Mr Rann’s chief media adviser, Jill Bottrall, was present throughout the interview.

But the plan backfired. Instead of sympathy, there was indignation and anger, and there was a view Labor had bungled again. The Advertiser’s own website and other media were swamped by outraged readers’ protests that a publicly employed official, the Premier’s media secretary, was now spinning for the Premier’s wife.

“Mike, can I please use your office for an interview next week? Or is it only family that get to use taxpayers’ offices?” wrote one respondent.

This week The Independent Weekly asked Mr Rann’s other media adviser, Lachlan Parker, for verification that Bruce Hawker and others associated with Hawker Britton were working on the Labor campaign.

“Bruce Hawker has an office based in Adelaide,” Mr Parker replied. “Mr Hawker’s company has been contracted by the ALP for work on this campaign.”

He said any further questions should be directed to the organisational wing of the party.

Last Friday, the Register of Lobbyists failed to show Hawker Britton as engaged by the ALP. The SA Lobbyist Code of Conduct defines a lobbyist as “a person, company or organisation including their employees, contractors etc who conducts lobbying activities on behalf of a third-party client”.

The Register of Lobbyists shows Hawker Britton representing dozens of clients including AGL, UniSA, Veolia Water, Great Southern Rail, Lion Nathan, Heathgate Resources, Quasar Resources, Adelaide Airport, Serco, Hybrid Energy Australia and the Local Government Association.

An Independent Weekly investigation has discovered Serco was part of a consortium given a $3-million-plus ex-gratia payment by Treasurer Kevin Foley. The Treasurer acknowledges he did not necessarily have to pay the money.

The consortium had tendered for a new jail, but the Government later scrapped plans for the prison.

The Independent Weekly has also learnt Mr Foley received Treasury advice which said that even if Mr Foley wanted to compensate the consortium, he did not have to give it as much as he did.

Quasar Resources, another company represented by Hawker Britton, is an exploration firm based in Adelaide. Its affiliated company, Heathgate Resources, is the owner and operator of the Beverley Uranium Mine in the Flinders Ranges.

Hawker Britton’s Adelaide office is headed by Stephen Halliday, Mr Rann’s former chief of staff.

Bruce Hawker claims to have been engaged as a political election campaign strategist, playing a key role in more than 28 Australian federal, state and territory elections.

The arrangement whereby Hawker Britton represents commercial clients who have dealings with government, while simultaneously working to elect the government, is not illegal in South Australia.