THIRD COALITION RORTS SCANDAL

[Redneck]

OMG IT GETS WORSE WITH EVERY NEW REVELATION!

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." - George Orwell, Animal Farm

Coalition’s “miracle” election win claim under fire as more rorts surface with Regional Growth Fund (Excerpt quoted)

The Coalition’s claimed “miracle” election win is looking decidedly hollow as more rorts surface in the media. Senator Bridget McKenzie took one for the team over the #sportsrorts and resigned her ministry. Jommy Tee uncovers yet another whopper — the Regional Growth Fund.

Question is: how systemic was the rorting and who besides the hapless McKenzie was involved? As this investigation shows, when it came to the eponymously-named Regional Growth Fund (RGF) grants, certainly a cabinet sub-committee. Possibly the whole cabinet.

The RGF was announced as part of the 2017-18 budget with grants of $10 million or more for major transformational projects to “create jobs in regions, including those undergoing structural adjustment”.

Unlike the other rorted grants programs, this one had a two-stage process. It involved a ministerial panel vetting the Stage 1 process and signing off on the applications that would proceed to the second and final stage of developing a full business case.

The guidelines of the program clearly stated:

“decisions on which Initial Applications progress to a Full Business Case will be made by a Ministerial Panel in consultation with the Australian Government’s Investment, Infrastructure and Innovation Committee of Cabinet or Cabinet”.

Applications for the RGF opened in March 2018 and closed late April 2018 — conveniently timed for a cash splash just before voters cast their votes for the 2019 election.

A staggering $272 million of grants were awarded — with 89% of them (16 grants worth a total $248 million) awarded just ahead of the election. Of that $248 million, Coalition seats snagged $234 million.

Marginal seats got a strong allocation with $134 million corralled by the marginal seats of Dawson; Pearce; Casey; Braddon; Capricornia; Herbert; Cowper; Page and Gilmore.

In the rare instance where grants were awarded to Labor-held seats, the same publicity modus operandi used in the #sportsrorts playbook was followed. The announcement was made by the local LNP candidate or LNP Senator — though the electorate was spared the novelty cheques this time. Sitting Labor members didn’t get [a] look in.

[Redneck]

“Of that $248 million, Coalition seats snagged $234 million”

[Redneck]

Seems the rotten rightards have gone quiet!

[Neferti]

Seems the rotten rightards have gone quiet!

[brian ross]

Seems the rotten rightards have gone quiet!

Funny that, hey? Oh, I supposed you'll get a roasting for suggesting that their pet Tory Government is full of crooked crooks, mate.

[billy the kid]

Just in case you guys haven't noticed, Ive been dumping on the coalition for a long time....
And if the other mob were in power Id be dumping on them also...
Just because Im right of centre doesn't mean I support the grubberment..not by a long chalk.....

[Redneck]

Just in case you guys haven't noticed, Ive been dumping on the coalition for a long time....
And if the other mob were in power Id be dumping on them also...
Just because Im right of centre doesn't mean I support the grubberment..not by a long chalk.....

Fair enough have a good day!

Cheers!

[Black Orchid]

Just in case you guys haven't noticed, Ive been dumping on the coalition for a long time....
And if the other mob were in power Id be dumping on them also...
Just because Im right of centre doesn't mean I support the grubberment..not by a long chalk.....

Same here. I didn't even vote for Morrison but you can say that 1000 times and still they have their own narrative to pursue.

[Redneck]

Just in case you guys haven't noticed, Ive been dumping on the coalition for a long time....
And if the other mob were in power Id be dumping on them also...
Just because Im right of centre doesn't mean I support the grubberment..not by a long chalk.....

Same here. I didn't even vote for Morrison but you can say that 1000 times and still they have their own narrative to pursue.

Good

But also to use your term more or less

"and still you have their own narrative to pursue."

[Juliar]

Labor and GetUp!'s FAKE NEWS about the Sports Rorts will die a natural death as Labor's hypocrisy is exposed.


Albo paid out $550 Million 10 years ago and he didn't give any to the Lib/Nat seats. They all do it move on.

What was Labor's excuses in 2009 and 2013? The amounts involved were larger and more blatant in favouring Labor (and independent) electorates.

Drawing on the past: "GILLARD and Albanese knew Craig Thomson was vulnerable. Electorally, he needed all the help he could get. He was GILLARD's achilles heel and she knew it. So Therapeutic Albanese and GILLARD came up with sports rort to end all sports rorts. It was the Labor Party's announcement for the Craig Thomson Stadium back then. A $39 million project of which $10M in taxpayer money was contributed to save Craig Thomson." But here's the kicker: "...while more than $9m of that government grant has been handed over, the community side to the project is yet to materialise." Michael Smith News, with documentary proof).

The stadium has never been built. Must have slipped Albanese's mind. Where did the more than $9 million go Albo? I mean Bridget only gave `almost $36,000' (The ABC reported) to her gun club.. Albo and Gillard gave almost $10 million for a stadium to save Thomson's seat, and that's gone missing. No audit? And no mainstream news about it either.


The allocations by Sport Australia (SA) were even more heavily biased against Labor electorates!
The proportion of funding to Labor held electorates increased by 8% under the Minister's allocation!
The Minister's plan was more "equitable".

Why would this be?

Sport Australia is not egalitarian organization, its task is improving elite performance in sport! It runs the AIS which is focused on improving the performance of elite athletes to win Gold Medals at Olympics!!!!

Go to the trouble to read the Act under which SA is established. It has six objects to cover its operation. There is not one of those objects which clearly deal with apportioning Government Grants to community organizations.

The officers and board of Sport Australia are all representatives of elite peak professional sporting bodies, not the local cricket club.
It would be educational to do an in-depth comparison of who benefited and lost between the two schedules.
Might we find that there was a bias by SA towards those elite organizations that had the most resources to prepare their case and the most experienced lobbyists? That is, those who knew what the key words were to embellish their case.
Could it be that they tended to be in the most affluent areas?

Let's face it all these grants are aimed to improve politicians standing.

Frankly the more important issue is whether this is a valid Commonwealth function.

Do you seriously think it is Federal responsibility to improve the playing surface at the Upper Woop Woop Croquet Club? It is all "pork barreling", the only question is whose "barrel" gets the "pork"!
Might it be more efficient and equitable to give sporting grants to local councils, based on population and area for them to administer?

There is an even more important issue. How much authority should be devolved to unelected committees and Government Boards? Do we really want a system where elected Ministers are simply rubber stamps? I don't.


Not many people have picked up on the ABC Melbourne radio report of a couple of weeks ago Friday afternoon.

Raf Epstein interviewed president of the Pakenham football club who said that on the sports commission guidelines they missed out on funding with a score of 50 but that the Minister gave them the money they wanted – and guess what – the money was to build toilets and change rooms for all of the women that are now participating in football so they don't have to do get changed in their cars and go to the toilet who knows where. One very clear example of where the Minister provided proper funding that was 100% against what the sports commission recommended.