Ministerial Conduct

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Greens Senator Larissa Waters (Qld), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate:

(a) notes:

(i) that on 17th September 2018, the Guardian Australia launched a series of damning articles about the practices of lobbyists in the Australian Parliament,

(ii) that the article states that "Big business is gaining almost unfettered access to the corridors of Australia's Parliament owing to an oversight regime that is weak, unenforced, opaque and unable to keep track of the revolving door between lobbying and government", and

(iii) high profile cases such as former Resources Minister Mr Ian MacFarlane taking up a job as head of the Queensland Resources Council almost immediately after quitting politics and, Mr Bruce Billson, former Minister for Small Business, being employed by the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) in March 2016, before actually leaving the Parliament; and

(b) calls on the government to

(i) urgently tighten the ministerial code of conduct to preclude ministers from taking up jobs as lobbyists within 5 years of leaving Parliament, and

(ii) ensure that meaningful penalties are put in place for former ministers who breach the code of conduct.