Lobbyists change amid shifting political landscape

THE world of lobbying was turned upside down with the ousting of Alan Carpenter's Labor state government in September last year.

While Mr Carpenter had sought to quell the damaging influence of former premier Brian Burke and his sidekick Julian Grill and introduced a register for lobbyists, the Labor government's apparent preference for dealing with middle men remained a significant element of business relationships.

Whether this was the need to reward the so-called Labor mates, as many suggest, or the result of trying to avoid another WA Inc remains unanswered.

Whatever the case, the arrival of Colin Barnett's government has resulted in an open-door policy that many in business have found refreshing.

According to many observers and insiders, the new order has limited the power of lobbyists by providing open access for anyone who has a reasonable issue to be resolved.

"The Labor state government over eight years had set up a huge power structure with ministers very removed from business and the community and only accessible via lobbyists and powerful chiefs of staff," one observer told WA Business News. "This has now all been swept away.

"Inevitably a similar situation may occur again, but it has not done so yet.

"So ministers have been more accessible for the past 10 months and their chiefs of staff, while growing in power, have probably not got to the point of their Labor counterparts of a year ago."

Despite this change, lobbyists say they remain busy, as businesses turn to them for advice on how to approach government - a very intimidating concept for many who operate in the private sector.

There is also the changing economy, which has, in turn, meant industry is seeking more business with government itself - another area in which they turn to lobbyists to understand.

"The change of government has had no impact," said one lobbyist. "It is the economic situation.

"A lot of lobbying work is based on start-up projects; they are not getting finance."

And while no-one will say things are particularly slow or that political alignment is necessary in the lobbying stratosphere, it's clear at least one lobbying firm is enjoying its day in the sun.

GRA Everingham, a joint venture between former Liberal state director Paul Everingham and national firm Government Relations Australia, is clearly top of the pile as the most connected of the local firms.

The firm's long list of clients on the lobbyist register is not just window dressing; almost every observer, even rival players, confirm that Mr Everingham's business is booming.

Other firms have been clamouring to catch-up. Despite the predominant view among lobbyists that political bias is simplistic and their role is much more strategic, recently departed Labor-leaning operators have been replaced in many instances by those with a more Liberal background.

In February, national firm Enhance Corporate appointed Dean Smith as chief executive in Western Australia and former WA senator Chris Ellison as associate director.

Mr Smith, who has extensive Liberal pedigree as well as corporate experience with Insurance Australia Group and SingTel Optus, filled the local leadership vacancy left after Enhance's partnership with respected lobbyist Peter Clough ended.

Another former Liberal staffer, Ross Field, has also joined Enhance, and Liberal adviser Norm Haywood is consulting part-time.

Among the other firms to make big changes is CPR, which lost (now) deputy Labor leader Roger Cook and added Troy Buswell's former chief-of-staff, John Preston.

Hawker Britton has not been quite so partisan. While former Labor member Megan Anwyl has left, the firm has recruited pre-election Labor staffers John Whitelaw and Sean Walsh as well as ex-Liberal member Katie Hodson-Thomas.

Ms Anwyl has kept busy establishing yet another industry group, the Magnetite Network, to represent this fledgling splinter of the iron ore sector. This follows her role in establishing the North West Iron Ore Alliance and the DomGas Alliance.

Halden Burns has lost Labor candidate Karen Brown to Eric Ripper's office and added former Labor chief policy adviser David Hatt.