Minister interests registers
How to inspect declared financial and other interests for ministers on the crustacean / rock lobster export and meat exports files. This is not a donation register — see fisheries & seafood political finance.
Labels: Verified = register exists and was checked at link level · Inferred = no seafood holding found in secondary summary · Not found = no public return located in this pass
Registers by jurisdiction
| Level | Instrument | Public access | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal — House | Resolution on registrable interests; statements lodged with Registrar | PDF/HTML per member, A–Z index | Register of Members' Interests (48th Parliament) |
| Federal — Senate | Senate order on registrable interests | Per-senator register page + alteration forms | Register of Senators' Interests |
| SA | Members of Parliament (Register of Interests) Act 1983 | Returns lodged with Clerk; no central online browse like APH — inspect at Parliament House or contact Clerk | SA Parliament — members |
| WA | Members of Parliament (Financial Interests) Act 1992 | Register maintained by Clerk of each House; inspect in person on sitting days / weekdays | WA Parliament — members |
Federal note: Australia does not publish a UK-style consolidated “List of Ministers’ Interests”. Ministers lodge the same parliamentary returns as other MPs/Senators; portfolio-specific conflict management is internal (department + PMO).
Crustacean-tracker ministers — register links
Current (May 2026)
| Person | Role (lobster file) | Register | Lobster / seafood in return (this pass) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Albanese | PM — Oct 2024 China agreement | APH Members' Register → Albanese | Not found — no cited lobster exporter holding |
| Penny Wong | Foreign minister — Dec 2024 release | APH register → Wong | Not found |
| Don Farrell | Trade minister | Senators' Register — Farrell (I0N) | Verified Clare Valley vineyard (wine region; not rock lobster) — secondary aggregators; no Geraldton/GFC-type holding cited |
| Julie Collins | Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | APH register → Collins | Verified (secondary): Huon Agricultural Society, RSPCA — Tasmania ag/horticulture; Franklin electorate includes aquaculture/fishing industries (APH bio) — no lobster company directorship cited |
| Peter Malinauskas | SA Premier — trade promotion | SA Clerk register (in person) | Not found in online sources |
| Clare Scriven | PIRSA / fisheries regulation | SA Clerk register (in person) | Not found — background forest industries / regional dev (dossier) |
| Roger Cook | WA Premier — resumption framing | WA LC/ LA register (in person) | Not found |
| Jackie Jarvis | WA Fisheries (from 19 Mar 2025) | WA register (in person) | Not found — prior public servant; agriculture minister before fisheries |
SA trade (not fisheries minister): Joe Szakacs — cited on 2024–25 China rebound releases when in Trade & Investment; portfolio now Infrastructure and Transport — same SA register process.
Previous (still on five-year lobster file)
| Person | Role | Period | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Morrison | PM | to May 2022 | APH register (47th Parliament archive) |
| David Littleproud | Agriculture at Nov 2020 crisis | to May 2022 | APH register |
| Dan Tehan | Trade | to May 2022 | APH register |
| Murray Watt | Agriculture (ban years) | Jun 2022 – Jul 2024 | Senators' Register |
| Steven Marshall | SA Premier | to Mar 2022 | SA Clerk register |
| Mark McGowan | WA Premier | to Jun 2023 | WA register |
| Don Punch | WA Fisheries | Mar 2021 – Mar 2025 | WA register |
| Dave Kelly | WA Fisheries (2019 quota dispute) | to Mar 2021 | WA register — no dossier; Poland meeting period (finance note |
Method (repeatable)
- Open federal register PDF for each minister; search:
fish,seafood,lobster,aquaculture,Geraldton,co-operative,export. - For SA/WA, request inspection of the member’s latest annual return at the relevant Clerk’s office (cite Register of Interests Act 1983 (SA) or Financial Interests Act 1992 (WA)).
- Cross-check lobbyist registers (federal, WA) if a company appears in a return.
- Do not treat Franklin electorate “fishing industry” text on APH as a personal holding — it describes the seat, not the member’s assets.
Findings summary (May 2026 pass)
| Finding | Status |
|---|---|
| No minister on the lobster file has a verified register entry naming a rock lobster exporter, GFC, WRL, or SA lobster processor | Verified (negative) for sources used |
| Collins — community ag society membership (Tasmania) | Verified secondary — not lobster-specific |
| Farrell — vineyard / SA wine region assets | Inferred from public bio; not seafood export |
| Poland–Kelly access story | Verified journalism — not an interests-register entry |