Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Hansard source

If the Senate's happy, I can take this as a supplementary question to myself. Is leave granted? By leave, Senator Lambie, I'm happy to forward to your office lengthy discussions in Hansard on this to provide the context. But, in the end, the lobbyists register is not the same as the register for sponsored passes. There is some crossover. The lobbyists register, which is administered by the government not by the Department of Parliamentary Services, as has been the subject of debate, refers to lobbyists who lobby on behalf of paid clients. The sponsored passes include people who are representing community groups and other NGOs, people who are not paid lobbyists, nor are they necessarily lobbyists in the employ of a single firm as government affairs managers and the like. I am happy to provide you with the Hansard of the previous discussion, before Thursday, so you have an opportunity to quiz me at the estimates spillover, if you wish, or to raise it again in the chamber. Senator Payne?