A lobbying firm with high-profile defence industry clients will sponsor the launch of a Parliamentary Friends of Aukus group, in what an integrity expert warns may be a breach of official rules.
Federal MPs were this week invited to the launch of the newly formed Parliamentary Friends of Aukus event, set to take place at Parliament House in February, and featuring the defence minister, Richard Marles, as the “special guest”.
Costs for the event will be paid for by the Canberra-based firm Precision Public Affairs, which represents defence clients that have secured lucrative contracts with the federal government.
The company has previously sponsored events, including a defence budget lunch and the Albanese government’s Aukus industry update, held in October at the Australian embassy in Washington, DC.
While private companies commonly pay costs for friends group events, the Centre for Public Integrity and the Greens have criticised the arrangement because private sponsorship is formally banned under parliamentary rules.
“This one event summarises everything that is wrong with the toxic links between lobbyists, ministers, parliament and defence contractors that underpin Aukus,” the Greens senator David Shoebridge said.
Precision managing director, Sarah Cullens, said the event would “foster informed, bipartisan engagement between parliamentarians, policy specialists, the defence industry and the broader national security community”.
The company did not say how much the event would cost.
One of Precision’s clients is Rafael Australia Pty Ltd, an Australian subsidiary that is wholly owned by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems.
Other clients include L3Harris Technologies, a major US defence contractor, as well as the Australian Industry and Defence Network, and Thomas Global Systems Australia.
Government contracting data shows some of Precision’s biggest clients have received contracts worth more than $200m since 2022.
“Australia’s national security policy is strengthened when elected representatives can test ideas and interrogate complex issues directly with experts and industry in a public forum, without any fundraising component,” Cullens said.
Friendship groups are established as cross-party forums to “discuss and advocate” for specific causes, including awareness raising.
Rules for friends groups published by the speaker of the House of Representatives and the Senate president ban “sponsorship from external organisations”.
Shoebridge called for the friendship group to be disbanded.
“Aukus is like a siren call for grifters, keen to tap into the billions of dollars flowing out of the federal government to weapons manufacturers and consultants across the globe.”
The executive director of the Centre for Public Integrity, Catherine Williams, said funding for parliamentary friends groups should be disclosed publicly.
“It is difficult to see how an external organisation funding an event does not constitute sponsorship by that organisation,” she said.
“In our view, friendship groups should be cautious about allowing external entities to fund events … because of the risk to public trust of any perception that being able to fund events facilitates access to legislators.”
As well as Precision, the invitation lists the groups’ co-convenors, Labor MP Matt Burnell and Liberal Aaron Violi. They were approached for comment.
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