If you look closely enough wandering around Australian Parliament House, you will see men -- and it’s mostly men -- in suits and orange lanyards mingling in the courtyards and drinking coffee around cafe tables.

The orange lanyards signify that they are lobbyists -- third-party lobbyists with free access to the private areas of Parliament House. A few of them are more like consultants -- they don’t do much lobbying themselves, but advise lobbyists and clients on how to lobby more effectively. Their names are on the official Lobbyists Register, these days maintained by the Attorney-General’s Department. There are currently 586 people in over 260 firms on the register.