LABOR BILL TARGETS MORRISON GOVERNMENT’S RORTS

SENATOR KATY GALLAGHER.
Inbox.News digital newspaper topper logo
2 years ago
LABOR BILL TARGETS MORRISON GOVERNMENT’S RORTS
SENATOR KATY GALLAGHER
Labor will introduce a bill into the Senate to improve the transparency and accountability of ministerial decisions with grant programs that Scott Morrison is addicted to rorting.

The Bill is being introduced following systemic rorting of public funds by Scott Morrison and his Minister with hundreds of millions of dollars of public money being used as Liberal Party election funding, including:
  • Sports rorts, where $100m was used to target marginal and targeted seats including during the 2019 election campaign.
  • Safer communities rorts, where 91% of the $30m third round ended up in government-held, independent or marginal seats.
  • Car Park rorts, where $660m was allocated based on a “top 20 Marginals” electorate list shared with the Prime Minister’s Office.
  • Regional rorts, where hundreds of projects were funded by a panel of ministers despite not being recommended by the public service.
This abuse of public money must stop.
 
The Bill will force ministers who approve grants rejected by their departments or who award grants in their own electorates to report the decision to the Finance Minister within 30 days. 

The Finance Minister will then be required to table those reports in the Parliament within five sitting days of receiving them.

This will dramatically reduce the time Ministers are able to hide their dodgy decisions from the Australian community from 16 months down to just a couple of months. 

Labor shouldn’t have to introduce this Bill but we have been left with no choice. 

At a time when the Morrison Government is racking up more than $1 trillion of debt and hundreds of millions of dollars of new spending, every dollar must be spent wisely, carefully and in the interests of the Australian community. 

This bill won’t stop the Morrison Government rorting but it is one small step that will shine a light on dodgy ministerial decision making. 
Government