2010hvletters2

October 31, 2026 — 12:00am

Pork-barrelling alive and well

Surely the fact that then Premier Mike Baird’s chief of strategy, “queried why we are giving funding to a clay target association in a … relatively safe seat” amplifies to all that the abhorrent practice of pork-barrelling is alive, well, and, as Berejiklian recently noted, acceptable (“Berejiklian wanted grant hastened: ICAC”, October 20).
Bill Young, Killcare Heights

Government grants awarded before applications close. Majority of high-value grants given through “closed, non-competitive processes”. Over half the grants for rural Australia go to cities (“55% of regional grants go to major cities”, October 20). Voters’ anger over the sports rorts and commuter car park electioneering has led to nothing and never will until a federal integrity agency is established. We deserve better.
Lorraine Hickey, Green Point

Australia deserves, but does not receive, honesty and integrity from its politicians. More than half of federal grants for regional development went to major cities, most favoured Coalition seats, the largest proportion of money was given out just before an election and less than 8 per cent of funding went to remote regional areas. Similar problems occur in NSW, where improper grants were justified by the past Premier as being OK because both parties do it. Government funding for political advantage is not OK, it is fraudulent misuse of taxpayer funds that undermines our democratic process. We will not see honest and ethical behaviour by politicians and the fair election of our representatives until the misuse of taxpayer funds becomes a criminal offence.
Keith Woodward, Avalon Beach

In corporate contract law we had a suite of standard inclusions in our contracts, including a claw back subject to arbitration, for any grant or such like we made if the facts on the ground subsequently changed. The government has left an estimated $27 billion of our money with firms who didn’t need it in JobKeeper, largely a cohort who are Coalition supporters. In contrast, they have claimed for years that transition to clean energy is a cost the economy can’t bear, all the while political donations remain opaque. We should worry about the passive, almost bovine, nature of our democracy if these people win power again.
Peter Spencer, Glebe

Today we read the Auditor-General’s findings that most of the money for regional development goes to capital cities. It would all make perfect sense if Coogee and Campbelltown were in the regions. Now this is something MPs from the regions could be active about once some of them have sorted out energy policy with their colleagues.
Judy Sherrington, Kensington

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