Documents reveal extent of Uber’s lobbying of Daniel Andrews’ government to legalise its operation in Victoria

theguardian.com:

Uber saw the victory of Labor’s Daniel Andrews in the 2014 Victorian state election as an opportunity to finally get its lucrative Melbourne operations legalised, documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal.

Uber set up shop in Australia in 2012 without the required permits then launched an aggressive campaign to change state laws to legalise its operations across the country. It is a tactic the company has used repeatedly in markets around the world: launch first, establish a loyal customer base, and then lobby for laws to be changed.

The ride share company’s ultimate success in Australia had a devastating effect on taxi drivers, who were operating within the law by buying expensive commercial vehicle licences. Remarkable details of Uber’s Australian operations were detailed in the Uber files, an unprecedented leak of company data that the Guardian published earlier this month.

The new documents – not part of the original leak – show that in 2014 Uber was working with lobbying firm Civic Group to prepare a plan for influencing the Andrews government that included seeking meetings with dozens of politicians and senior staffers including the new premier, as well as an “aggressive public campaign against the taxi industry”, painting it as dirty, unsafe and unfriendly.

Uber should try to “convince the Premier of the need for a regulatory solution for Uber, and that it should be implemented quickly,” Civic Group, which is now a division of communications group Civic Partnership, said in the plan.

Uber also sought meetings with other influential Victorians and lobbied Victoria’s road injury insurer, the Transport Accident Commission, by portraying itself as a way to reduce drink-driving.

Labor’s victory in November 2014 swept