Bridget McKenzie pork-barrelling - Sports Rorts 2.0... and now 3.0!

[Chief]

Apparently the LNP:

* created a new sports grants program instead of expanding the existing Dept of Infrastructure program which was already distributing these exact grants,

* so they actively avoided using digital infrastructure designed to centralise grant applications and record keeping,

* thus keeping the program off the radar of various transparency mechanisms and side-stepping rules about approval of grants, and

* in doing so they made it more difficult to see where money was going in the hope they could cover their tracks as they pork-barreled marginal seats.

So when they say “no rules were broken” it’s because they kept the program separate from any infrastructure or process that could impose rules on the program administration.

sporting infrastructure grants were already available via Grantconnect from the Department of Infrastructure’s Regional Development programs. As Grantconnect shows, these were in 2018 already providing a wide range of grants for projects like upgrading change rooms and showers, improving playing surfaces, fixing tennis courts, providing Little Athletics facilities, or improving lighting.

Indeed, the new program was actually announced in the Department of Infrastructure budget papers, and its similarity to existing programs was referred to as “complementing existing government investments through regional development programs”.

Why did the government not simply expand the existing infrastructure programs that were already helping sports clubs around Australia?


Giving the program to infrastructure, however, would have meant the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines would have had to be applied. They require, as the Department of Finance explains, “that Ministers MUST not approve a grant or group of grants without first receiving written advice from officials on the merits of the grant or group of grants”. (Emphasis original.)

But the last thing the government wanted was written advice on the merits of grants — it wanted to pork barrel marginal electorates, not allocate grants on merit.

 

[Juddism]

times like this you wish Canberra was a bigger city like Paris or Berlin...would only take large scale protests and civil disobedience to get these *ers to listen.

 

[NSWCROW]

Apparently the LNP:

* created a new sports grants program instead of expanding an existing one,

* actively avoided using digital infrastructure designed to centralise grant applications and record keeping,

* thus keeping the program off the radar of various transparency mechanisms and side-stepping rules about approval of grants, and

* in doing so they made it more difficult to see where money was going in the hope they could cover their tracks as they pork-barreled marginal seats.

So when they say “no rules were broken” it’s because they kept the program separate from any infrastructure or process that could impose rules on the program administration.

Yeah but * the bludgers

 

[Chief]

times like this you wish Canberra was a bigger city like Paris or Berlin...would only take large scale protests and civil disobedience to get these f***ers to listen.

The place is deliberately tucked away several hours drive from anywhere.

 

[Doss]

The place is deliberately tucked away several hours drive from anywhere.

You mean like a sort of...Canberra bubble?

 

[Chief]

You mean like a sort of...Canberra bubble?

Not just sort of, exactly.

 

[Kram]

Bowen going for the throat calling for her sacking.

 

[Noobz0r]

NoCookies | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au

 

[NSWCROW]

Bowen going for the throat calling for her sacking.

So was Comrade Bill before.
Rex Patrick said the same.

 

[Navyblues09]

So everyone is up in arms because politicians gave money to local sporting clubs in marginal seats.

This is huge, that’s unheard of, I’ve never known politicians to pork barrel in marginal seats before, sack them all!

I used to live in a safe liberal seat, suddenly the state Labor Government made inroads and all the local football clubs have brand new pavilions, amazing! It’s now a Labor held marginal seat, amazing. But that pork barreling is ok I guess...

If every politician who directed funds based on trying to win votes is getting sacked then we’d better get ready for some elections at every level with a brand new state and federal parliament

 

[Noobz0r]

But that pork barreling is ok I guess...

*cough* Ros Kelly *cough*

 

[NSWCROW]

So everyone is up in arms because politicians gave money to local sporting clubs in marginal seats.

This is huge, that’s unheard of, I’ve never known politicians to pork barrel in marginal seats before, sack them all!

I used to live in a safe liberal seat, suddenly the state Labor Government made inroads and all the local football clubs have brand new pavilions, amazing! It’s now a Labor held marginal seat, amazing. But that pork barreling is ok I guess...

If every politician who directed funds based on trying to win votes is getting sacked then we’d better get ready for some elections at every level with a brand new state and federal parliament

tHeY aLl dO iT !

 

[NSWCROW]

*cough* Ros Kelly *cough*

It's almost like some campaigners don't READ the thread they're rushing in to have a sook about or something..............

 

[Navyblues09]

*cough* Ros Kelly *cough*

Sounds like she failed to keep records making it a clear rort, much like Essendon

 

[Noobz0r]

Sounds like she failed to keep records making it a clear rort, much like Essendon

Yes, unlike the current rort where the government created a new program to completely avoid the checks put in place to avoid this exact thing.

 

[Kram]

So was Comrade Bill before.
Rex Patrick said the same.

Yeah but Bowen is more badass.

Shorten is like getting flogged with a wet newspaper.

 

[Present Not Past]

Same old right wing liberal s**t.
Someone else did it so we can too.
Has there ever been a Liberal Party with a bigger political following of simpletons, inbred s and halfwits?

You'd have to go back to a time before Pauline Hanson's split from the Liberal Party

 

[NSWCROW]

Yeah but Bowen is more badass.

Shorten is like getting flogged with a wet newspaper.

Bowen's about as exciting as watching 1st rd golf

 

[CM86]

So everyone is up in arms because politicians gave money to local sporting clubs in marginal seats.

This is huge, that’s unheard of, I’ve never known politicians to pork barrel in marginal seats before, sack them all!

I used to live in a safe liberal seat, suddenly the state Labor Government made inroads and all the local football clubs have brand new pavilions, amazing! It’s now a Labor held marginal seat, amazing. But that pork barreling is ok I guess...

If every politician who directed funds based on trying to win votes is getting sacked then we’d better get ready for some elections at every level with a brand new state and federal parliament

Do you make posts like this because you've no idea what's going on, what's been reported on, and what the actual criticisms are?

Or is it because you just want to obfuscate the issue?

 

[Present Not Past]

Do you make posts like this because you've no idea what's going on, what's been reported on, and what the actual criticisms are?

Or is it because you just want to obfuscate the issue?

I think he's trying to indicate that it's Labor's fault.

 

[JP Sauce]

I think he's trying to indicate that it's Labor's fault.

Bloody Greens!

 

[Sainteric]

Apparently the LNP:

* created a new sports grants program instead of expanding the existing Dept of Infrastructure program which was already distributing these exact grants,

* so they actively avoided using digital infrastructure designed to centralise grant applications and record keeping,

* thus keeping the program off the radar of various transparency mechanisms and side-stepping rules about approval of grants, and

* in doing so they made it more difficult to see where money was going in the hope they could cover their tracks as they pork-barreled marginal seats.

So when they say “no rules were broken” it’s because they kept the program separate from any infrastructure or process that could impose rules on the program administration.

I have been involved in many bids, Lib/Lab State/Feds they all do this.

Generally the shiney bums make it way too restrictive for 'political reality'

 

[Lebbo73]

Yeah , i mean it's only half a mill

On the right we call it petty cash

 

[Lebbo73]

*cough* Ros Kelly *cough*

Cough Tony Burke cough

 

[romeohwho]

It’s time to go bridge.