Editing Lobbying (section)

====Public lobbyist registers====
A register of federal lobbyists is kept by the [[Australian Government]] and is accessible to the public via its website.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://lobbyists.pmc.gov.au/who_register.cfm|title = Who is on the register?|access-date = 2015-04-15|website = Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet|publisher = Australian Government|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181201093418/https://lobbyists.pmc.gov.au/who_register.cfm|archive-date = 2018-12-01|url-status = dead}}</ref> Similar registers for State government lobbyists were introduced between 2007 and 2009 around Australia. Since April 2007 in Western Australia, only lobbyists listed on the state's register are allowed to contact a government representative for the purpose of lobbying.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.lobbyists.wa.gov.au/Pages/About.aspx|title = About the Register|date = 2011-07-20|access-date = 2015-04-15|website = Public Sector Commission – Register of Lobbyists|publisher = Government of Western Australia|archive-date = 2015-02-28|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150228055531/https://www.lobbyists.wa.gov.au/Pages/About.aspx|url-status = dead}}</ref> Similar rules have applied in Tasmania since 1 September 2009<ref>{{Cite web|title = Register of Lobbyists : Register of Lobbyists|url = http://lobbyists.dpac.tas.gov.au/|website = lobbyists.dpac.tas.gov.au|access-date = 2015-07-03|archive-date = 2015-07-03|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150703192912/http://lobbyists.dpac.tas.gov.au/|url-status = dead}}</ref> and in [[South Australia]] and [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] since 1 December 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.dpc.sa.gov.au/south-australian-lobbyist-code-conduct-and-register|title = South Australian Lobbyist Code of Conduct and Public Register|access-date = 2015-04-15|website = Department of Premier & Cabinet|publisher = Government of South Australia|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150411075116/http://dpc.sa.gov.au/south-australian-lobbyist-code-conduct-and-register|archive-date = 2015-04-11|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.lobbyistsregister.vic.gov.au/lobbyistsregister/index.cfm?event=faq|title = Questions and answers for Victorian Register of Lobbyists|date = 2014-06-20|website = Victorian Public Sector Commissioner – Register of Lobbyists|publisher = State Government of Victoria}}</ref> A criticism of the lobbyist register is that it only captures professional third-party lobbyists, not employees of companies which directly lobby government. An example of this is BHP, which employs Geoff Walsh, a key advisor to Bob Hawke as an in-house lobbyist.<ref name=":2" />

In 2022, The Mercury published a complete list of lobbyists registered at the Tasmanian Parliament. The field was dominated by former politicians, advisers and journalists in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Matt |date=2016-10-22 |title=Who plays the lobby game in Tasmania |work=Mercury |url=https://www.themercury.com.au/news/politics/who-plays-the-lobby-game-in-tasmania/news-story/537bf8344fff4fcb3ef0a689d64be3ce |access-date=2022-11-03}}</ref>