Lobby

Coal Australia denies its donations to the ‘community-driven association’ amount to astroturfing, but critics accuse the group of misleading the publicGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn “independent, community-driven association” that ran anti-Labor adverts during the last federal election was entirely funded by a coal industry lobby group, the Guardian can reveal.Energy for Australians accepted more than $1m from Coal Australia – a group advocating for coal whose members include major miners Yancoal, Peabody, New Hope and Whitehaven. Continue reading...

Panel’s decision a blow to progressives who are unhappy with group’s involvement in Democratic contestsUS politics – live updatesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxWhen it comes to addressing how the party should deal with Israel, the Democratic establishment went to their favorite answer: no thanks.The Democratic National Committee’s resolutions committee voted on Thursday to kill a measure targeting the pro-Israel lobby group Aipac and deferred two further resolutions on Middle East policy to a working group that critics say exists mainly to avoid difficult decisions. Continue reading...

Exclusive: documents chronicle years-long campaign to make it easier to build intensive livestock unitsMinisters are rewriting planning rules to make it easier to build intensive livestock farms despite concerns about water pollution, air quality and local opposition.Documents obtained by the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act show that proposed changes to the national planning policy framework (NPPF) were discussed by ministers and officials in response to concerns of the country’s leading chicken producers, who have been lobbying on the issue for at least two years. Continue reading...

The argument for transitioning to renewables seems stronger than ever – and yet, attacks mount on the carbon price scheme that underpins the EU’s success at cutting pollution• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereOn the one hand, experts say, Europe is better prepared for this energy crisis than the last. On the other, it is still waging a culture war against the most obvious path out.Fuel prices have soared to ruinous levels since the Iran war left ships of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) stranded in the Gulf. The pain is most acute in Asia, but high energy prices are already causing panic in Europe. Shortages could hit the continent this month, oil company Shell warned last week. Donald Trump’s “go get your own oil” comments on Tuesday sent prices to their highest level since the start of the US-Israel attack on Iran. They briefly dipped below $100-a-barrel on Wednesday amid hopes that the war may soon end. Continue reading...

• Health savings account companies, benefiting from Trump's tax bill, formed the Great American Health Alliance (GAHA) dark money group to push for further HSA expansions. • The lobbying effort aims to broaden tax advantages amid growing industry influence in policy debates. • Critics highlight potential risks of prioritizing industry gains over consumer protections in health financing.

• Tech giants including Meta and Google spent over $39 million in 2025 to influence California politics on AI and crypto, per CalMatters analysis released March 27, 2026. • Meta alone invested $4.6 million lobbying against AI regulations, its highest ever since 2010. • This surge precedes high-stakes 2026 elections, including California's open governor race, signaling intensified Big Tech political engagement.

Hopes for uniform nationwide gun control reform fade as states walk back federal cabinet commitment after Bondi beach massacreGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, assured gun lobbyists that he had no plans to strengthen firearm laws in the state despite agreeing to a national crackdown after the Bondi beach massacre.In a letter signed a day before the government entered caretaker mode for the state election on 21 March, Malinauskas told a peak shooters group that SA had some of the strictest gun laws in the country and there was “currently … no plans to amend” them. Continue reading...

Review from non-profit finds range of scenarios of firms simultaneously lobbying for and against Pfas regulationsSome top US lobbying firms are simultaneously working both sides of the Pfas “forever chemicals” issue, raising serious conflict of interest questions and concerns that their activity is slowing states’ efforts to rein in the public health threat.The review of six states’ lobbying records conducted by the non-profit F-Minus found a range of scenarios in which firms lobbied both sides. Most common Pfas are linked to cancer. The lobbying firm Holland & Knight works for the American Chemistry Council, which represents the nation’s largest Pfas makers, and aggressively opposes most regulations. Simultaneously, Holland & Knight lobbies for the American Cancer Society. Continue reading...