Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Well, not in March 2022 you hadn't. Not yet. In March 2022, you were still in government. As I said, I don't know where the National Party merry-go-round was parked at that particular time in terms of whether the good Deputy Prime Minister was in, or the other one. As the member for Gippsland knows, this program has traditionally been funded year-on-year. It's ridiculous for the coalition to claim they didn't do the same when they were in government. This is pure mischief-making. To quote the earlier speaker, it is hypocrisy writ large. Our last round of the program, round 8, was funded by the Albanese government and commenced in February 2023. While the Liberals and Nationals announced round 8 of Stronger Communities in the March budget, they failed to pass their budget before calling the election, meaning that the program was another unfunded promise. Once again, the Liberals and Nationals made an announcement, a press release, but failed to deliver, leaving it up to the Albanese Labor government to fix another part of their mess.

That's why we had to deliver the funding for round 8 of the program in the October budget of 2022 and roll out the program across 2023. Those opposite didn't deliver any funds for round 8 and certainly didn't make provision for funding beyond that. I should also point out that in round 8 the government added the requirement for local MPs to outline the project nomination process to enhance the transparency of the program, because we all remember the integrity issues around the coalition when it comes to grant programs. I'm sure the member for Lalor will remember the old colour-coded pork barrelling. Remember that? As a government, we deliver grant programs that are fair and transparent. I don't think we're going to see swimming pools next to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Remember that? A swimming pool next to the Sydney Harbour Bridge—for a regional grants program! We actually know where the regions are.

Under the Building Better Regions Fund program, the Australian National Audit Office found that the Morrison government not only actively ignored Commonwealth grant programs but tried to get around them, and they did so at the expense of regional seats. If only the regional seats had a party that would speak up for them! If only they had a party like that! It was not only Labor seats but also regional seats held by Liberal and Independent members and National Party members. It's clear that projects on the merit list were ignored, and 65 per cent of the projects in the infrastructure stream, which made up almost all of the billion-dollar program, were not the ones assessed by the department as having the most merit. The Nationals seats benefited the most, as proper process was actively ignored. Those seats got $104 million more pork, or 29 per cent, than if the proper process had been followed.

On that basis alone, the Liberal and National parties, especially the Nationals, should never again be allowed to talk about grants programs in this parliament, after the way they behaved while they were in government. Remember that, the shameful colour-coded trail of pork left across the nation in National Party seats? We don't know where the National Party merry-go-round is going to end up, but I hope the member for Gippsland thinks long and hard about his motions.

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