{"id":"lobbyists-regulations-2016","name":"Lobbyists Regulations 2016","slug":"lobbyists-regulations-2016","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":236095,"registerId":"sa-lobbyists-regulations-2016-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-06","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Lobbyists Regulations 2016","content":"South Australia\nLobbyists Regulations 2016\nunder the Lobbyists Act 2015\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n2\tCommencement\n3\tInterpretation\n4\tMeaning of lobbying\n5\tDuration of registration and cancellation and surrender\n6\tNotification of change of details\n7\tExclusion of information from register\nSchedule 1—Transitional provisions\n1\tInterpretation\n2\tFormer register of lobbyists and Lobbyist Code of Conduct to cease\n3\tPersons registered under former register of lobbyists to be temporarily registered under Act\nLegislative history\n\n1—Short title\nThese regulations may be cited as the Lobbyists Regulations 2016.\n2—Commencement\nThese regulations will come into operation on the day on which the Lobbyists Act 2015 comes into operation.\n3—Interpretation\nIn these regulations, unless the contrary intention appears—\nAct means the Lobbyists Act 2015.\n4—Meaning of lobbying\n\t(1)\tFor the purposes of section 4(2)(c) of the Act—\n\t(a)\tan accountant holds prescribed qualifications and acts in prescribed circumstances (and therefore will not be taken to engage in lobbying) if he or she—\n\t(i)\tis—\n\t(A)\ta member of CPA Australia Ltd, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia or the Institute of Public Accountants Ltd; or\n\t(B)\ta qualified accountant within the meaning of section 88B of the Corporations Act 2001; and\n\t(ii)\tacts in the ordinary course of that person's profession as an accountant;\n\t(b)\ta financial adviser holds prescribed qualifications and acts in prescribed circumstances (and therefore will not be taken to engage in lobbying) if he or she is a provider who, in providing a financial service on behalf of a principal, satisfies the conditions of section 911B of the Corporations Act 2001 in relation to that service.\n\t(2)\tIn this regulation—\nCorporations Act 2001 means the Corporations Act 2001 of the Commonwealth;\nfinancial service has the same meaning as in the Corporations Act 2001;\nprincipal has the same meaning as in the Corporations Act 2001;\nprovider has the same meaning as in the Corporations Act 2001.\n5—Duration of registration and cancellation and surrender\n\t(1)\tFor the purposes of section 9(5) of the Act, a person may surrender his or her registration with the written approval of the Chief Executive.\n\t(2)\tAn application for an approval under this regulation must—\n\t(a)\tbe made in writing by the person to the Chief Executive; and\n\t(b)\tspecify the proposed date of surrender; and\n\t(c)\tbe accompanied by a final return relating to that portion of the calendar year that has elapsed at the date of the making of the application containing the same details in relation to that period as if it were a return under section 8(1)(b) of the Act.\n\t(3)\tThe Chief Executive may refuse to approve the surrender of a person's registration until such time as the Chief Executive is satisfied that—\n\t(a)\tany outstanding information required to be provided to the Chief Executive under the Act or these regulations has been provided; and\n\t(b)\tany outstanding amounts payable by the person under the Act or these regulations have been paid; and\n\t(c)\tany action to be taken in relation to the person as a result of—\n\t(i)\ta failure or possible failure of the person to comply with a requirement under the Act or these regulations; or\n\t(ii)\ta breach or possible breach by the person of any condition of any exemption under section 12 of the Act, or any condition of the person's registration under section 13 of the Act,\nhas been taken and completed.\n6—Notification of change of details\nFor the purposes of section 11(1)(a) of the Act, the following details are prescribed in relation to a new agreement to engage in lobbying:\n\t(a)\tthe name of each person or body for or on behalf of whom the registered person is to engage in lobbying under the agreement;\n\t(b)\tto the extent known by the registered person—\n\t(i)\tthe name of each public official to be lobbied under the agreement; and\n\t(ii)\tthe subject matter of the lobbying under the agreement.\n7—Exclusion of information from register\nFor the purposes of section 12(3)(b)(i) of the Act, the Chief Executive may, at any time after 6 months following the granting of an exemption, undertake a review of the exemption by requiring, by notice in writing to the holder of the exemption, the provision of information, within the period specified in the notice, relating to the grounds for the exemption (verified, if the Chief Executive so requires, by statutory declaration).\nSchedule 1—Transitional provisions\n1—Interpretation\nIn this Schedule—\nformer register of lobbyists means the Register of Lobbyists established by the Chief Executive, Department of the Premier and Cabinet under the Lobbyist Code of Conduct;\nLobbyist Code of Conduct means the Lobbyist Code of Conduct 2009 prepared by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.\n2—Former register of lobbyists and Lobbyist Code of Conduct to cease\nThe former register of lobbyists and the Lobbyist Code of Conduct cease to exist on the commencement of this clause.\n3—Persons registered under former register of lobbyists to be temporarily registered under Act\n\t(1)\tA person who, immediately before the commencement of this clause, was registered on the former register of lobbyists and who is required to be registered under Part 2 of the Act will be taken, on that commencement, to be temporarily registered under the Act (subject to any conditions considered necessary or appropriate by the Chief Executive and notified to the person in writing) for a period—\n\t(a)\tcommencing on the date of commencement of this clause; and\n\t(b)\tending on—\n\t(i)\tthe date on which the person's application for registration is determined under section 7 of the Act; or\n\t(ii)\t30 June 2016,\nwhichever occurs sooner.\n\t(2)\tA person who holds a temporary registration by virtue of subclause (1) may surrender that registration before 30 June 2016 by notice in writing to the Chief Executive.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal regulations\nYear\nNo\nReference\nCommencement\n2016\n12\nGazette 11.2.2016 p456 \n4.4.2016: r 2\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations remain tightly scoped to their original purpose: operationalising the Lobbyists Act 2015. The content addresses standard regulatory machinery (definitions, transitional arrangements, administrative procedures) without expanding into new policy areas. The transitional provisions in Schedule 1 are time-limited and mechanical, designed solely to bridge from the 2009 Code to the 2015 Act."