Advertisement

Barilaro’s office denied bushfire funds in Labor seats

The $541.8m Bushfire Local Economic Recovery program was funded by the NSW and federal governments.

The $541.8m Bushfire Local Economic Recovery program was funded by the NSW and federal governments. Photo: AAP

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro’s office effectively excluded Labor electorates from urgent bushfire recovery funding in a Black Summer grants program that “lacked integrity”.

A report by the NSW Auditor-General revealed although there was no designated role for the then National Party leader in the grants program, his office implemented a $1 million minimum for bushfire recovery projects.

The Department of Regional NSW gave the then deputy premier’s office a list of 35 projects to be funded in a fast-tracked first round in 2020, listing their electorates, but the threshold ruled out projects in areas held by the Labor Party, the audit found.

The report said it was unclear why the department listed the electorates as they did not form part of the selection process and that Mr Barilaro’s office’s role “deviated from the guidelines”.

The $541.8 million Bushfire Local Economic Recovery program was jointly funded by the state and federal governments and administered by NSW to pay for projects in bushfire-ravaged communities to help create jobs and protect against future disasters.

The report, tabled in NSW parliament on Thursday, showed 21 projects worth more than $95 million were funded in coalition seats and one worth $12.5 million in an independent electorate.

The Auditor-General said the fast-tracked first round of the program lacked integrity and transparency.

The report acknowledged most of the worst-affected regions were held by coalition MPs but badly-ravaged areas including the Blue Mountains and Tenterfield were among those excluded.

Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill, who accused the government of rorting at the time, said he felt vindicated by the audit.

“This is a disgrace of the highest order. People ripped off were people terrorised and impacted by bushfires,” he told AAP on Thursday.

“To play politics with the victims of bushfires is unacceptable, unconscionable and un-Australian.”

The department told the auditor-general’s office projects in some of those rejected regions, including the Blue Mountains, were funded in later rounds of the program or by the Commonwealth.

Mr Barilaro denied pork barrelling over the grants at a 2021 parliamentary inquiry, saying the first round focused on destroyed buildings, 90 per cent of which were in coalition seats.

AAP has contacted Mr Barilaro’s lawyer for comment.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said he would consider possible improvements in light of the report but denied the funding was pork barrelling.

“I know from my time as premier dealing with the flood response, we’ve ensured that every community across NSW got back on their feet as quickly as possible,” he told reporters.

“That’s been my focus and previously during the bushfires – was to allocate as much funds as possible to provide assistance.”

The report recommended the department establish stronger guidelines, including clear assessment criteria.

Treasurer Matt Kean said he had introduced a strong governance model.

“The public can have confidence that taxpayers’ money is going to its intended purpose,” he said.

The NSW opposition said the audit showed the government does not represent everyone.

“It shouldn’t matter who you voted for,” Labor leader Chris Minns said.

“If you need help from your own government the funds should be supplied, not someone checking who your MP is.”

The audit found other rounds of bushfire grants largely aligned with guidelines and were supported by documentation but could have been strengthened by more detail on projects’ eligibility.

– AAP

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.