Mr TARZIA (Hartley) (15:30): Mr Speaker, I rise today to address the house on a rather serious issue, one which I’m sure those opposite would be eager to have heard the end of. And that, Mr Speaker, is the Pork-Barreling of over $84 million in sports grants, almost all of which has gone to Labor-held seats.
Mr Speaker, I rise today to address the house on a rather serious issue, one which I’m sure those opposite would be eager to have heard the end of. And that, Mr Speaker, is the Pork-Barreling of over $84 million in sports grants, almost all of which has gone to Labor-held seats.
Mr Speaker, I am certain you nor this house need reminding how damaging Pork-Barreling is to public trust. It does not only affect those who partake in the practice of Pork-Barreling. It drags all of us down. It compromises the confidence that our constituents hold in us as their representatives.
That is why it is our duty to ask questions, to scrutinize and to call it for what it is, which in this case is clear; this is Pork-Barreling. This practice of distributing public money for political advantage, has been widely condemned by independent bodies both in SA and across Australia recently
On June 2nd we saw from this Government’s budget that they had allocated $84.5 million to, and I quote, “provide grants for infrastructure and facility upgrades to sporting clubs.” Mr Speaker, we will simply not accept the understatement of just how significant $84.5 million is. This is a significant investment. It is a larger investment than the famous Adelaide Aquatic Centre project. $84.5 million of taxpayer money.
Let me make it clear, Mr Speaker, that we on this side of the house take no issue with making good on promises. In fact, we advocate strongly for promising and subsequently delivering worthy projects for local communities. But it must be done by the book, and this Government needed to show vigilance and responsibility when handling $84.5 million of taxpayer money.
Instead what we have seen is that 69 out of 72 grants have been allocated to Labor held seats. 96% of this funding has gone into Labor-held seats. Furthermore, they have bypassed a very standard assessment process for these grants. No third party laid eyes on these projects. There was absolutely no assessment undertaken, not by the Office of Recreation, Sport and Racing, not by anyone Mr Speaker.
Instead, it was assessed by none other than the Labor Party before the election. This is just not good enough, Mr Speaker.
Members and Ministers of this Government hold key positions on several clubs that received part of this $84.5 grant. When you hold a position on a club, and there is no third party to scrutinize the merit of that grant, then something smells. The public will become cynical, and they have Mr. Speaker. This is an absolute scandal and embarrasses us all.
On several occasions in this place and in estimates, I asked the Minister for Sport, whether any Ministerial Conflicts have been declared. The Government has refused to provide any evidence of individual Ministers declaring conflicts of interest in relation to this issue – other than to say that ‘all obligations have been complied with’ – which is simply not good enough!
Now, Mr Speaker, we on this side of the House know that members advocate for their communities. Are they worthy projects? Probably. But where were the third-party eyes overlooking this decision? Members of Parliament must avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, because if the public think there is any conflict, it drags us all down Mr Speaker. It is a race to the bottom, and it drags us all down.
So we will be asking even more questions, probing these grants further and we will continue holding this government to account.
We know that members advocate for their communities, are they worthy projects? Probably? Where are the third-party eyes overlooking this decision? Must avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. Because fi the public think there is conflict it drags us all down. It is a race to the bottom, and it drags us all down. So we will be asking more questions, holding the government to account.
