The ICAC inquiry has appended the Queensland information to its issues paper, along with the Canadian Lobbying Act 1985 ostensibly, one might suspect, to provide comparative perspective.
In Canada, the legislation covers business, trade, professional and voluntary organisations, trade unions, chambers of commerce, charitable societies, not-for-profits such as religious and sporting groups and most alarmingly, coalition or interest groups.
Generally, interest group means all those neighbourhood and community groups that come together for some specific purpose and, whether successful or not in their elementary unprofessional persuasive actions, disband at the end of the process.
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Similar legislation in NSW will have the effect of shutting down important political communication between citizens and government, rather than what ICAC envisages - that “a truly ‘grassroots’ movement should be natural and spontaneous”.
The advantage in legislating grassroots activity and action will be for the government.
Local and community groups and individuals will be terrified into acquiescence by the prospect of spending time in Parklea prison for persuading their local councillor to attend a fete or for sending out a mail shot.
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