Pork-barrelling push back: Call for public service to control grants

An independent think tank is calling for politicians to be stripped of the ability to decide who gets billions of dollars in grants.

In a report released overnight, the Grattan Institute, said pork-barrelling is contributing to a fall in community confidence in politics and increased perceptions that the political system is corrupt.

The institute’s research found marginal seats were funded at almost four-times the rate of safe seats during the $1 billion Community Development Grant program.

“There is a big skew in terms of spending on these local infrastructure projects, community infrastructure, events, through grants programs that look very much politically motivated,” Grattan Institute CEO Danielle Wood told Ross and Russel.

“When we looked at the seats that were getting most, seven out of the 10 most well-funded seats were marginal ones, they ranged from one of the richest electorates in the country — Wentworth electorate in Sydney — to the poorest — Bass in Tasmania — and literally the only thing those electorates had in common was that they were very marginal seats.”

The Grattan Institute wants the public service, not politicians, to decide on grant allocations.

Press PLAY below to hear the Grattan Institute’s idea to stop pork-barrelling