## The fossil fuel playbook: How coal and gas bought time, and how to take it back
Following on from #DavidPocock’s appearance at the National Press Club where the ACT Senator spoke about lobbysts, the Klaxon has published an article by Robyn Gulliver which exposes, along with *revolving door* golden parachutes, and working both sides of politics with significant *donations* to both major parties, the extent to which Parliaments (Federal, State and Territory) are swamped with ephemeral *lobbyists* stood up as needed with each new policy and legislation which seek to regulate or tax #ExtractiveIndustries business activities (fossil fuel industries included).
Recalling Sen Pocock’s call for limiting and regulating lobbyists access to Ministers and their Staff.
> “While political donations make headlines, daily influence happens out of sight. Integrity experts estimate about 80 per cent of federal lobbying falls outside the rules, shielded by an exemption that excludes in-house corporate lobbyists from registration requirements.
> Multinational giants like Santos do not appear on the federal register at all.
> State-level surges reveal how surgical this access is: our analysis showed gas lobbying registrations more than doubled in Victoria and surged five-fold in South Australia during the lead-up to proposed municipal gas bans, only to evaporate once the votes settled.
> Transparency International scores Australia’s federal lobbying oversight system and abysmal 17 out of 100, and to date, not a single lobbyist has faced sanction despite recorded breaches.”
As the author reminds us:
> It would be easy to despair. But the playbook works best in the dark, and the lights are coming on.
I certainly hope so.
#RegulateLobbyists #ResourcesSectorInfluence #2028Elections #PoliticalInfluence #BuyingPoliticalSupport #AusPol #Parliament #ReleaseMinisterialDiaries #MoreTransparency #MandatoryAccountability
#FossilFuelLobby #ResourceSectorLobby #PrivilegedAccessToMinisters #BuyAPolitician