October
- Exclusive
- Mining
Coalition, Labor both promised $50m to this business. No one knows why
During the last election the major parties pledged funds to a run-down Hobart zinc smelter without proper advice. This is why it matters.
- Ronald Mizen
‘High risk, high return’: Chief scientist sceptical on $1b quantum deal
Internal government documents show Cathy Foley took months to be convinced US-based company PsiQuantum could deliver a super computer in Australia this decade.
- Tom McIlroy
February
Crossbench to weaponise Labor’s own plan to end pork barrelling
When MPs return to Canberra on Monday, Indi MP Helen Haines will introduce new legislation designed to stop a repeat of the Coalition’s sports rorts saga and commuter carpark scheme.
- Tom McIlroy
‘No strings attached’ for nearly $1b in federal grants
Almost $1 billion of taxpayers’ money is being paid out annually in government grants that have been awarded without proper competitive assessments.
- Tom McIlroy
June 2023
Audit finds Morrison government’s health grants breached federal rules
Health minister Mark Butler said a new auditor-general’s report was scathing, detailing ‘waste, rorts and captain’s picks’ in the $2 billion program.
- Tom McIlroy
May 2023
Incentives for businesses to rein in energy price
The other measures to help SMEs include a $392.4 million industry grants program and the promise of more skilled migrants.
- Lucas Baird and Jessica Sier
October 2022
Gallagher claws back $22b in Coalition grants and wasteful spending
Funding for commuter car parks, dams and a controversial regional infrastructure grant program were cut from the budget.
- Tom McIlroy
August 2022
- Opinion
- Opinion
To stop pork-barrelling, confiscate the pork
Handing power to public servants won’t fix the problem of politically targeted grants. Governments should do less and spend less.
- John Roskam
Ministers should be banned from making grants, says Grattan
Pork-barrelling may be legally a grey area, but it is not good government and its normalisation undermines democracy, the think tank says.
- Tom Burton
June 2022
Pork barrelling rules too easily avoided: legal expert
Federal rules to stop pork barrelling are being avoided and there is no independent oversight of ministers who make grants, says Sydney University’s Anne Twomey.
- Tom Burton
February 2022
96pc of NSW grants program spent in Coalition seats
Labor and the Greens want the NSW government to overhaul rules for allocating grants as Auditor-General report makes a “scathing” finding on pork-barrelling.
- Finbar O'Mallon
January 2022
Robert’s research grants veto a pre-election ‘dog whistle’
The vetoing of six research grants on Christmas Eve is just a pre-election stunt according to pundits on both sides of politics.
- Julie Hare
November 2021
Pork-barrelling in Coalition seats ‘worrying’: study
A new analysis finds marginal Coalition seats receive almost five times more in taxpayer grants than safe Labor ones.
- Andrew Tillett
‘Personal ATM’: NSW Coalition MPs oversaw grants not in their seats
New documents show NSW government MPs were allowed to assess and green light grants funding for projects that weren’t even in their electorates.
- Updated
- Finbar O'Mallon
July 2021
What’s in NSW’s new business support package
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Tuesday revealed what individuals and businesses will receive in a new package.
- Tom McIlroy
March 2021
- Opinion
- GST
It’s up to Frydenberg to fix GST election meddling
The biased redesign of GST to favour Western Australia will disadvantage Victoria and others and make the pandemic repair job even harder.
- Tim Pallas
Power station feasibility grant broke funding rules: Auditor-General
The Morrison government’s grants, which helped secure peace between the Liberals and the Nationals, did not fully comply with federal rules.
- Tom McIlroy
February 2021
Bridget McKenzie: no politicisation in ‘sports rorts’ funding
The dumped former sports minister says Scott Morrison never directed her how to award $100 million in pre-election grants.
- Updated
- Tom McIlroy
May 2020
'No': Scott Morrison denies misleading Parliament over sports rorts
Labor will raise the Prime Minister's involvement in the pre-election grants when Parliament resumes on Tuesday.
- Tom McIlroy
March 2020
McKenzie raises fresh doubt over PM's sport rorts defence
Former sports minister Bridget McKenzie says it was not her who changed the list of sports grants after the prime minister had called the election last year, when caretaker provisions kicked in.
- Phillip Coorey