How to register a third-party lobbyist

The person will be appointed by the lobbyist as the “responsible officer” as part of making an application for registration. Find out more about who can be the responsible officer of a third-party lobbyist.

The person who will be appointed by the lobbyist as the responsible officer should request a new account on the Lobbyist Online Portal. Once the officer’s details are submitted to the NSW Electoral Commission we will provide the officer with login details for the portal.

After the login details are received by the person who will be appointed as the responsible officer, the person is to log into the lobbyist online portal and complete the training. The training is an annual mandatory requirement for responsible officers.

After the person selected to become the responsible officer has completed the online training, the person can be formally appointed as the responsible officer. To do this, the third-party lobbyist must complete the (LR.003) Notice of appointment of responsible officer for a third-party lobbyist form. Submit the completed form to the NSW Electoral Commission by email to lobbyists@elections.nsw.gov.au

The responsible officer can now apply to register the third-party lobbyist. Use the blue button, 'New Lobbyist', in the Lobbyist Online Portal and enter the following details:

• the name and business contact details of the lobbyist

• the names of the individuals engaged to undertake lobbying for the lobbyist (“employees”)

• the names of the people who have a management, financial or other interest in the lobbyist (“owners”)

• the names of the third parties (“clients”), if any, who have retained the lobbyist to provide, or for whom the lobbyist has provided, lobbying services (whether paid or unpaid; directly or indirectly, that is, “clients of clients”) including information about those clients who are foreign principals

A third-party lobbyist, or an individual engaged by the lobbyist to undertake lobbying, is not eligible to be registered if they are occupying or acting in an office or position concerned with the management of a political party that is registered in NSW for State elections.

From 1 July 2019, the responsible officer must indicate whether a client is a “foreign principal” and the applicable country.

The responsible officer must advise each of the owners and employees entered into the Lobbyist Online Portal to complete a statutory declaration to verify the following:

• the person does not occupy or act in an office or position concerned with the management of a political party that is registered in NSW for State elections
• the person has not been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 30 months or more and
• the person has not has been convicted, within the previous 10 years, of an offence committed as an adult involving fraud or dishonesty.

The statutory declarations must then be submitted to the NSW Electoral Commission by email to lobbyists@elections.nsw.gov.au

The NSW Electoral Commission will review the application and the statutory declarations and will notify the responsible officer by email of the decision to register, or not to register, the third-party lobbyist. The NSW Electoral Commission may register a third-party lobbyist if the application is complete, has been duly made and the lobbyist is eligible to be registered.

Once registered, the details of the lobbyist and its clients are included in the Lobbyist Register maintained by the NSW Electoral Commission and published on the website.

Information remains on the Lobbyists Register for at least 2 years after the lobbyist ceases to be a registered third-party lobbyist. This information will appear as inactive or in the cancelled tab on the register and includes the lobbyist’s particulars, employees and clients details.