Political lobbyists with unfettered access to Canberra\u2019s halls of power could be exposed to more scrutiny as Anthony Albanese suggests greater \u201ctransparency and rigour\u201d of sponsored passholders at Parliament House.<\/p>\n
The prime minister has written to the house speaker, Milton Dick, and Senate president, Sue Lines, ahead of an upcoming review<\/a> of the policies governing access to the building\u2019s private areas.<\/p>\n Visitors with orange passes, which include political lobbyists, have rights to unescorted access to the non-public areas of Parliament House, allowing them to roam free in the corridors of MPs offices.<\/p>\n But details about the passholders, including their identity and which MPs sponsored their access-all-areas privileges, has long been shrouded in secrecy<\/a> despite calls from crossbenchers and integrity advocates for greater transparency.<\/p>\n Several crossbenchers proactively disclose which passes they sponsor, including the ACT senator David Pocock, who last year created an online public register<\/a> that pressured all MPs to follow suit.<\/p>\n \u201cAustralians deserve to know who can walk in here and lobby their elected representatives. A strong democracy depends on transparency and accountability,\u201d Pocock said at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cA pass sponsored by a parliamentarian provides privileged access. Access that potentially allows certain perspectives to reach decision-makers ahead of others. The public has the right to know who\u2019s being given that privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n As of mid-2024, there were more than 2,050 sponsored passes for access to Parliament House<\/a>, an unknown share of which were held by paid lobbyists.<\/p>\n The orange passes are issued to a cross-section of visitors to parliament house outside of lobbyists, including representatives from non-government organisations, business leaders and volunteers.<\/p>\n In his letter to parliament\u2019s presiding officers on Monday, Albanese said unescorted access to parliament\u2019s private areas was a \u201cprivilege\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cA growing number of individuals, particularly professional lobbyists, hold sponsored passes on the basis of business requirements, which provide unescorted access to the private areas of Parliament House,\u201d the letter, obtained by Guardian Australia, read.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is my government\u2019s view that the review provides an opportunity to consider increased transparency and rigour in relation to sponsored passes for Parliament House on the basis of business requirements, particularly in relation to professional lobbyists.<\/p>\n \u201cIn that context, I also consider that the review provides an opportunity to examine the conditions and requirements for unescorted sponsored access to Parliament House, mindful as always of the importance of security.\u201d<\/p>\n