The Northern Territory government has no plans to introduce "basic" rules around political lobbying, as former chief minister Michael Gunner begins his new role spruiking Top End projects for one of the country's richest mining magnates.
Six months and three days since resigning as chief minister, Mr Gunner officially commenced work last week as the northern Australia lead for a green hydrogen subsidiary of Andrew 'Twiggy' Forest's Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), the ABC has confirmed.
Mr Gunner resigned from parliament in July and announced he had accepted the new role last month.
At the time, opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro said she expected to see Mr Gunner declaring the role on the NT's lobbyist register, which does not exist.
The situation is highlighting differences between states in what the Grattan Institute's Kate Griffiths described as a "pretty loose" patchwork of regulatory systems across the country.
"Certainly at the federal level we see very little transparency around lobbying activity," she said.
"In the Northern Territory we don't even see a lobbyist register or a lobbying code of conduct, so [the NT does not] have that basic level of transparency."
Asked if Mr Gunner had approached anyone in the government since starting in his new role last week, a spokesperson for Chief Minister Natasha Fyles was unable or unwilling to say.
"The government regularly engages with many commercial organisations to explore investment and development opportunities in the Territory," Ms Fyles's spokesperson said in a statement.
"As with any other commercial organisation, the details and topics of these engagements are often confidential and not for public discussion."
'Troublingly short' cooling off period between NT politics and lobbying roles
The only rule regulating lobbying in the NT is the six-month “cooling off” period that prevented Mr Gunner from starting his new role any earlier.
The time frame is longer in other states and for ex-federal politicians, who are required to wait 18 months before taking up work in areas related to their previous portfolio responsibilities.
Ms Griffith's described the NT's six-month rule as "troublingly short".
"In terms of information, many of the sorts of conversations that were happening six months ago might still be relevant today," she said.
"And that's really worrying."
Integrity scandals in other states have prompted multiple announcements this year of tighter rules around efforts to influence policy decisions.
Earlier this month New South Wales premier Dominic Perrotet announced what he said would be the strongest regulations in the country, including new laws to enshrine in legislation the state's existing requirement for the disclosure of ministerial diaries.
NSW will also require third party and in-house lobbyists to join the lobbyist register and expand the code of conduct to impose standards on public officials.
In Queensland, undeclared lobbying is set to become an offence under changes announced by premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in June.
The state also has requirements for disclosure about the subject matter of lobbyist contacts and declaration of the number of contact requests made.
"I think that sort of information on the public record is really important for levelling the playing field in the clash of ideas that we see in normal democracy," Ms Griffiths said.
She said transparency is particularly important for former politicians because of the nature of their previous roles.
"Because of all the personal relationships that they've developed in that role in that public role, they naturally take those relationships with them to the private role too," she said.
"All of that gives the private interest potentially extra opportunities for access and influence.
"That's possibly why they're being hired in the first place."
Lobbying 'distorted fairness' in controversial Dan Murphy's development
The CLP did not respond to questions on whether it would support the introduction of lobbying regulations in the NT.
The issue was last canvassed when the Labor government, under Mr Gunner as then chief minister, was said to have been "unduly influenced" over the controversial push to open the NT's first Dan Murphy's liquor outlet in Darwin.
Supermarket giant Woolworths — through its subsidiary Endeavour Drinks Group (EDG) — abandoned the project last year in the face of mounting public pressure over Aboriginal health groups' opposition to the liquor licence.
Changes the NT government had made to its own alcohol laws to prop up the project appeared to have been the result of "significant engagement" with Labor by EDG, according to a review of the company's handling of the project commissioned by Woolworths.
The review found the changes were "not good public policy" and suggested lobbying had "[distorted] fairness and the processes of the legislature" in the interests of the alcohol company.
Ms Fyles's office did not directly respond when asked if the government would consider introducing measures like a lobbying register or a code of conduct.
"The government always looks at ways to strengthen procedures," a statement said.
"The Northern Territory Ministerial Code of Conduct stipulates that a politician cannot work for six month after leaving office.
"As we are a small jurisdiction this timing allows for those who have served the community to find employment elsewhere."
