The lists of political lobbyists published by the various Australian governments that have lobbyist registers are full of familiar political names.
In NSW, former Premier Bob Carr, former federal Labor senator Graham Richardson and former state Liberal leader Kerry Chikarovski all lobby. In Queensland former Labor deputy premiers Terry Mackenroth and Jim Elder, former federal Liberal minister Santo Santoro and former federal Labor minister Con Sciacca are active lobbyists. In South Australia former Labor minister Nick Bolkus and former Liberal foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer lobby together.
As former political leaders they understand government and politics and can pass on that knowledge to others in the community. If they make the wheels of government run more smoothly then that is a good thing.
But I am unhappy when these former ministers play favorites to the detriment of a fair go for all. I worry even more when former ministers lobby governments that they have served in as senior members. A change of government can clear the air.
I agree with my former political science class mate at Flinders University, Dr Bob Such, once a Liberal minister in the 1990s and now an Independent MP in the South Australian Parliament. Dr Such has a bill on Lobbying and Ministerial Accountability languishing unloved in the South Australian Parliament. He observes that lobbying is too incestuous. The process of making public policy shouldn't be like a school reunion.
Such mixes his metaphors between school and family but his message is clear. He has been quoted as saying that 'it's a bit like the extended family mentality. Those ex-ministers or whatever are welcomed with open arms. It's like they have been through the same private school together, mixed in the same playground, but now we're mates so let's see how we can help each other.'
Though I defer to the right of former politicians to do what they like after leaving Parliament, I value those ex-ministers who re-invent themselves in serving good causes and move on rather than hanging around politics.
It helps to be offered a decent job by either your own or the other side of politics, or by a university or private company. Whatever the motivations of the Rudd Government might be, we should applaud their nonpartisan initiative in employing former Nationals leader Tim Fischer as Ambassador to the Vatican and former Howard environment minister Robert Hill to head the government's new Carbon Trust. Former Liberal Bruce Baird