Former politicians and political advisers who become corporate lobbyists should be subject to strict "cooling off" periods, corruption watchdog Transparency International has warned.

Key points: 191 of 538 lobbyists registered in Australia are former government representatives

191 of 538 lobbyists registered in Australia are former government representatives Transparency International says there is a 'revolving door' between lobbying and politics

Transparency International says there is a 'revolving door' between lobbying and politics Former resources ministers Martin Ferguson and Ian MacFarlane are now mining lobbyists

A report published by the organisation examining corruption risks in the mining sector singles out two former MPs who became lobbyists after serving as federal resources ministers.

It found the practice of politicians becoming lobbyists is "particularly common", with 191 of 538 lobbyists registered as former government representatives.

While not suggesting improper behaviour, the report highlights the perception problems when senior government ministers switch to highly-paid lobbying roles related to their former portfolios.

"Two individuals who served as minister for resources in different government administrations — Martin Ferguson and Ian MacFarlane — both left politics to take on roles as lobbyists for the oil and mining sectors," it says.

The Transparency International report recommends "cooling off" periods for former government officials to become mining lobbyists "to prevent potential or perceived conflicts of interest".

Loading...

Serena Lillywhite, chief executive of Transparency International Australia, said too often the line between politics and mining lobbying is a blurred one.

"One of the significant risks exists when in fact there is this issue of revolving doors, the movement of staff between industry and [politics], the issue of lobbying or inadequate regulation of who is doing the lobbying, so it is a significant risk in Australia as well as other countries around the world,"

Ms Lillywhite said.

Report critical of political donations

Mr Ferguson was resources minister under the Rudd and Gillard governments, is now chair of the advisory board chair petroleum body APPEA, and has advised the Minerals Council.

Mr MacFarlane served as industry, tourism and resources minister under the Howard government, but is now a director on the Queensland Resources Council.

Mr Ferguson told the ABC his "record of integrity speaks for itself", while a spokesperson said Mr MacFarlane was unavailable for comment.

The report also raises concerns about political donations in Australia where it says there is poor regulation and that foreign donations are permitted.

"Donations can be split into smaller amounts and paid to different branches of the same political party to avoid the disclosure threshold," it warns.

"There is considerable delay in the publication of donation data by the regulator, the Australian Electoral Commission."

Transparency International also points to WA and Queensland as having "limited mechanisms for due diligence investigations" and that several companies that have been granted licences have been charged with corruption.

Ms Lillywhite said her research identified inadequate due diligence conducted into the integrity and track record of mining applicants.

"We identified Adani as one such example of inadequate due diligence into the track record of the company and indeed its principles," she said.

"So this is a company that is known to have a number of very troubling concerns with regards to bribery and corruption."

Follow Peter Ryan on Twitter @peter_f_ryan.