Revealed: Libs $21m ‘pork barrel’ election pledge
There are no rules telling government ministers how to hand out grant money, a new report has revealed, as the Liberal’s 2018 election cash splash was found to have lacked ‘fairness’. FULL REPORT >>
Politics
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THE Liberal party’s $21m taxpayer-funded cash splash in the lead-up to the 2018 election lacked accountability, openness, fairness and criteria to ensure value for money, the Integrity Commission has found.
It was unclear how the Liberals decided on the recipients of the millions of dollars announced just two days before the poll, a new report from the Commission notes.
Such promises, made without due process or policy backing could be seen as pork barelling, it said.
“These ‘regional grants’ were a series of individual financial election commitments. There is no complete list of these grants, or any public criteria,” the report said.
“Most of the grants were only announced directly to stakeholders at events hosted by the recipients with the candidate making the commitment.
“After the election, in Parliament … Peter Gutwein MP said that ‘the government consulted with community and sporting groups across Tasmania’ to determine how the $21.4 million would be distributed.
“There is no further publicly available information about how the candidates selected recipients.”
The report noted “that there are no mandatory regulations, legislation or policies about how Tasmanian Ministers manage grants”.
The 2018 election was dominated by an influx of cash into the Liberal party’s campaign funds from gambling interests alarmed at Labor’s policy to remove poker machines from pubs and clubs.
The exact source of the bulk of the funding was never revealed because of Tasmania’s weak electoral donation laws.
The Liberals were returned to power with a decreased majority, with 13 seats.
The Integrity Commission said that once the Liberals were returned to power, the cash began to flow.
“After the election, the grants were given out as pledged, with no further assessment of the recipients’ need for the funding, or whether the amount of money promised was appropriate.
This means that the 2018 grants overall could not meet good practice grant management principles as they: did not have objectives; did not have selection criteria; did not have an application process; were not publicly advertised or competitive; did not identify decision-makers, and did not involve a public record of how or why recipients were chosen.”
Integrity Commissioner Greg said the public needed to have confidence that funding commitments made during elections are accountable and backed by policies.
“Without due process and policy, such grant promises may be – or perceived to be – for political outcomes only, that is ‘pork barrelling’.
“When made, election campaign promises should be supported by policy and must be publicised to all of the electorate – not just the intended recipients.
“If not managed carefully, these commitments – or how they are perceived – can undermine public trust in government.”
The report recommended introducing new rules to introduce a more rigorous process in the pledging and funding of grants by political parties, particularly during election campaigns.
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