Economics 101 says “tax what you want less of and subsidise what you want more of”, yet the government is now seeking to charge for transparency. Under proposed reforms to the freedom of information (FOI system), each FOI application may cost $30 to $58 unless you’re seeking your own information. It’s expected to mostly impact journalists, academics, and researchers, in other words the people who help us all understand what is going on in our governing institutions.

Yet it remains relatively cheap to meet with senior politicians, just this week the AFR reported it may cost as little as $20,000 for to meet “10 times annually over private lunches and dinners” with the shadow treasurer, or $2,000 per dinner. This isn’t abnormal, last year we published research showing that while public protest is increasingly criminalised, it remains cheap to meet with government ministers including the Prime Minister:

lobbying on behalf of private, corporate interests remains under-regulated, including the ongoing practice of ‘cash-for-access’ payments – where money changes hands for privileged access to politicians.

Access to politicians is cheap: in 2024, it typically costs from $1,500 to $4,000 for a meal with a government minister. Special occasions offer even more opportunities, for instance during the 2024 federal budget there was a “Standing Networking Dinner” with the Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and a government backbencher with tickets costing just $1,500 per person.…

it costs lobbyists only $4,000 for meetings with South Australian politicians including the Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong; Minister for Trade and Tourism and Special Minister of State Don Farrell; and Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler. In other words, the maximum fine for a single protester in South Australia could pay for twelve lobbyist meetings with prominent South Australian ministers.

Many cash-for-access payments are not publicly disclosed. Payments over $17,000 are disclosed (after a wait of up to 18 months) [from next year anything under $5,000 will need to be disclosed]. But, when dinner with the Prime Minister only costs $10,000 or less, the result is that most of these payments happen in secret.

Despite efforts by politicians and the media to undermine the social legitimacy of protest by labelling them “annoying” or “self-indulgent”, Australia Institute polling research shows widespread support for peaceful protest.