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Whatsapp Sami Shah takes aim at the shadowy world of political lobbying.

Some conspiracy theorists believe that in Australia, shadowy special interest groups can buy increased levels of access to, and influence on, elected officials. Oh wait, that's actually how it works. Sami Shah takes a look.

Special interest groups. Lobby groups. The average Australian doesn't understand how they work, or even what they really are. In fact, there are a lot of conspiracy theories around the whole situation.

The problem with lobby groups and special interest groups isn't that they exist per se, it's that they don't represent you and me.

I mean, get this: people imagine that out in Canberra, there's a shadowy army of politically savvy fixers, using encyclopedic knowledge of the shortcuts and quick fixes required to push agendas through the political system.

That these people are used by corporations and billionaires to get their nefarious plans into the highest offices with ease and to get their way, even when it contradicts the needs of the voting public.

I mean, yeah, OK, that's basically how it works. Turns out that conspiracy theory isn't much of a conspiracy; more like the average working day in Australian government.

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Lobbying is old-school politics. It's been around forever. Julius Caesar was probably owned by Big Viaduct.

The way it works is simple: a whole lot of people with shared interests get together, pool their resources, and suddenly they have a lobby group. To play it safe, they make donations to both the major parties and try to influence everybody.

The problem with lobby groups and special interest groups isn't that they exist per se, it's that they don't represent you and me.

There's nothing stopping us chipping in and setting up a lobby group for things that matter to us, like putting Game of Thrones on free-to-air TV or quinoa not being a thing.

If you make enough promises, you'll have both major parties waging open war on the quinoa industry. It's all about money in the end.

Politics is the ultimate in free-market capitalism. The one with the most money has the most access.

If you want a politician to do what you want, you have to give money.

In Australia, there are legal and legit ways of giving that money, through campaign contributions and political donations. It's not like they're ... bribes.

Except they totally are. I'm from Pakistan, and I know a bribe when I see one. That's the difference: in Pakistan we accept that politicians are all corrupt and can be made to debase themselves for an IOU slip.

Related: What Pakistan can teach us about democracy

That honesty is refreshing because it lets us know exactly where we all stand within the political framework. There's no facade.

Here, it's a little more complex. The politicians may be just as easily purchased, but the whole transaction is given a veneer of legitimacy. That's not ideal, because whenever the corruption is exposed, everyone is shocked and appalled.

Naiveté can be endearing, but only up to a point. The problem isn't that the system is corrupt. It's that it isn't corrupt in our favour. And if you disagree with me, I'll set up a lobby group to get the government to say I'm right.