When he sat down to share a meal with Brian Burke at the charming colonial Perugino’s restaurant in West Perth in 2005, Kevin Rudd must have known he was entering a subterranean world. The world where men in suits (and Panama hats) drink powerful cocktails made with equal measures of favours, nudges, money, schmoozing and tribalism. The subterranean world of political lobbying.

Kevin Rudd knows a lot about that world. After all, he’s a smart operator who received his political blooding in Queensland, a state where the intersection between politics, business and lobbying is as murky as the water in Breakfast Creek.

Because Rudd knows it so well, he should have stayed away from Brian Burke. And because he can’t plead ignorance or naivete, Rudd should now apply his considerable intellect to the problem and make an announcement. That a future federal Labor Government will legislate for the registration of lobbyists, and force lobbyists to publicly list the names of all their clients.

It’s time to start clearing away the muck.