The culture of lobbying and favours that brought down Barry O'Farrell has been described as a "NSW disease" that has infected both sides of politics.
Greens MP John Kaye said the Premier's downfall was not "just about the Coalition or even the Labor Party". "It is about a culture of influence peddling that has infected NSW politics and has robbed it of public confidence," he said.
"Decisions in this state are being made for the mates of political parties, not for the community and the environment. The power of influence peddling has undermined the integrity of both Labor and Coalition governments for decades."
Dr Kaye said Mr O'Farrell's replacement should fully adopt the recommendations made by the former head of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, David Ipp, who made 17 recommendations in 2010 to better manage political lobbying.
"O'Farrell just paid the price for his refusal to change the lobbying culture in NSW," Dr Kaye said. "It is crucial that his replacement learns that lesson and fully implements the Ipp recommendations."
He said the government has implemented some of Mr Ipp's recommendations such as banning fees paid to lobbyists for a successful outcome. It also implemented a cooling-off period for ministers and senior bureaucrats entering industries that they had regulated, after being pressed by the Greens.
Dr Kaye said it has not adopted the recommendation requiring recording of meetings between government officers and lobbyists.
Mark Findlay, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Sydney, said tighter lobbyist reporting regulations would not be enough in themselves. "It is not enough to have the tightest reporting regimes in the world if they are either not complied with or not treated seriously."
