The Grattan Institute has released a report calling for a ban on government ministers choosing grants, claiming that ‘pork-barrelling’ promotes a corrupt culture.
The report reveals that the former federal Coalition Government allocated more than twice as much per seat on average to government seats compared to opposition seats when making grants. It also recommends that all grant programs should be open, competitive and merit-based.
Grattan’s report follows another from the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption, which found that pork-barrelling could constitute corrupt behaviour in certain circumstances.
