What is lobbying?

Free and open access to the institutions of government is a vital element of our democracy.

Lobbying is undertaken by many people in the community in relation to a broad range of matters. In effect, lobbying can be any communication by a member of the community seeking to express their views or interests to a government representative on a matter that is subject to a decision of the Government.

Professional lobbyists are a legitimate part of, and make a legitimate contribution to, the democratic process by assisting individuals and organisations to communicate their views on matters of public interest to the government, and so improve outcomes for the individual and the community as a whole.

The public has clear expectations that lobbying activities will be carried out ethically and transparently, and that government representatives and Opposition representatives who are approached by lobbyists are able to establish whose interests the lobbyists represent so that informed judgments can be made about the outcome they are seeking to achieve.

The Integrity Act 2009 (the Act), the Queensland Registered Lobbyists Code of Conduct (Code) and Integrity Commissioner directives ensure that communication between lobbyists and government representatives (including local government) and Opposition representatives is conducted in accordance with public expectations of transparency and integrity, and in the public interest.

Lobbying activity definition (Integrity Act 2009)

Generally, lobbying is a very broad term. For the purposes of the Integrity Act 2009 (Qld) (Integrity Act), the term ‘lobbying’ means any attempt to influence the decision-making of a government or opposition representative in the exercise of their official functions on behalf of a third party, for a fee or other reward.

Under the Integrity Act lobbyists who act on behalf of third-party clients must register with the Integrity Commissioner before they contact a state or local government representative for the purpose of lobbying activities.

A ‘lobbyist’ is an entity that carries out a lobbying activity for a fee or other reward for a third-party client, or whose employees or contractors carry out a lobbying activity for a third-party client.

Under section 41 of the Integrity Act, a ‘third party client’ is an entity that engages another entity to provide services such as lobbying for a fee or other reward.

Section 42(1)(a) of the Integrity Act defines lobbying activities as;

communicating with a government representative in an effort to influence decision-making of the State Government or a local government, including, for example, the making of a decision relating to any of the following matters—

  1. the making, amendment or repeal of legislation;
  2. the development, amendment or abandonment of a government policy or program;
  3. the awarding of a government contract or grant;
  4. the allocation of funding;
  5. the making of a decision about planning or the giving of a development approval under the Planning Act 2016, or …”

Section 42(1)(b) extends the scope of the definition to communicating with an opposition representative in an effort to influence opposition decision-making, including—

  1. the making, amendment or repeal of legislation;
  2. the development, amendment or abandonment of an Opposition policy or program;
  3. the position or view of the Opposition in relation to a decision of the State government or a local government, including, for example, a matter mentioned in paragraph (a)

For examples of the types of communications which are recorded as ‘contacts’ on the Queensland Lobbying Register view the Contact Log.

Further information can also be found in these factsheets:

Last updated: 30 Jun 2026