ndependent MP Helen Haines has put forward a bill aiming to eliminate political pork-barrelling in federal government grants, emphasizing the need for integrity in public spending. The proposed legislation mandates that all grants must adhere to public criteria, undergo meritorious selection, and be reviewed by a new parliamentary committee. It requires ministers to justify their decisions when diverging from departmental advice on awarding grants and to report on the grant programs’ compliance with parliamentary rules. Highlighted by the controversy of past grant schemes like ‘sports rorts’, Haines’s bill seeks to prevent grants from being used for political advantage, restoring trust in democracy. The bill, supported in the Senate by independent Senator David Pocock, echoes a similar proposal previously introduced by Labor’s Katy Gallagher while in opposition. The Centre for Public Integrity, Australia’s leading anti-corruption think tank, represented by director Geoffrey Watson SC, commends the bill for enhancing transparency and accountability in the handling of taxpayer funds.
This is a summary of an article published in The Australian by Jack Quail on February 26, 2024. Read it in full here.