Guidance – Lobbyists' Code of Conduct

Federal public office holders are required to make decisions in the public interest. A conflict of interest is created when there is a perception that a public office holder's private interests may influence their performance when carrying out their official duties.

The Office offers the following guidance on how to mitigate conflicts of interest regarding:

• Preferential access (rules 7 and 8)
• Political activities (rule 9)
• Gifts (rule 10)

Assessing conflicts of interest

The Commissioner of Lobbying considers the following to assess whether a lobbyist has placed a public office holder in a real or apparent conflict of interest:

Would an informed person, viewing the matter realistically and practically and having thought the matter through, think that an action taken by a lobbyist has created a sense of obligation on the part of the public office holder, or a tension between the public office holder's private interests and the duty of the public office holder to serve the public interest? — Oliphant Inquiry