SA Introduces New Bills Dealing With Lobbying & Parliamentary Remuneration
Tuesday 15 September 2015 @ 11.33 a.m. | Legal Research
South Australian Attorney-General John Rau has introduced the Lobbyists Bill 2015 into Parliament. The Bill makes a number of changes to the regulation of lobbying activities, including imposing rules on the length of the time Ministers and staff must wait after leaving office before taking part in lobbying activities. The Bill also prevents members of government boards from engaging in professional lobbying during their appointments.
Lobbyists will also need to be registered and will be required to lodge annual returns stating who they have been engaged by, who they lobbied, and the subject matter involved. Lobbyists will also be prohibited from receiving “success fees”, defined as “an amount of money or other valuable consideration, the receipt of which is contingent on the outcome of the lobbying” in section 14 of the Bill.
Introducing the Bill in the House of Assembly, the Attorney-General said:
“This bill is part of a package of reforms to strengthen and improve the state's public integrity system. … Lobbying is a legitimate part of the democratic process. There is an expectation, however, thatlobbying activities will be carried out transparently and with integrity.”
Another part of the reforms that was introduced on the same day was the Parliamentary Remuneration (Determination of Remuneration) Amendment Bill 2015. Introducing this Bill, the Attorney-General said:
“In addition to 'remuneration' within the meaning of the act, members of parliament receive a number of allowances, expenses and benefits (determined by parliament or the executive government). It is fair to say that the level of remuneration payable to members of parliament generates a degree of disquiet amongst voters.
Members, even backbenchers, earn salaries well above the national wage. We have access to generous travel entitlements and other benefits. Partly this disquiet stems from the way remuneration and other entitlements are determined. Although the tribunal is responsible for determining some of the allowances, expenses and benefits, the public sees the current mechanism for determining the basic salary as politicians setting our own pay.”
The Parliamentary Remuneration (Determination of Remuneration) Amendment Bill 2015 makes a number of changes to the operation of the Remuneration Tribunal and sets out a new method for calculating the basic salary of members of Parliament. The Bill abolishes allowances such as travel allowances and subsidised rail travel. Instead, the Remuneration Tribunal will calculate an increased base salary that incorporates a new “common allowance”. The changes are intended to promote transparency and independence.
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Sources:
Lobbyists Bill 2015 (SA) & supplementary materials? - available on TimeBase's LawOne service
Parliamentary Remuneration (Determination of Remuneration) Amendment Bill 2015 (SA) & supplementary materials - available on TimeBase's LawOne service
