‘Doesn’t pass pub test’: Labor seats awash with grants
Andrew Brown and Will Nicholas |
The government is fending off accusations of pork barrelling in a half-billion-dollar, invitation-only scheme that disproportionately funded local infrastructure in Labor seats.
Labor-held electorates pocketed almost three-quarters of the $560 million allocated under the Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program.
Marginal electorates or seats where Labor was competitive received $66.5 million more than what they would proportionally receive, the Centre for Public Integrity found.
Centre chair and ex-judge Anthony Whealy said $493 million went to seats where Labor was competitive, compared to $66 million where it was not.
“These figures ring alarm bells,” he said.
“When approximately three-quarters of a $560 million community grants program goes to the government’s own electorates, serious questions have to be asked.
“The problem is that the process makes it impossible for the public to have confidence that merit, rather than political advantage, determined who got access to the money.”
Among the grants handed out was $6 million for Marrickville Golf Club, which falls in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s inner-Sydney electorate.
Another $16 million was splashed on a swimming pool in Bega, in the must-win bellwether seat of Eden-Monaro, held by Labor frontbencher Kristy McBain.
Under the scheme, entities could only apply for funding after receiving an email invitation in an opportunity classed as “closed non-competitive”, according to the program guidelines.
That means grants were assessed against the program’s bespoke selection criteria rather than against the merits of rival applicants.
Those criteria included the projects’ social and economic benefits, their viability and sustainability and the capacity of the applying entities to carry them out.
In opposition, Labor heavily criticised the coalition government’s community sport infrastructure scheme, which party representatives said unfairly favoured coalition-held seats.
That controversy, which became known as “sports rorts”, led to then-sports minister Bridget McKenzie resigning from cabinet after she failed to disclose membership of a gun club that received funding.
Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino said a comparison between the Labor grants program and the coalition scheme were unfounded, denying the 2025 election scheme amounted to pork barrelling.
“I don’t think you’re comparing apples and apples,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“What we’ve done … is consistent with best practice.”
Mr Mulino pointed to past findings from the Australian National Audit Office on closed, non-competitive grant schemes designed to fulfil election promises.
The selection criteria used for such schemes has been labelled “sound”.
Greens senator Steph Hodgins-May called on Mr Albanese to justify the funding choices before an ongoing parliamentary inquiry into the conduct of the 2025 election.
“He needs to personally explain why $6 million went to the Marrickville golf course in his electorate. This simply does not pass the pub test,” she said.
“We see Labor rightly, when in opposition, condemning Scott Morrison’s government for the sports rorts, but now that they’re in government, apparently there is a new set of rules.”
Independent MP Helen Haines called for an overhaul of federal grants programs, labelling the scheme another attempt at pork barrelling.
Her electorate of Indi was among the 45 that were not invited to participate in the scheme, despite a golf club in the area badly needing upgrades.
Labor’s infrastructure fund was divvied up under commonwealth grants rules, a non-binding set of guidelines.
The rules favour competitive, merit-based selection processes that are open, transparent and provide equitable access to grants.
“Political parties should not be able to use taxpayers’ money to buy votes,” Ms Haines said.
“Community need should come before political need.”
AAP