Operation Clara was an investigation by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC). This report highlights the need for reforms to the regulation of lobbying in Victoria and makes recommendations to ensure those regulations are in step with other states and territories.

Restoring integrity to Australian governance requires more than just substantive law reform, such as tightening laws that regulate lobbying and campaign finance and increasing the powers of specialised integrity institutions. It also requires the powers of the cornerstone institution of Australia’s integrity system – Parliament...

Drawing on insights from Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan and Kyrgyzstan, this report connects the global decline of democracies to digital disruption and calls for strengthened regulatory frameworks along with its enforcement to prevent monied interests and hidden actors from influencing the outcome of democratic elections.

To meet the growing demand, the world will need new mines, and this new and rapidly changing context brings additional challenges and opportunities for the mining industry, for governments and communities. This report highlights a selection of key trends to understand the regulatory requirements and...

This report sets out recommendations for significant improvements to donations and lobbying regulations in Victoria. These recommendations are based on analysis of Victoria's regulatory framework and the experience of other Australian and comparable international jurisdictions and broader research.

This open access book provides political, legal and public interest justifications for truth in election advertising legislation and examines the history and state of play of legal experiments with such legislation in Australia.

Effective political finance regulation has multiple dividends - it promotes political equality, curbs corruption and enables climate action, writes Joo-Cheong Tham.

This review aspires to influence a cultural shift, which encourages openness from the top, starting with Cabinet processes and a resulting shared focus on identifying and dealing with the challenges Queensland faces.

State capture occurs when powerful or wealthy interests interfere with decision-making and assume a degree of control over the democratic rule-making process itself. This report breaks down six modes of influence used in State capture.

This report explores how the powerful fossil fuel, gambling and tobacco industries are attempting to take advantage of Australia’s weak integrity laws, thereby distorting the nation's democratic processes, to put profits ahead of society's wellbeing.

Regulation of political lobbying is a significant corruption challenge for governments, according to this article, but if done successfully can enhance political equality and improve fairness of government policy-making by increasing transparency in the disclosure of lobbying activities.

This report on Operation Eclipse is an investigation into the regulation of lobbying, access and influence in New South Wales. It examines factors that could either allow, encourage or cause corrupt conduct, or detract from the integrity and good repute of public administration.

This report calls for new rules to extend the prohibition on former cabinet ministers lobbying government, new enforcement powers to ensure ministerial rules are followed, and greater transparency surrounding the outside interests of civil servants.

Exploring the history and evolution of lobbying regulation in Australian federal and state jurisdictions, this article develops a conceptual framework to evaluate lobbying regulation based on the form of regulation, the standards it imposes, and compliance processes.

The objective of this audit was to examine the effectiveness of the Attorney-General’s Department’s implementation of the recommendations from the Auditor-General Report, Management of the Australian Government’s Register of Lobbyists.

In Australia, trust in government is at an all-time low. The are many causes of declining trust. Globalisation and cultural anxiety are part of the story, as is the changing media landscape. But the actions and inactions of politicians are also part of the problem...

In this article, former Canadian ambassador to China, David Mulroney, argues that Canada is facing a growing threat with regards to foreign influence and interference. In particular, he warns that China is expanding its capacity to meddle in Canadian affairs. He goes on to suggest...

More than one-third of people registered on the Australian government Register of Lobbyists have previously been government representatives. This article aims to explore the incidence of the ‘revolving door’ phenomenon, whereby individuals move between positions in government and positions in the Australian alcohol, food and...

Australian politics' 'revolving door' is undermining efforts to counter lobbying and potential corruption, and the regulation system is hopelessly flawed.

The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s management of the Australian government’s Register of Lobbyists. It suggests that improvements could be made to communications, compliance management and evaluation for the code and the...

Imagine Tony Abbott resigned to become a lobbyist tomorrow. He would be seeking to influence the political position of his party for his commercial benefit and the commercial advantage of his clients over their competitors. And if he did, he would be completely within the...

The ICAC conducted an investigation into the lobbying of public officials and public authorities in NSW and the related procedures and regulatory system. In this report on the investigation, which was made public on 10 November 2010, the ICAC made 17 recommendations to improve the...

The Bligh Government has announced a ban on success fees for lobbyists. This follows the revelation that former Labor and Liberal party figures have received a success fee for securing Queensland government contracts for clients.

The committee received evidence from a variety of organisations and individuals that generally welcomed the Lobbying Code of Conduct. The majority of evidence received included comments of support, which viewed the Code as a significant step towards increasing the level of transparency surrounding lobbying activities.