},"complexity_factors":["Short document (approximately 1,500 words across 7 regulations plus a short Schedule)","Only 4 defined terms in the main interpretation section (r 3), with additional definitions nested within specific regulations (r 4(2) adds 4 more)","Moderate cross-referencing to the parent Lobbyists Act 2015 and the Commonwealth Corporations Act 2001 (specifically sections 88B and 911B)","Simple conditional structure in r 4(1) with two parallel exemptions (accountants and financial advisers), each with straightforward qualification requirements","One layer of nested conditions in r 5(3) regarding surrender of registration (three cumulative conditions that must be satisfied)","Transitional provisions in Schedule 1 are mechanically straightforward (cessation of old system, temporary carryover of registrations with fixed end date)","No exceptions to exceptions or deeply nested logical structures","Clear prescriptive drafting style with numbered subparagraphs that follow logical sequence"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese regulations set out the practical rules for how lobbyists must operate under South Australia's *Lobbyists Act 2015*. They fill in the details that the main Act leaves blank.\n\n**Key things covered:**\n\n- **Who counts as a lobbyist (and who doesn't):** The regulations clarify that **accountants** and **financial advisers** doing their normal professional work aren't considered lobbyists, provided they meet specific professional qualifications (like being a member of CPA Australia or holding a financial services licence under Commonwealth law).\n\n- **How to cancel your registration:** If a lobbyist wants to stop being registered, they need written approval from the Chief Executive. They must submit a final report covering their activities up to that point, and the Chief Executive can refuse cancellation until all paperwork is filed and any outstanding issues (like rule breaches) are resolved.\n\n- **What details must be reported:** When lobbyists take on new clients, they must tell the Chief Executive who the client is, which government officials they plan to lobby (if known), and what topic they're lobbying about.\n\n- **Exemption reviews:** The Chief Executive can review exemptions from registration (granted under special circumstances) after 6 months, requiring updated information and even sworn statements (statutory declarations).\n\n- **Smooth transition from old rules:** The regulations abolish the old 2009 Lobbyist Code of Conduct and its register, automatically transferring existing lobbyists to the new system temporarily until they formally apply under the new Act or until 30 June 2016 (whichever comes first).\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- Professional lobbyists operating in South Australia\n- Accountants and financial advisers (who get specific exemptions)\n- Government officials who interact with lobbyists\n- The Chief Executive responsible for maintaining the lobbyist register\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThese rules ensure transparency in how businesses and interest groups influence government decisions, while carving out sensible exceptions for ordinary professional services. The transitional provisions prevent disruption when the new system replaced the old 2009 arrangements."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The Regulations replace the former Register of Lobbyists and Lobbyist Code of Conduct (Schedule 1, cl 2) and convert prior registrants into temporary registrants subject to new conditions and deadlines (Schedule 1, cl 3). They also narrow the statutory scope of 'lobbying' for specified accountants and financial advisers (Regulation 4) and impose new administrative procedures for surrender, notification and exemption review (Regulations 5–7), thereby altering who must register and how compliance is managed."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-references to Commonwealth Corporations Act definitions and conditions for exemptions (Regulation 4(1)(a)(i)(B), 4(1)(b) and 4(2)).","Significant administrative discretion vested in the Chief Executive to approve or refuse surrender and to impose or notify conditions (Regulation 5(1)–(3)).","Detailed procedural and documentary requirements for surrender (written application, specified surrender date, final return mirroring section 8(1)(b) of the Act) (Regulation 5(2)).","Prescribed notification content for new agreements (client/body name, known public officials, subject matter) creating ongoing reporting obligations (Regulation 6).","Power to review exemptions after 6 months and require supporting information verified by statutory declaration (Regulation 7).","Transitional mechanics that terminate the former register and temporarily carry over prior registrants with time limits and surrender options (Schedule 1, clauses 2–3).","Compliance burden concentrated on registered persons (returns, notifications, possible statutory declarations) and on the administration for review and verification."],"plain_english_summary":"These Regulations set administrative rules under the Lobbyists Act 2015: they exclude certain accountant and financial‑adviser work from being treated as ‘lobbying’ when statutory conditions are met, prescribe how registered lobbyists must notify new client agreements (client name, known public officials and subject), and require surrender of registration only with Chief Executive approval together with a final return. They also let the Chief Executive review exemptions (including by statutory declaration) and transition the old register into temporary registrations."},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed — the legislative text was not retrievable. The page not found error prevents any analysis of whether the regulations expanded or narrowed the scope of the parent Act."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative content was returned — the source URL produced a 404 Page Not Found error","Unable to assess actual complexity without reviewing the text of the regulations","Score of 1 reflects absence of content, not simplicity of the underlying law"],"plain_english_summary":"The Lobbyists Regulations 2016 (SA) set rules governing paid lobbyists in South Australia — likely requiring registration, imposing conduct and disclosure obligations, and placing limits (such as post‑office restrictions) to improve transparency and accountability.  \n\nThey affect professional lobbyists and their clients, as well as ministers, MPs, senior public servants and, indirectly, the public."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/lobbyists-regulations-2016","history":"/api/acts/lobbyists-regulations-2016/history","analysis":"/api/acts/lobbyists-regulations-2016/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/lobbyists-regulations-2016/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/lobbyists-regulations-2016/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/lobbyists-regulations-2016/documents"}}