Latest news with #LocalSmallCommitmentsAllocation
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Labor's pork-barrelling answer managed 'effectively'
A controversial community grant scheme spreading $37.2 million across 93 electorates has been cleared of pork-barrelling claims but conflicts of interest concerns linger. The NSW auditor-general on Thursday published its verdict after two years of consternation from the coalition over the integrity, efficacy and value of Labor's taxpayer-funded Local Small Commitments Allocation scheme. The grants program, announced by Labor before it swept to power in the 2023 NSW election, allowed each Labor candidate to nominate projects for $400,000 in funding. Nominations could be made by candidates with no prosect of winning. Several coalition MPs described the scheme as a "slush fund" where "taxpayer money is being used to try to buy votes". But Auditor-General Bola Oyetunji said the government had effectively administered the program and complied with grants administration laws as it divvied the pot between 644 projects. He identified two concerns around conflicts of interest of 54 panel members recommending the grants and minor administrative errors. Liberal MP Chris Rath, who was among a group of MPs critical of the grant, argued the report was "scathing." He called on Premier Chris Minns to order a conflict of interest check on all 93 Labor candidates the party fielded in 2023. The government office overseeing the grants program only reviewed such checks for 17 candidates, put forward by Special Minister of State John Graham. Two grants were subsequently not approved. The office said it had received verbal confirmation that conflict-of-interest processes had been implemented by Labor for all electorates. But it hadn't asked for documentation supporting those claims, the auditor-general's report said. More than 50 "moderate risk" conflicts of interest of panel members approving a total of 644 grants also should have been passed onto a probity adviser before ending up on the special minister's desk, the report said. A spokesman for Mr Graham said it accepted the audit office's recommendations to tighten up its processes. Labor's grants program followed a report in two damning indictments of coalition-organised grants programs. A 2023 report from the auditor-general found the former coalition government intervened to effectively exclude Labor electorates from receiving bushfire recovery funding. Another grants round, the $252 million Stronger Communities Fund, came under a cloud when an upper house inquiry found 95 per cent of the funds went to councils in coalition-held or marginal seats under the Berejiklian government. A controversial community grant scheme spreading $37.2 million across 93 electorates has been cleared of pork-barrelling claims but conflicts of interest concerns linger. The NSW auditor-general on Thursday published its verdict after two years of consternation from the coalition over the integrity, efficacy and value of Labor's taxpayer-funded Local Small Commitments Allocation scheme. The grants program, announced by Labor before it swept to power in the 2023 NSW election, allowed each Labor candidate to nominate projects for $400,000 in funding. Nominations could be made by candidates with no prosect of winning. Several coalition MPs described the scheme as a "slush fund" where "taxpayer money is being used to try to buy votes". But Auditor-General Bola Oyetunji said the government had effectively administered the program and complied with grants administration laws as it divvied the pot between 644 projects. He identified two concerns around conflicts of interest of 54 panel members recommending the grants and minor administrative errors. Liberal MP Chris Rath, who was among a group of MPs critical of the grant, argued the report was "scathing." He called on Premier Chris Minns to order a conflict of interest check on all 93 Labor candidates the party fielded in 2023. The government office overseeing the grants program only reviewed such checks for 17 candidates, put forward by Special Minister of State John Graham. Two grants were subsequently not approved. The office said it had received verbal confirmation that conflict-of-interest processes had been implemented by Labor for all electorates. But it hadn't asked for documentation supporting those claims, the auditor-general's report said. More than 50 "moderate risk" conflicts of interest of panel members approving a total of 644 grants also should have been passed onto a probity adviser before ending up on the special minister's desk, the report said. A spokesman for Mr Graham said it accepted the audit office's recommendations to tighten up its processes. Labor's grants program followed a report in two damning indictments of coalition-organised grants programs. A 2023 report from the auditor-general found the former coalition government intervened to effectively exclude Labor electorates from receiving bushfire recovery funding. Another grants round, the $252 million Stronger Communities Fund, came under a cloud when an upper house inquiry found 95 per cent of the funds went to councils in coalition-held or marginal seats under the Berejiklian government. A controversial community grant scheme spreading $37.2 million across 93 electorates has been cleared of pork-barrelling claims but conflicts of interest concerns linger. The NSW auditor-general on Thursday published its verdict after two years of consternation from the coalition over the integrity, efficacy and value of Labor's taxpayer-funded Local Small