Online Article- government accused of ‘blatant pork-barrelling’ over $450,000 grant before Legislative Council election

Bob Burton

The Tasmanian government has been accused of “blatant pork-barrelling” after it allocated $450,000 to a community club in Penguin and linked the funding to a crucial Legislative Council seat election.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced the grant to the Penguin Sports and Services Club on May 16 in a joint media release with Stephen Parry, the Liberal candidate for the seat of Montgomery on May 24. The government said it included the project in the upcoming 2025-26 state budget as an allocation from a program for sporting facilities across the North West.

Tasmanian Inquirer sought clarification on when the club applied for the funding, how much it sought and when the grant was approved. The government did not respond to these specific questions.

Chris Barker, the club president, said the grant would cover the costs of a new kitchen and upgrading 1975-vintage bathroom facilities.

He said the funding had been a long haul. The former federal member for Braddon, Gavin Pearce, had initially championed a $1.1 million proposal for the new kitchen, bathroom upgrade and extension of the building. The Albanese government rejected the proposal but the Liberals pitched another option before the federal election.

“They said there was an opportunity in amongst their other election pledges to be able to spend some money at the club in Penguin,” Barker said.

In an April 12 Facebook post, the club shared a media release from the federal Liberal candidate for Braddon, Mal Hingston, announcing a $550,000 grant for the kitchen and bathroom facilities “should a Peter Dutton Liberal Government be elected”. The club thanked Parry, as the Liberal candidate for Montgomery, for “championing this initiative”.

“The persistent, blatant pork-barrelling from this government is disgraceful”.

Meg Webb, Legislative Council MP for Nelson.

Barker said he was then contacted by Parry after Labor won the federal election “and given some indication” that the state government was looking at its proposal. He said the funding was then announced “at relatively short notice”. The $100,000 shortfall would require the club to spend less than planned on fixtures and fittings in the toilets and other areas, he said.

After the Rockliff government’s commitment, Parry said he was “very proud to have secured” the grant and posted a video filmed in the club kitchen to his campaign Facebook page. At the time of publication the video had 6900 views.

Will Montgomery represent a tipping point for the Rockliff government?

The result of the May 24 Legislative Council elections could be crucial for the state government’s legislative agenda. The Liberal party currently holds four upper house seats, including Montgomery. The Labor Party has three and there are seven independents.

The Liberal party endorsed Parry to run in Montgomery after the retirement of Leonie Hiscutt, the former leader of the government in the Legislative Council. Labor is not running a candidate, but  Hiscutt has endorsed her son, Casey, who is running as an independent and is a sitting member of the Central Coast Council. He declined to comment on the grant.

Many booths within Montgomery, including Penguin, recorded double-digit swings against the Liberals at the federal election as the party  lost the seat to Labor’s Anne Urquhart.

With the Penguin Sports and Services Club reporting over 600 members, the club has a significant presence in the town, where just over 1300 voted in the federal election.

Dr Darren Briggs, the Greens candidate and a Penguin resident, said community organisations such as the club provided critical services and deserved support. “There are many other community organisations in the northwest who deserve the same support,” he said. “Dipping into a bucket of money in the middle of an election campaign looks like the Liberals are trying to sway votes. Voters in Montgomery are discerning and will see right through this desperate attempt by the Liberals to buy an election.”

Barker said small community clubs had to try to attract funding wherever there were opportunities. “These opportunities are the difference between a club like ours looking modern and being profitable or not,” he said.

Concern over the state government’s allocation of grants to community organisations during election campaigns prompted an  Integrity Commission review of the issue several years ago. The commission’s chief commissioner, Greg Melick, recommended the introduction of mandatory grant rules “to restore a degree of due process to these kinds of promises and help restore trust in the democratic process”.

Meg Webb, the independent candidate for the Hobart-based seat of Nelson, who has championed a series of governance reforms, said the government  should not be using public funds for electoral advantage in an election period. “The persistent, blatant pork-barrelling from this government is disgraceful, especially in the absence of any response to the numerous Integrity Commission research reports and recommendations, which set clear guidelines for the promotion of integrity in election periods,” she said.

Tasmanian Inquirer asked the government for its response to Webb’s comments. It did not reply.