Independent Senator David Pocock has called for “very stringent cooling-off periods” before senior ministerial staff can help private companies “influence government policy” following a SkyNews.com.au investigation.
SkyNews.com.au uncovered evidence that Health Minister Mark Butler’s former chief of staff, Nick Martin, walked straight into a government relations role for one of the country’s largest private hospital operators and continued meeting with his old boss.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Pocock said the case exposed serious flaws in the federal lobbying regime, arguing senior political staffers should face stricter post-employment restrictions.
“Well, I’ve been saying since I was elected to the parliament that our lobbying rules are totally broken. They’re actually a bit of a joke,” Senator Pocock said.
“We have 2,200 people with access-all-areas passes to the Parliament. We have no idea who they are, who gave them that access, what they’re here doing. It doesn’t cut it.
“You know, it seems we only hear about these sorts of situations … when journalists do some digging.”
Sky News host Laura Jayes asked Senator Pocock whether strict post-politics restrictions risked deterring the brightest minds from entering politics.
Mr Pocock said: “We’ve got to ask what’s good for our country.”
“These are incredibly well-paid jobs. And I think there should at least be some very stringent cooling-off periods and at a base level, far more transparency,” he said. “You can’t seriously be saying it’s fine for a senior government minister who knows … what’s happening in cabinet through their position to then go straight and work for a company that is in the exact same area that they had that information.”
It comes after SkyNews.com.au revealed Mr Martin – who until last year served as Mr Butler’s top political adviser – joined private hospital giant Ramsay Health Care as Head of Government Relations before appearing alongside the minister in multiple documented interactions.
The revelations were particularly significant because major reforms of the private hospital sector were underway while Mr Martin worked inside the minister’s office.
During that period, Mr Butler established a Private Hospital CEO Forum that included executives from major operators including Ramsay Health Care.
His office was also heavily involved in reforms the government described as the biggest shake-up of the sector in decades.
According to information published by the Department of Health and updated in April 2026, the forum remains actively involved in progressing private hospital reform.
Mr Pocock said the case highlighted a loophole allowing former senior staff to avoid lobbying restrictions if they are employed directly by a company rather than an external lobbying firm.
“This is just yet another example about how loose this system is where you have people going straight from a minister’s office into a position when they clearly have very privileged information,” he said.
“And because they’re working for a company, not a lobbying firm, they’re not even considered a lobbyist, so the rules don’t apply to them.”
Under the Commonwealth Lobbying Code of Conduct, former ministers, ministerial advisers and senior public servants are restricted from lobbying on matters they had official dealings with during their final year in government for a 12-month period after leaving office.
This is because ministers and senior staff have access to privileged information and cabinet-in-confidence documents.
However, the lobbying code only applies to third-party lobbyists representing clients and does not cover in-house government relations staff employed directly by corporations, such as Mr Martin.
Mr Pocock has set up a public parliamentary pass register to give the public transparency about which politicians are being lobbied by private interests.
He has asked constituents to email their federal MP and ask them to disclose which lobby passes they sponsor.
