How to register, update and confirm registered details
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Who needs to register as a third-party lobbyist?
The following persons are required to register with the NSW Electoral Commission before lobbying NSW government officials:
a third-party lobbyist, or
an individual engaged to undertake lobbying for a third party lobbyist.
A third-party lobbyist (or the individual so engaged) is not eligible to be registered if the person is:
an officer of a registered party, or
not a fit and proper person to be registered.
A person is not a fit and proper person if they have been:
sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 30 months or more, or
convicted (within the previous ten years) of an offence committed as an adult involving fraud or dishonesty, or
if there are other circumstances which satisfy the NSW Electoral Commission that the person is not eligible to be registered because they are not a fit and proper person.
While only third-party lobbyists (and individuals so engaged) are required to be registered, all persons that engage in lobbying are required to comply with the Lobbyists Code of Conduct.
Lobbyists online portal
The third-party lobbyists online portal is where the responsible officer of a third-party lobbyist can do the following:
create a new third-party lobbyist
update the registered details of a registered third-party lobbyist
add or deactivate clients, owners and employees from the registered details of a third-party lobbyist
update details as a responsible officer
confirm the lobbyist's details are correct during the confirmation period.
If you have any questions about accessing the online portal, contact us.
Applying for registration
Update the registered details of a lobbyist and clients
The responsible officer of a registered third-party lobbyist must update the information in the Lobbyist Register within ten business days of a change occurring. This includes changes to:
the name or business contact details of the lobbyist
the names of individuals engaged to undertake lobbying for the lobbyist (“employees”)
the names of people who have a management, financial or other interest in the lobbyist (“owners”)
the names of 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
the date a third party (“client”) ceased to be a third party of the registered lobbyist.
The responsible officer must log into the Lobbyist Online Portal to update the registered details of the lobbyist and clients.
The NSW Electoral Commission may cancel or suspend the registration of a lobbyist if the register is not updated within 10 business days of a change.
Confirm the registered details of a lobbyist are up-to-date
The responsible officer of a registered third-party lobbyist must confirm three times a year on 31 January, 31 May and 30 September that the information in the register pertaining to the lobbyist is up-to-date.
To confirm the information in the register is up-to-date, a responsible officer must log into the Lobbyist Online Portal on or before 31 January, 31 May and 30 September to check the registered details of the lobbyist are up-to-date, and then submit a form to confirm the registered details of the lobbyist are up-to-date.
Confirmation forms are sent by email to the responsible officer a week before each deadline and are made available on the NSW Electoral Commission website. The responsible officer uses the form to confirm that he or she has reviewed the registered details of the lobbyist and has updated those details, if required. Submit the completed form to the NSW Electoral Commission by email to lobbyists@elections.nsw.gov.au.
The NSW Electoral Commission may cancel or suspend the registration of a lobbyist if the responsible officer has not confirmed the registered details of the lobbyist are up-to-date.