By Tony O’Reilly-
Almost half of tobacco lobbyists in Australia have held positions in government, according to a study.
The research investigates the revolving door between the tobacco industry and politics.
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In a research spanning several months, Jones and her colleagues found almost half (48%) of internal tobacco company lobbyists held positions in state, territory or federal government before or after working in the tobacco industry.
The study, led by University of Sydney tobacco control expert Dr Christina Watts and co-authored by Jones, is the very first in Australia to systematically investigate the “revolving door” tactic in tobacco lobbying.
The “revolving door” describes a situation in which ex political staffers go on to work for tobacco companies or for lobby groups acting on their behalf, using their inside knowledge of government and industry to exert influence over health policy.
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Published in the Public Health Research and Practice journal on Thursday, the study calls for stronger transparency and oversight legislation to eliminate tobacco industry influence in politics.
“The revolving door has been described as one of the most insidious forms of state capture and a serious threat to democracy,” Jones said.
“It’s a system that favours private, profit-driven and unhealthy industries in their attempts to push back stronger regulations and undermine evidence-based public health policy.”
. The study sheds light on the close relationship between the tobacco industry and government officials, and highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the lobbying process.
The study, which was conducted by researchers from the University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW, analyzed data from the Australian government’s Register of Lobbyists, which provides information on the clients, employees, and activities of lobbyists in the country. The researchers found that of the 37 registered tobacco lobbyists in Australia, 32 had previously worked in government positions, including ministers, advisers, and senior officials.
This finding is particularly concerning given the significant health risks associated with tobacco use. Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death in Australia, with an estimated 20,000 deaths per year attributed to tobacco-related illnesses such as lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. The fact that former government officials are now working to promote the interests of the tobacco industry raises serious questions about the influence of industry on government policy and decision-making.
The study also found that tobacco lobbyists in Australia are highly connected to each other and to other industries, with many working for multiple clients across different sectors. This suggests that tobacco companies are able to leverage their lobbying power to influence a range of policy areas beyond just tobacco regulation.
One of the key concerns raised by the study is the lack of transparency around lobbying activities in Australia. While the Register of Lobbyists provides some information about the clients and activities of lobbyists, it does not provide details on the specific issues being lobbied for or against, or the outcomes of these lobbying efforts. This makes it difficult for the public to hold government officials and lobbyists accountable for their actions.
In order to address these concerns, the researchers suggest that Australia needs to implement stronger regulations around lobbying activities, including requirements for greater transparency and disclosure. They also recommend that the government implement a code of conduct for lobbyists, similar to those in place in other countries such as the United States and Canada.
The study has been met with mixed reactions from the government and the tobacco industry. While some have praised the research for shedding light on the close relationship between the two sectors, others have criticized it for being biased and politically motivated.
Despite these criticisms, the study provides valuable insights into the lobbying practices of the tobacco industry in Australia. It highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the lobbying process, and the need for stronger regulations to prevent former government officials from working to promote the interests of the tobacco industry.
Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of public health considerations in policymaking, and the need for governments to resist the influence of powerful industries that seek to undermine public health and safety for their own gain. By shining a light on the connections between government and the tobacco industry, the study provides a basis for further research and advocacy aimed at promoting greater transparency and accountability in the lobbying process.
Jones said the use of arms-length, third-party lobbyists who previously worked for government “is a critical tool” to circumvent an article of of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which calls upon governments to protect policymaking from industry interference.
“There are many, many gaping holes in the available public transparency data and it took us many months of trawling and cross-checking current and historical federal and state lobbying registers against LinkedIn profiles and media articles to establish who had gone through the revolving door,” Jones said.
Laura Hunter, the co-CEO of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, said the research painted “a very telling picture of the vested interests of lobbyists and tobacco industry”.
“Tobacco industry representatives, including those who have left their roles, are seasoned experts in attempting to infiltrate and influence government policy,” Hunter said.
“Individuals employed by these multinationals willingly sign up to work for an organisation that sells a product which kills 20,000 Australians every year. These interests do not belong in the halls of parliament or on any lobbying register.”
Guardian Australia previously revealed how international pro-vaping groups, supported by big tobacco, hired Australian political lobbyists amid proposed vaping reforms.
The research describes how a vaping industry front group, secretly funded by tobacco giant Philip Morris, hired an ex-ministerial advisor in Canberra – without any public awareness or cooling-off period – to lobby the government to legalise vapes for retail consumer sales.
Afterwards, the advisor returned directly to work for a senior government minister, again with no apparent cooling-off period. Several other ex-ministerial lobbyists were later revealed to have been involved in this big tobacco-sponsored campaign, the paper reveals.
“In Canada, cooling-off periods after working for government are five years compared with Australia’s inadequate 12-to-24 months, and their system is overseen and enforced by an independent regulator who is authorised to apply strict penalties for breaches,” Jones said. “In the USA lobbyists can even end up in prison if they flout lobbying laws.”
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During this period former government staff cannot, for example, make representations to a department, organisation, board, commission, tribunal or public sector entity with which they had previous dealings.
Ireland’s strict lobbying transparency laws require “any meeting with high-level public officials, as well as letters, emails or tweets intended to influence policy” be disclosed. Australian federal disclosure laws do not require disclosure of meetings or correspondence, and laws also differ between states and territories.
When health minister Mark Butler announced sweeping vaping reforms this month, he said influence from tobacco and vaping lobby groups over politicians successfully scuppered his predecessor Greg Hunt’s attempt to ban vaping imports in 2020.
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