Perin Davey (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Hansard source

It is absolutely true, because in New South Wales all of the sites selected were in Labor electorates. In Victoria the majority of sites went to Labor electorates. I agree we hold Bass, Senator Polley, but in Tasmania the majority of black spot programs went to Labor electorates. It is beyond belief that no funding went to seats like Farrer, where I live, or the Riverina or Parkes—the majority of regional and rural New South Wales.

When questioned on 2GB radio by Ben Fordham, Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland actually admitted that, yes, she hand-picked every site for funding. She admitted that she worked with Labor candidates prior to the election to identify their locations for funding. She agreed that none of the locations chosen were selected based on advice from the Department of Communications.

I believe there is a word for this blatant partisan decision-making. What is it? Pork-barrelling! What is worse: given that Labor holds a minority of regional seats, this sort of partisan funding should ring alarm bells right across rural and regional Australia. I find it deeply concerning that the Labor Party is more interested in scoring political points than addressing the real issues faced by regional people. (Time expired)