Commitments Allocation scheme. The grants program, announced by Labor before it swept to power in the 2023 NSW election, allowed each Labor candidate to nominate projects for $400,000 in funding. Nominations could be made by candidates with no prosect of winning. Several coalition MPs described the scheme as a "slush fund" where "taxpayer money is being used to try to buy votes". But Auditor-General Bola Oyetunji said the government had effectively administered the program and complied with grants administration laws as it divvied the pot between 644 projects. He identified two concerns around conflicts of interest of 54 panel members recommending the grants and minor administrative errors. Liberal MP Chris Rath, who was among a group of MPs critical of the grant, argued the report was "scathing." He called on Premier Chris Minns to order a conflict of interest check on all 93 Labor candidates the party fielded in 2023. The government office overseeing the grants program only reviewed such checks for 17 candidates, put forward by Special Minister of State John Graham. Two grants were subsequently not approved. The office said it had received verbal confirmation that conflict-of-interest processes had been implemented by Labor for all electorates. But it hadn't asked for documentation supporting those claims, the auditor-general's report said. More than 50 "moderate risk" conflicts of interest of panel members approving a total of 644 grants also should have been passed onto a probity adviser before ending up on the special minister's desk, the report said. A spokesman for Mr Graham said it accepted the audit office's recommendations to tighten up its processes. Labor's grants program followed a report in two damning indictments of coalition-organised grants programs. A 2023 report from the auditor-general found the former coalition government intervened to effectively exclude Labor electorates from receiving bushfire recovery funding. Another grants round, the $252 million Stronger Communities Fund, came under a cloud when an upper house inquiry found 95 per cent of the funds went to councils in coalition-held or marginal seats under the Berejiklian government. A controversial community grant scheme spreading $37.2 million across 93 electorates has been cleared of pork-barrelling claims but conflicts of interest concerns linger. The NSW auditor-general on Thursday published its verdict after two years of consternation from the coalition over the integrity, efficacy and value of Labor's taxpayer-funded Local Small Commitments Allocation scheme. The grants program, announced by Labor before it swept to power in the 2023 NSW election, allowed each Labor candidate to nominate projects for $400,000 in funding. Nominations could be made by candidates with no prosect of winning. Several coalition MPs described the scheme as a "slush fund" where "taxpayer money is being used to try to buy votes". But Auditor-General Bola Oyetunji said the government had effectively administered the program and complied with grants administration laws as it divvied the pot between 644 projects. He identified two concerns around conflicts of interest of 54 panel members recommending the grants and minor administrative errors. Liberal MP Chris Rath, who was among a group of MPs critical of the grant, argued the report was "scathing." He called on Premier Chris Minns to order a conflict of interest check on all 93 Labor candidates the party fielded in 2023. The government office overseeing the grants program only reviewed such checks for 17 candidates, put forward by Special Minister of State John Graham. Two grants were subsequently not approved. The office said it had received verbal confirmation that conflict-of-interest processes had been implemented by Labor for all electorates. But it hadn't asked for documentation supporting those claims, the auditor-general's report said. More than 50 "moderate risk" conflicts of interest of panel members approving a total of 644 grants also should have been passed onto a probity adviser before ending up on the special minister's desk, the report said. A spokesman for Mr Graham said it accepted the audit office's recommendations to tighten up its processes. Labor's grants program followed a report in two damning indictments of coalition-organised grants programs. A 2023 report from the auditor-general found the former coalition government intervened to effectively exclude Labor electorates from receiving bushfire recovery funding. Another grants round, the $252 million Stronger Communities Fund, came under a cloud when an upper house inquiry found 95 per cent of the funds went to councils in coalition-held or marginal seats under the Berejiklian government.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Review of NSW Labor's controversial $37m election fund urges rapid overhaul of grant guidelines
