Ryan's lobbyist register bill lapsed without a vote
Dr Monique Ryan, a Member of Parliament (MP), wanted lobbyists on a public list. Lobbyists are people who try to sway the government. She wanted company lobbyists on the list too. She wanted ministers to publish their diaries, and the anti-corruption watchdog to be in charge. The bill was dropped from the to-do list of the House of Representatives in May 2026 with no vote.
Official name: Lobbying (Improving Government Honesty and Trust) Bill 2025 (No. 2)
- Lobbyists who work inside big companies and industry groups would have had to sign up, as well as lobbyists for hire.
- Lobbyists would have had to report every meeting with politicians and officials every three months, on a public website.
- Ministers would have had to publish their diaries every month.
- Former ministers and senior government officials would have had to wait three years before lobbying on topics they handled.
- The bill was dropped from the House's to-do list on 26 May 2026. It did not become law.
Who it affects
- Lobbyists for hire: They would have had to sign up, report their meetings and name their clients, or face a fine.
- Staff of big companies and industry groups who lobby: Many would have counted as in-house lobbyists. They would have had to sign up and report for the first time.
- Ministers: They would have had to publish a monthly diary of work meetings, with who was there and what was talked about.
- Former ministers and senior officials: They could not have lobbied on topics they handled for three years after leaving.
- Politicians, their staff and public servants (people who work in government departments): They could not have met a lobbyist who was not signed up.
- Everyday people and community campaigns: Contacting your own MP, or joining a local campaign, would not count as lobbying.
Lobbying code misses in-house lobbyists
Lobbying is when people try to sway choices made by the government. They might push for a law, a plan, a contract or some money.
Today the federal government has a code of conduct for lobbyists. That is a set of rules on how they must behave. It only covers lobbyists on a list who are paid to act for clients. It does not cover staff of companies or industry groups who lobby for their own boss.
Dr Ryan's notes on the bill say nothing really happens to people who break the code. They say the public cannot see who lobbies whom, when, or about what.
The current code says former ministers should not lobby on their old work for 18 months. For senior advisers and officials it is 12 months. The notes say this rule cannot be enforced and is often ignored.
The notes also say New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory make ministers publish their diaries. No federal law does this.
Who brought the bill
This was a private bill. That means the government did not bring it. Dr Monique Ryan MP brought it to the House of Representatives on 27 October 2025. That is the house of Parliament where the government is formed.
The "No. 2" in its name means it was the second bill with this title.
Who counts as a lobbyist
Lobbying would mean any contact with a government person to sway a government choice. A government person includes politicians and their staff. It also includes public servants, people working on government contracts, and members of the Defence Force.
A lobbyist for hire is someone paid to lobby for a client. An in-house lobbyist works for a group and lobbies for it.
A group would be caught if it spent at least $100,000 a year paying people to lobby. It would also be caught if it took in at least $5 million a year. Industry groups would be caught too.
A worker there would count if they spent at least 8 hours a month lobbying, for at least 3 months of a year.
Some things would not count. These include talking to a committee of Parliament, writing to your own MP, bidding for a government job, and local campaigns. Doctors, lawyers and accountants who only lobby now and then would not count either.
A public register and reports
The National Anti-Corruption Commission is the federal watchdog that looks into corruption. Its head would run an online list of lobbyists. The list would be on the website of the Attorney-General's Department, which runs the justice system.
The list would show each lobbyist's name. It would say if they are a lobbyist for hire, an in-house lobbyist or a former government person. Lobbyists would also have to name the owners and main shareholders (people who own a big part) of the groups they act for.
Every three months, each lobbyist would send in a report listing every time they lobbied. For each one they would list the topic and what they wanted. They would also list who they met, how they got in touch, the date and who took part.
Lobbyists for hire would also list each client's name and Australian Business Number, the ID number every business has. Say a lobbying firm meets a minister's adviser about a mining approval. That meeting, the client and the topic would all go online.
Signing up and updating details
To sign up, a lobbyist would apply with a signed statement swearing it is true. It would include a promise that they had not seriously broken the law.
Lobbyists would have to report changes within 10 working days. They would check their details each February and July. Each July they would sign a fresh statement.
The watchdog's head could change, pause or cancel a lobbyist's place on the list. The Minister could also order this, after giving reasons and letting the lobbyist reply.
How lobbyists must behave
Lobbying while not on the list would be a crime. The fine could be up to 100 penalty units. A penalty unit is a set dollar amount used to work out fines in federal law.
Lobbyists on the list would have to be honest and check that what they say is true. They would keep lobbying apart from any work for a political party.
Before a meeting, a lobbyist would have to tell the official three things. They would say they are on the list, who their clients are, and what they want to raise.
Lobbyists could not give officials gifts or treats unless they cost very little. A cheap pen with a logo, or a coffee at a meeting, would be fine.
A lobbyist could not lobby an official who is close to them, where the official would feel they owed the lobbyist.
Some lobbyists could not take a big role in a party's election campaign. This covered in-house lobbyists and staff of lobbying firms. The ban would run from when an election is called until 6 months after voting day. They could pause their place on the list if they wanted that role.
Breaking these rules could also bring a fine of up to 100 penalty units.
Rules for politicians and officials
Government people could not deal with a lobbyist who is not on the list, or who has not named their clients.
Anyone in government who learned the law had been broken would have to tell the watchdog's head.
A three-year wait after office
For three years after leaving, a former minister could not lobby for money on topics from their last three years in the job. They also could not give paid advice to help other lobbyists on that work.
The same rule would apply to senior government advisers. These include ministers' senior staff and heads of agencies. They also include senior public servants and Defence Force officers ranked Colonel or above. Colonel is a senior army rank.
Breaking this rule could bring a fine of up to 100 penalty units. Parliamentary Secretaries, who help ministers, count as ministers for this rule.
The Australian Government Directory, an official online list of government staff, would list each minister's senior staff. It would also list former senior staff for three years after they leave.
Ministers' diaries
Every month, each minister would publish a diary of work meetings with outside groups and lobbyists.
It would cover meetings in person, by video and by phone. That includes meetings where only an adviser went. It would list who was there and the main topics. Official events would be listed too.
Enforcement and review
Anyone with good reason to think the law had been broken would have to tell the watchdog's head. The head could also look into things on their own. They could use the same powers they have for corruption cases.
A lobbyist could be refused, paused or cancelled. They could ask the Administrative Review Tribunal to look again at that choice. It is a body that reviews government decisions, a bit like a court but less formal.
Within three years, three independent experts would check how the law was working. The public could send in written comments. Current politicians, party staff and lobbyists could not be on the panel. A committee of MPs and senators could block the Minister's picks.
Planned start
The law would have started the day after Parliament set aside money for the department running it. It would only apply to lobbying after that date.
Dropped after time ran out
Dr Ryan brought in the bill on 27 October 2025. The same day she opened the debate on its main idea.
The bill was never voted on. On 26 May 2026 it was dropped from the House's to-do list under House rule 42. That rule clears out private bills that have not been debated for a set time.
The bill will not become law in this form.
Its journey through Parliament
| 27 Oct 2025 | House of Representatives: Introduced and read a first time |
| 27 Oct 2025 | House of Representatives: Second reading moved |
| 26 May 2026 | House of Representatives: Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42) |