Public forum
The Independent Commission Against Corruption in South Australia (the Commission) is examining the integrity risks associated with lobbying and influencing activity in South Australia and is considering the adequacy of the current regulatory scheme created by the Lobbyists Act 2015 (SA).
As part of this project the Commission is holding a public forum on Thursday, 9 May 2024 from 10am – 12 noon.
The forum will not be looking at any allegations or suggestions of wrongdoing by any particular persons. Rather, it will be a forward looking exercise, concerned with matters of policy arising from our growing understanding of the integrity risks associated with lobbying.
The public forum will take the form of a panel discussion. Jodeen Carney, Commissioner of Equal Opportunity SA, will facilitate that discussion, focussing on several ‘Potential Areas for Reform’ (see the Discussion Paper released in June 2023).
The expert panel will be comprised of:
- Hon Christopher Pyne (Pyne and Partners)
- Associate Professor Dr Yee-Fui Ng (Monash University)
- Deputy Commissioner David Wolf (Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, Victoria)
- Dr Catherine Williams (Executive Director, Centre for Public Integrity)
- Mr David Washington (Solstice Media)
- Mr Ian Horne (Board Member, Tourism SA)
The event will have an invited in-person audience and will be live-streamed, with opportunities for attendees to ask questions of the panel.
If you wish to attend the live-streamed event, please register here.
Following the public forum, the Commission will formally report its work to parliament.
Lobbying and influence
The Independent Commission Against Corruption has long held an interest in the potential corruption risks that accompany lobbying and influencing activities directed towards public officers.
Several interstate anti-corruption agencies have recently examined lobbying practices and transparency regimes in their jurisdictions. These examinations have been motivated by evidence that some elected officials and public officers may be vulnerable to improper influence.
The Commission has observed similar vulnerabilities and instances of improper lobbying conduct.
The Commission released a public report entitled Yes Minister – Corruption Risks Associated with Unsolicited Proposals. That report highlighted the potential risks of improper influence being brought to bear on public administration in situations where unsolicited proposals may not be in the public interest. But the risks of improper influence exist across many other functions of public administration.
To better understand the risk that improper and unregulated influencing poses to public administration, and to identify ways to minimise the potential for corruption in the interactions between lobbyists and the lobbied, the Commission seeks submissions in response to its Discussion Paper: Lobbying and Influence.
In response to the discussion paper, the Commission received 17 written submissions interviews which proved helpful in elucidating the issues and pointing towards potential areas for reform of lobbying regulation in this state.
One matter has become apparent as the project has progressed, which is the need to have a detailed understanding of the regulatory scheme created by the Lobbyists Act 2015. The responsibility for administering this scheme sits with the Department for the Premier and Cabinet.
On 20 December 2023 the Commissioner announced, pursuant to s 7(1)(b) of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 2012, her decision to conduct an evaluation of the practices, policies, and procedures of that Department insofar as they relate to the administration of that scheme. The Chief Executive has been advised of this decision and is providing every assistance.
