Disturbing pattern of Labor program rorting emerging
8th September, 2009
The latest evidence of Federal Labor channelling taxpayer’s money to seats it holds or is targeting at the next election demands a full and wide-ranging inquiry, Leader of The Nationals Warren Truss said today.The Australian Financial Review reports today that the vast majority of funding under the Labor Government’s community infrastructure program favours marginal Labor-held electorates, especially in NSW and Victoria.
This follows revelations that 82 percent of Labor’s new Off-Network roads program funding is going into Labor electorates. Almost 100 percent of projects funded under their Better Regions program has gone to Labor seats or to projects promised by Labor candidates at the last election.
“These Labor slush funds are badged as ‘nation building’ or a stimulus to the economy but the reality is they are being used improperly to build and stimulate Labor’s electoral chances,” Mr Truss said.
“A pattern of systematic rorting has emerged under the Rudd Government in these programs. The Audit Office is examining at least one but should now investigate all of them.
“As expected, Labor responded today by saying that the Coalition had similar bias with its Regional Partnerships program. But under that program, the success rate for applications in Labor electorates was higher than those in Coalition seats.
“The big difference is lazy Labor MPs failed to encourage their communities to apply for funding. In the case of Labor’s Better Regions program, communities in Coalition seats are not even allowed to apply for funding – Better Regions is a Labor only bonanza.
“Today’s reports further put the lie to Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese’s always ridiculous claim that infrastructure under him would be funded without consideration of electoral boundaries or forthcoming elections.
“Instead there is no independent assessment of the merits of projects, just money for Labor’s political objectives,” Mr Truss said.