A controversial $37m New South Wales grants program which began as a 2023 election slush fund available to Labor candidates and members to offer to local community groups has revealed weaknesses in the state's grants making guidelines. The NSW auditor general, Bola Oyetunji, found that he was unable to review how Labor had administered the Local Small Commitments Allocation (LSCA) grants prior to winning government. Oyetunji concluded in his report that the grant guidelines should be overhauled as 'a matter of priority' to deal with election promises that later led to allocations of government money. The LSCA program gave $400,000 to each electorate, but the projects were nominated by Labor candidates only. When it became known about after the 2023 election, won by Labor, it sparked outrage from the opposition and minor parties because they had no opportunity to nominate projects, even if they were the sitting members. The LSCA is now the subject of a parliamentary inquiry, amid allegations that some Labor MPs were on the boards of, or had ties to, organisations that they recommended for funding. Oyetunji noted that once the bureaucracy took over the program, after the election, the program was largely run 'effectively'. Earlier, it was largely not transparent, he said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The auditor general found the Program Office which took over the grants program had reviewed the potential conflicts of interest of just 17 candidates out of 93, which were put forward by the special minister of state. 'The Program Office was told that NSW Labor had put in place conflict of interest processes to make sure the candidate did not have any issues, but the office did not seek any documentation supporting NSW Labor's conflicts of interest assessments,' Oyetunji said. He said there was little he could do, because the NSW Labor party was not within his remit. 'These activities fall outside the scope of the auditor general's mandate,' Oyetunji said. Instead he recommended: 'The guide [on administering grants] could be clearer about how the public sector is to administer grants involving election commitments.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The LSCA program began as a policy proposal of NSW Labor prior to the March 2023 election. It involved an allocation of $400,000 to each NSW electorate to fund the election commitments of local Labor candidates in accordance with program guidelines. After the election, the scheme was handed to the NSW government's Program Office, which engaged a probity adviser on 25 July 2023. But the adviser was not involved in any events before this date. The premier's office provided the Program Office with a list of election commitments and the Program Office invited the nominated organisations on the list to submit applications to deliver small local projects. The auditor found that once Labor won the election and handed to the Program office within the government, it was mostly run 'effectively'. The audit identified two exceptions: 54 assessment panel members' conflicts were not identified and managed from a total of 644 approved projects, and there were some other minor administrative errors. Oyetunji said the NSW government should consider updating the Grants Administration Guide to include additional guidance on how the public sector is to address financial accountability, probity, record keeping and administrative obligations when a grants administration process has been initiated as an election commitment. He also recommended the Program Office should ensure conflicts of interest processes are implemented as intended for all future grant programs.
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Labor's pork-barrelling answer managed 'effectively'
A controversial community grant scheme spreading $37.2 million across 93 electorates has been cleared of pork-barrelling claims but conflicts of interest concerns linger. The NSW auditor-general on Thursday published its verdict after two years of consternation from the coalition over the integrity, efficacy and value of Labor's taxpayer-funded Local Small Commitments Allocation scheme. The grants program, announced by Labor before it swept to power in the 2023 NSW election, allowed each Labor candidate to nominate projects for $400,000 in funding. Nominations could be made by candidates with no prosect of winning. Several coalition MPs described the scheme as a "slush fund" where "taxpayer money is being used to try to buy votes". But Auditor-General Bola Oyetunji said the government had effectively administered the program and complied with grants administration laws as it divvied the pot between 644 projects. He identified two concerns around conflicts of interest of 54 panel members recommending the grants and minor administrative errors. Liberal MP Chris Rath, who was among a group of MPs critical of the grant, argued the report was "scathing." He called on Premier Chris Minns to order a conflict of interest check on all 93 Labor candidates the party fielded in 2023. The government office overseeing the grants program only reviewed such checks for 17 candidates, put forward by Special Minister of State John Graham. Two grants were subsequently not approved. The office said it had received verbal confirmation that conflict-of-interest processes had been implemented by Labor for all electorates. But it hadn't asked for documentation supporting those claims, the auditor-general's report said. More than 50 "moderate risk" conflicts of interest of panel members approving a total of 644 grants also should have been passed onto a probity adviser before ending up on the special minister's desk, the report said. A spokesman for Mr Graham said it accepted the audit office's recommendations to tighten up its processes. Labor's grants program followed a report in two damning indictments of coalition-organised grants programs. A 2023 report from the auditor-general found the former coalition government intervened to effectively exclude Labor electorates from receiving bushfire recovery funding. Another grants round, the $252 million Stronger Communities Fund, came under a cloud when an upper house inquiry found 95 per cent of the funds went to councils in coalition-held or marginal seats under the Berejiklian government.
