Pre-budget lobby groups make wrong pitch, says PR expert

FOUR out of five lobby groups trying to influence Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy ahead of the Budget make the wrong pitch, according to a study.

Research undertaken by public relations consultant Pat Montague shows that 80% of groups fail to influence those in power.

“Approximately 200 pre-budget submissions are received by the Department of Finance each year. However, the vast majority of submissions are predictable, self-interested, and fail to impact with policymakers,” said Mr Montague.