Heath Aston Political reporter April 3, 2013

Canberra office: Michael Photios. Photo: Simon Alekna

Liberal Party kingmaker Michael Photios is taking his political lobbying business to Canberra to cash in on an Abbott Coalition government.

He has registered the business name Capital Hill Advisory and is hiring two former Howard government aides to set up an office by June that will operate as a federal arm of his Sydney company PremierState.

But his plans have riled rival lobbyists who say ''factional warlords'' should be banned from trading on their political connections and his continuing position on the Liberal state executive poses a danger for Tony Abbott if he takes power in September.

Mr Photios counts Mr Abbott as a long-time friend, as well as Joe Hockey, who is the likely next treasurer, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison.

As the leader of the left of the NSW Liberals, Mr Photios has influenced countless pre-selections at state and federal level.

Justin Di Lollo, the managing director of the Labor-aligned lobby firm Hawker Britton, said Mr Photios' arrival in Canberra should raise questions best summed up by the phrase ''don't shit where you eat''.

''It's my very firm view that both for the health of the lobbying industry and the confidence in good government and probity that people who hold high elected office in political parties or factional warlords - Michael Photios fits both descriptions - should not act as lobbyists,'' he said.

Mr Photios is one of a list of Liberal-aligned lobbyists preparing to trade on a Coalition government.

Mr Photios has fended off calls to stand down from the Liberals' state executive as PremierState has traded on access to ministers in the O'Farrell government, many of whom owe their political existence to him.

In two years, the company has gone from start-up to 30 corporate clients willing to pay up to $20,000 a month for access to the state government. They include the Australian Hotels Association, Xstrata Coal, the NSW Minerals Council and Echo Entertainment, owner of Sydney's Star casino.

Mr Photios rejected Mr Di Lollo's view, saying political figures acting as lobbyists was a ''well-trodden path'' for federal governments.

''There is no Western democracy in the world that prevents party officials from engaging in government relations,'' he said.

''We don't have first and second-class citizens in Australia and everyone has the right to participate in the public policy discussion.''

Mr Photios has hired Stephanie Warne, a policy analyst who worked for Mr Howard's government and Claire Dawson, another Howard office aide.

Lobbyists oppose kingmaker's plan to cash in on Abbott links