Data reveals MPs granting powerful lobbyists permanent access to Australia's Parliament House

Australia's largest resources companies and the lobby group representing online gambling giants are being given permanent access to Parliament House with the backing of Labor and Coalition MPs, newly released data has shown.

Under updated rules, MPs who sponsor lobbyists and other private interests for access passes to parliament's private offices must be named on a public register. The first release of that data on Tuesday offered only limited detail, however, with a backlog of more than 1,000 applications still waiting to be processed.

Woodside Energy, the country's biggest fossil fuel company, holds three access cards sponsored by Labor politicians Meryl Swanson, Glenn Sterle and Tracey Roberts, along with Coalition MPs Melissa Price, Rick Wilson and Susan McDonald. The Minerals Council of Australia has passes sponsored by McDonald, Coalition frontbenchers Angie Bell, Matt O'Sullivan and Ted O'Brien, and Labor's Dan Repacholi.

American oil and gas giant ConocoPhillips has access sponsored by Nationals MP Colin Boyce and Labor's Mike Freelander, while gas lobby group Australian Energy Producers is backed by David Smith, the member for Bean. Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan sponsors access for Alinta Energy together with Repacholi.

The gambling industry also features prominently. Shadow health minister Anne Ruston and Labor's Raff Ciccone are the primary sponsors of two passes for Responsible Wagering Australia, which represents betting giants bet365, Sportsbet and Betfair. The group's chief lobbyist, Kai Cantwell, is a former staffer to Ruston from her time as a minister in the Morrison government, and was a key witness in an inquiry earlier this year that considered Labor's legislation to curb gambling advertising.

The new rules require two MPs to sponsor a lobbyist seeking a pass. Until now there has been no transparency about the more than 2,000 pass holders with access to the building, a situation that frustrated MPs including ACT independent David Pocock. The policies covering access to private areas were reviewed by House speaker Milton Dick and Senate president Sue Lines, and in March Prime Minister Anthony Albanese suggested greater "transparency and rigour" was needed for sponsored pass holders.

The register also spans figures from across the political spectrum. Prominent lobbyist Ben Oquist, a former Greens staffer and the husband of Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, is sponsored by Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Industry Minister Tim Ayres. Greens leader David Shoebridge sponsors access for the Australian Peace and Security Forum, a registered non-profit helping lead a public inquiry into the Aukus defence pact. Pocock sponsors passes for the Australian Construction Industry Forum, Bees and Blossoms, Queensland University of Technology and Chanel Contos's Teach Us Consent Global organisation. The powerful Pharmacy Guild holds two passes signed by Labor's Gordon Reid, Anne Urquhart, Repacholi and Josh Dolega.

Transparency campaigners at the Australian Democracy Network said as many as 80 per cent of registered lobbyists still do not appear on the register, highlighting problems with the existing lobbyists register, a separate transparency tool run by the Attorney-General's Department. "Unfortunately today's partial disclosure only covers about 10% of total existing passes, meaning Australians still can't see the full picture," spokesman Christian Slattery said.

"The new transparency system doesn't give meaningful information to the public about who our elected representatives are meeting with, when they're meeting them, or why," he added, calling for new national laws covering lobbying conduct and the creation of a regulator.

Journalists working in Parliament House must also apply for an access pass, with support from a bureau chief or editor and endorsement from representatives of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery Committee.