Nationals upset by national anti-corruption commission threat to pork barrelling

The use of grant programs to target seats is a legitimate way to distribute funding to the regions, senior Nationals say.

Nationals leader David Littleproud says ‘our job is to get regional and rural Australia its fair share’. Picture: Gary Ramage

Senior Nationals MPs say the use of grant programs to target seats should not be within the remit of the national anti-corruption commission and the practice is a legitimate way to distribute funding to the regions.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has flagged that targeting of seats through grant programs could be investigated by the NACC. He said he viewed the Morrison government’s sports grants program, in which a colour-coded spreadsheet was used to sort applicants for funding by electorate, as an example of corruption.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus. Picture: Gary Ramage

While he did not defend allocation of funds under the sports grants program, Nationals leader David Littleproud raised concern that “pork barrelling” would be targeted by the NACC.

“With respect to pork barrelling, there has been nothing corrupt done in the past. This is not pork barrelling, this is delivery to rural and regional Australia,” he said. “Our job is to get regional and rural Australia its fair share. If the government was serious, they’d be constructive with us in getting a consistent infrastructure spend for the regions, but there’s no votes for them in regional Australia.”

Mr Littleproud said the ­Coalition was giving in-principle support to the design of the NACC, and would wait for more detail to come out of the parliamentary committee holding an inquiry into the legislation over coming weeks. “This is what Australia wants and voted for, and the Nationals will be constructive with government moving forward on this,” he said.

Michael McCormack. Picture: Martin Ollman

On the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, Mr Dreyfus said he did not want the NACC to be used as a weapon of political payback but the Morrison government’s sports grants program “looked pretty corrupt to me”.

“I thought the idea a decision made in the (former) prime minister’s office when he had no power over the matter, with 51 coloured spreadsheets revealed by the auditor-general … that looked pretty corrupt to me,” he said. “It’s going to be a matter for this independent commissioner to decide.”

The former government allocated funding under the Community Sport Infrastructure program, which offered up to $500,000 for projects including upgrades to sporting fields and pools or installation of bathrooms, solar panels and other facilities.

Nine of the 10 electorates that received the most funding were marginal or “targeted” electorates. And while ranking higher in eligibility criteria in their applications, many clubs in other seats missed out.

Barnaby Joyce. Picture: Gary Ramage

Former Nationals leaders Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce told The Australian they were concerned inclusion of pork barrelling in the NACC’s design would be a “political weapon”.

“When you hear corruption and pork barrelling in the same sentence, you get concerned,” Mr Joyce said.

“Pork barrelling for regional people is just about delivery in their electorate. If it were purely a business case, country people would never get anything because of population difference. We don’t see this (pork barrelling) as corruption. It’s trying to look after ­people in regional towns.”

Mr McCormack said it was important MPs and ministers had discretion over grant funding.

He said the Nationals would follow up on their concerns about the NACC with both the Liberal and Labor parties.

Centre for Public Integrity chairman Anthony Whealy said allocation of grants to groups through a colour-coded spreadsheet detailing the seats where they were located “contradicted public trust” and could be investigated but while the NACC could look into the saga, it “wouldn’t necessarily lead to an adverse outcome”.