When AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine was in trouble, the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant called in one of the world’s most storied PR firms — Burston Cohn Wolfe. Burston isn’t the only firm working for AstraZeneca in Australia, a register compiled by the Attorney-General’s Department shows.
The register gives a bare outline of the behind-the-scenes lobbying for Australia’s vaccine rollout, and reveals the small cohort of former ministerial advisers helping pharmaceutical companies gain an advantage with the Australian government.
Here’s a quick primer on who’s working for whom.
AstraZeneca
Last month Burston Cohn Wolfe appeared on the lobbyist register as working for AstraZeneca. The firm has represented some of the world’s biggest and most controversial clients — including crisis management for military dictatorships in Latin America and chemical companies involved with the Bhopal disaster.
BCW started working with AstraZeneca in the United States in April, subcontracting the lobbying to Prime Policy Group. That revelation highlights the comparative weakness of Australia’s lobbying regime compared with America’s, where firms must file a quarterly report providing far greater detail on who their lobbyists worked for, how much was spent and what issues they’re working on.
In Australia we get a list of names. The important one is Matthew Stafford, the company’s Asia-Pacific president, who worked as a cabinet secretary and ministerial adviser in the Howard, Abbott and Turnbull governments.
In February, US-based drug developer Labcorp started working for AstraZeneca. The company lobbies for a range of pharmaceutical clients in Australia. AstraZeneca’s internal government relations is run by Kieran Schneemann, a former ministerial staffer in the Howard years.
Pfizer
The oldest, largest and dominant pharmaceutical company involved in the rollout here, Pfizer makes the vaccine everyone wants. But it doesn’t have external lobbyists registered as working on its behalf. Its government relations is led by Josh Bihary, a former chief of staff and campaign manager to Liberal backbencher John Alexander.
Unlike other pharmaceutical companies providing vaccines to Australia, Pfizer has some history of political donations here. It donated $47,140 in the last financial year, split between Labor, the Liberals and the Nationals. It has given a similar amount in each of the past six years.
Moderna
Pfizer’s rival mRNA vaccine is still waiting on Therapeutic Goods Administration approval, even though the Morrison government signed a deal for 25 million doses in May. A month later, boutique PR firm Richardson Coutts popped up on the register as Moderna’s lobbyists.
The firm is co-run by John Richardson, an adviser in the Hawke and Keating governments at a federal level and the Carr government in New South Wales. He’s joined at the top by Stephen Coutts, who worked for the Greiner government in NSW as well as numerous private sector clients.
Novavax
Novavax lags behind the pack — its vaccine is still only in phase three clinical trials. Australia still has ordered 51 million doses which could start arriving late this year if the vaccine is safe, effective and TGA-approved.
But its lobbying presence in Australia goes well back. Strategic communications outfit Nexus APAC registered as working for the US biotech company in September, a little over a month before Morrison signed a deal with it.
Like most communications companies, Nexus has some connection to Parliament House: CEO Nick Campbell was a staffer in the Howard government.
Update: A previous version of this article listed Lucid Health as working for AstraZeneca, based on information on the lobbyist register. Lucid Health confirmed they’d helped AZ with a submission to the Medical Sciences Advisory Committee last year unrelated to the COVID-19 vaccine, but are no longer engaged with the company.
Should the public be allowed to know what’s going on behind the scenes of the vaccine rollout lobbying? Tell us what you think by writing to letters@crikey.com.au, and include your full name to be considered for publication.
Great work thankyou very much Crikey and Kishor. Howard’s VD disease is still with us, venal depravity.
It is to be hoped that some time we will get true transparency of lobbyists at both state and federal levels. Alas, neither major party will do anything about it. The only time any light is shed on the grubby goings-on is at Senate Estimates committe meetings..
Why is this news ? A close look shows that the lobbying industry is saturated with political has-beens (including former staffers) exercising their “right” to on sell the favours owed to them by equally corrupt mates in the house.
That what Crikey is , isn’t it? -the official examiner of the lobbyist register on behalf of its subscribers
This is important information. Thank you!