Under the State Government's Lobbying Code of Conduct, lobbyists who wish to meet a Government representative must sign up to the mandatory Register of Lobbyists, which will be published online for all to see.

Before meeting government officials, the code outlines that lobbyists must identify the client they represent and state the nature of the meeting.

Only businesses and individuals paid to lobby government for a third party will have to register.

Trade unions and those representing member organisations such as the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the RACT will not have to register.

Former MPs who wish to lobby government must register and retiring MPs will have to wait 12 months before they can sign the register and thus lobby government.

The register will be imposed from September 1.

Attorney-General Lara Giddings said the code was based on the national code of conduct around lobbyists but said it would be reviewed by the Integrity Commission once it was up and running.

Premier David Bartlett said yesterday that the code was one point of his 10-point plan to improve democracy.

Opposition Leader Will Hodgman said he was pleased to see the Government finally acting on a code of conduct for lobbyists but questioned why it had taken so long.

"We question the provisions relating to organisations and unions and we will look at that closely," Mr Hodgman said.

Greens leader Nick McKim said the lobbyist register was a "baby step" towards government transparency.

"We're happy to applaud Labor's baby steps, but meaningful progress relies on capping political donations and making sure that when Tasmanians go to the ballot box next year they know who is donating, how much, and to whom," Mr McKim said.