Slattery was discovered only following a Right to Information request by this newspaper. Mr Miles said the RTI system was a “mechanism of accountability”.

The Queensland Labor government has previously tightened third-party lobbying laws. While lobbyists must be registered and publicly declare contact with particular government, opposition and public service figures, those working in-house as government relations professionals do not have the same transparency demands.

In 2022, CCC acting chair Bruce Barbour warned there was an “obvious corruption risk posed by the in-house lobbying” arrangement, and urged the government to regulate those individuals as well.

Ms Jones has denied being a lobbyist. The Premier said he was “not aware” of the government considering funds for Mr Slattery’s proposed artificial reef project, for which he wants $8m in state and federal government funding.

On Sunday, Mr Miles attended Sandstone Point Hotel, one hour north of Brisbane, to announce more than $100m for boating, camping and fishing. He was joined by first-term Labor MP for Pumicestone Ali King, who holds the marginal Moreton Bay seat by 5.27 per cent.

Liberal National Party leader David Crisafulli, who was also in the electorate, said he was open to forcing in-house lobbyists to declare activity on the formal lobbying register, managed by the state’s integrity commissioner. “I’d be interested in advice from some of those bodies on that. I’d be very happy to receive advice on that,” he said.

“But one thing’s for certain … where members of parliament owe their existence to individuals, there needs to be greater transparency on the influence that person has on government decisions.

“If you reflect on the Coaldrake review, nothing has changed; if anything, the events of the last week or so suggest that it continues to deteriorate.”

Registered lobbyists have previously complained about the “narrow definition of lobbying in the state, arguing that it is anti-competitive and allowed for failures of transparency and accountability.