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Lobby world: political lobbying is a $1-billion-a-year industry. John Warhurst argues that while the likes of Brian Burke are not representative of the industry, open government demands regulation.

Article Excerpt
The Australian lobbying industry comprises a diverse range of groups, companies and individuals who act as professional intermediaries seeking to influence government policies and decisions. The Business Council of Australia, the National Farmers Federation and the Australian Council of Social Service, employees of big corporations and churches, and large, specialist lobbying companies (like Parker and Partners, Crosby Textor and Gavin Anderson, acting for others on a fee-for-service basis), are examples. Some cluster in Canberra around the federal government, while others are based in each of the metropolitan cities in order to do business with state and local governments. They range from large firms and associations to virtual backyard operators.

Estimating the size of the industry is difficult, complicated by the fact that lobbyists operate under various names--'government relations', 'public affairs', 'issues management', 'communications', are just some examples. Industries and professions such as law, accountancy, merchant banking and general public relations also boast a lobbying capacity. In his recent book Lobbying in Australia, Julian Fitzgerald, estimates that there are 1000 lobbyists in Canberra alone and reckons the income of the industry is over $1 billion dollars per year.

Brian Burke, the now twice disgraced former Premier of Western Australia, is part of of the independent fee-for-service sector. His clients, including mining companies and trade unions, have rallied to acclaim...

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