Lobbying
Lobbying is an essential part of the democratic process that can enhance decision making. However, lobbying can also create corruption risks, and undermine public confidence in decision making due to perceptions of undue influence, bias, and preferential access. It is in the public interest that lobbying is conducted in accordance with community expectations of transparency integrity and honesty.
At an Ordinary Council Meeting on 19 August 2025, Council adopted the Lobbying Policy (PDF 93.3KB).
The Lobbying Policy imposes obligations on councillors in relation to meetings or substantial discussions with registered lobbyists and property developers.
Specifically, any councillor who has a meeting or substantial discussion with a registered lobbyist or property developer must record details about the discussion. A councillor is not required to record or disclose interactions with registered lobbyists or property developers at events, social, and public functions where no substantial interactions took place (unless the interaction leads to a substantive discussion of values). A councillor is also not required to disclose an interaction with a registered lobbyist or property developer where that councillor has previously disclosed a pre-existing relationship with that person through Council's written returns of interest processes, and the interaction is not held in a councillor's capacity as an Inner West councillor, or does not directly relate to matters involving Inner West Council.
The scope of the Lobbying Policy does not extend to any interaction that is not held in a councillor's capacity as an Inner West councillor, or does not directly relate to matters involving Inner West Council, or to requests for meetings which are not accepted by councillors.
The details of any discussions with registered lobbyists and property developers disclosed by councillors will be made publicly available on a quarterly basis in Council's Lobbying Record Register (see below). Updates made to the Lobbying Record Register will remain on Council's website for 12 months after the initial date of publication of the updates.
Further information about registered lobbyists, including the register of registered lobbyists, can be found on the NSW Electoral Commission's website.