An exposé by the Sydney Morning Herald highlighting the discrepancy between the amounts and values of grants given to Coalition seats versus non-Coalition seats has enraged local Labor Federal and State MPs.
The article, “How $2.8 billion of your money is spent — it grossly favours Coalition seats” singles out the Central Coast by unearthing figures that show Emma McBride’s Labor-held Federal seat of Dobell has received $2.7M in grants since 2018, in stark contrast to Lucy Wicks’ Coalition-held neighbouring seat of Robertson, which has received $14.6M.
“It’s disappointing to see the north end of the Coast missing out on much-needed government funding,” said McBride.
“While media reports show the government is favouring marginal Coalition-held seats, communities like ours are being left behind.
“Why isn’t Dobell receiving the same level of investment?
“It doesn’t make sense,” she noted.
The SMH research, which scrutinised 19,000 grants showed that Liberal electorates received three times more taxpayer money than Labor-held seats.
Those researching the grants said that it highlighted “a highly politicised system rife with uneven spending”.
Liberal MP for Robertson, Lucy Wicks responded by saying the analysis was selective and appeared to only examine 11 grants programs out of more than 1,700 programs that have been administered by the Federal Government since 2018.
“Given this limited analysis covers less than one per cent of all grants programs since 2018, it doesn’t include large grants in other programs such as the $87.5M grant from the NDIS Partners in the Community Program awarded to an organisation within Anthony Albanese’s seat of Grayndler.
“It’s disappointing this analysis doesn’t include grants programs that focus on the provision of social services, which include significant spending across many Labor electorates,” added Wicks.
The electorate of Shortland, which covers San Remo through to Buff Point, Mannering Park, Summerland Point, Gwandalan, Chain Valley Bay, Catherine Hill Bay and Budgewoi received even less than Dobell, with just $800,000 in grants.
Shortland Member Pat Conroy pointed to Barnaby Joyce’s electorate of New England, which in stark contrast benefitted from $48M in government grants.
“This is indefensible.
“This Government’s obsession with rorting and spending taxpayers’ money like it’s Coalition money is damning,” he said.
This latest development in the ongoing rorts scandal has given rise to calls for greater transparency.
“We need fair and transparent funding based on need not political affiliation,” said State Member for The Entrance, David Mehan.
State members for Swansea and Wyong, Yasmin Catley and David Harris, called for an ICAC enquiry and the establishment of a federal anti-corruption body.
“We know when governments pork-barrel for their electoral benefit, it is our community that ends up getting ripped off,” said Catley.
NSW Labor has introduced legislation into the NSW Parliament to ensure grants are distributed fairly.
The grants bill would impose new reporting requirements on ministers and agencies and give the Auditor-General new powers to track grants.
“Under the Labor bill, if a minister deviates from an agency recommendation, the minister must provide an explanation for not following the recommendation,” explained Harris.
Nicola Riches