Mark McGowan with Clive Higgins and Rockingham Mayor Barry Sammels at a Local Projects, Local Jobs photo shoot.
Camera IconMark McGowan with Clive Higgins and Rockingham Mayor Barry Sammels at a Local Projects, Local Jobs photo shoot.

McGowan Government’s Local Projects, Local Jobs program slammed as a ‘slush fund’

A $39 MILLION McGowan Government program that splashed cash to hundreds of schools, sporting clubs and community groups has been slammed as a “slush fund” amid revelations not one dollar was spent in a safe Liberal or Nationals-held seat.

The Local Projects, Local Jobs program, a Labor election promise, was blatant pork-barrelling, political analysts, the Liberals and the Nationals said.

Premier Mark McGowan defended the spending saying: “Every single one of our election commitments went through a rigorous evaluation process.”

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In a media statement after their first State Budget in September, Mr McGowan and Treasurer Ben Wyatt said the program “provides grants to community organisations, such as sporting groups and not-for-profit organisations, to deliver important upgrades to facilities and programs”.

Peter Tinley presenting $50,000 to Caralee Community School to help build a a nature play area.
Camera IconPeter Tinley presenting $50,000 to Caralee Community School to help build a a nature play area. Credit: Facebook

But community groups did not apply for “grants”; instead projects were nominated by Labor MPs and candidates and signed off by a committee of Labor campaign chiefs and senior frontbenchers in the party’s leadership team.

Candidates and MPs had to explain to the committee why the funding was necessary but also how they planned to best exploit the commitment in political campaigning, including a plan for local media.

In the lead-up to the March election, dozens of stories appeared in local newspapers, with candidates promising to spend money on local upgrades.

After Labor won the election, these promises were funded in the Budget under the $39 million Local Projects, Local Jobs program.

The “grants” include local school upgrades — with nature playgrounds, shade sails and solar panels particularly popular — infrastructure of equipment for sporting clubs, local councils, Scouts, Men’s Sheds, youth programs and other not-for-profit community groups.

Dozens of projects — for example sponsoring the Armadale Concert band for an interstate trip, funding a new online court booking system for the Bassendean Tennis Club and new toys for the Mt Lawley Toy Library — have no apparent connection to creating jobs.

A campaign insider — who defended the spending as legitimate – saidthe program originally had a different name but that it was renamed because “jobs” was a message that had resonated better in the party’s research.

Barry Urban presenting a cheque to the Roleystone Theatre company.
Camera IconBarry Urban presenting a cheque to the Roleystone Theatre company. Credit: Facebook

The Sunday Times asked the Premier’s office for a list of every project funded under the $39 million program, and was provided a list of more than 670 projects funded as at December 31, worth a combined $24 million.

After sorting each project into the State’s 51 Lower House electorates, a clear picture began to emerge.

An average of $454,189 was spent in 22 seats that Labor held before the election.

In seats Labor won from the Liberals and Nationals, an average of $540,636 was spent.

But in seats held by the Liberal and Nationals parties, an average of just $84,833 was spent.

Further, among Liberal and Nationals-held seats, money was spent only in Dawesville, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie — seats Labor strategists thought that could be won at the election.

Not a single dollar has been spent in Liberal seats Bateman, Carine, Churchlands, Cottesloe, Hillarys, Nedlands, Riverton, Scarborough, South Perth, or Vasse.

Labor MLA Amber Jade Sanderson presenting a $50,000 cheque to the Nollamara Autumn Centre with City of Bayswater mayor Giovanni Italiano.
Camera IconLabor MLA Amber Jade Sanderson presenting a $50,000 cheque to the Nollamara Autumn Centre with City of Bayswater mayor Giovanni Italiano. Credit: Facebook

No money has been spent in any Nationals electorate.

Money was spent in every Labor seat, ranging from $40,000 (Southern River) to Mandurah ($1.13 million).

Typically, the “grants” were for amounts of a few thousand dollars up to $200,000, with most in the range of $5000 to $50,000.

Since Labor’s election win, Labor MPs have appeared in local newspapers and in their own social media feeds presenting novelty cheques, many with big photos of the MPs’ own faces on them, which the Opposition has complained could mislead voters into believing the MPs are donating their own money, or Labor Party money, not taxpayers’ money.

A senior bureaucrat said: “It’s a slush fund that Labor used to make election promises without any reference to anyone in (departments of) government.”

Veteran political commentator and analyst Peter Kennedy said the program could fairly be described as a “slush fund” and was pork-barrelling that went too far.

“It’s pretty crude,” he said. “It’s essentially buying votes with taxpayers’ money.

“There is no consistent Statewide policy position about how to apply for grants. It’s available, not for all seats, it’s for seats considered marginal — strategists might say carefully targeted.

“It looks like buying votes, and using taxpayers’ money to also promote the local member personally.

“It’s taking it too far.”

Notre Dame University politics lecturer Martin Drum said it wasn’t uncommon for backbench MPs to lobby for specific projects in their electorates but it was “PR spin” to describe it as a grants program for broad-based economic development.

“This is not a program of grants,” he said. “That term is completely misleading. You can’t have a grant scheme without an application process.”

Simone McGurk and David Templeman present a $100,000 grant to Pat Thomas House for upgrades to the centre.
Camera IconSimone McGurk and David Templeman present a $100,000 grant to Pat Thomas House for upgrades to the centre. Credit: Community Newspaper Group

Opposition Leader Mike Nahan said Labor was showing no respect for taxpayers’ money.

“Labor might consider this a clever electoral tactic but it is an obscene corruption of the use of taxpayers’ money for the purposes of buying votes, to win seats and to win Government,” Dr Nahan said.

“And to buy these votes through this program, Labor is cutting spending on core government functions such as education, mental health, and other front line services.

“This is bordering on corruption, even though Labor will describe the spending as meeting election commitments.”

Nationals Leader Mia Davies said it was hard not to be cynical when country families suffered cuts to services “due to Budget repair challenges”, while Labor splashes out $120,000 on two new Perth dog parks”.

Mr McGowan said all of Labor’s elections commitments went through a rigorous evaluation process.

“Whether it was new rail lines as part of Metronet, or smaller grassroots commitments,” he said.

“These projects were election commitments from the 2017 State election. Just like any other election commitment made by other political parties across WA.

“We won an historic number of seats which are now represented by WA Labor.”

The Premier said Labor’s “significant commitment” to a new school in the Liberal seat of Nedlands “shows our focus is on projects that create jobs and matter to West Australians”.

“As with all of our commitments, our candidates were required to put forward strong arguments for projects in their community and make the case for why they should be funded,” he added.

“Further evaluations took place once we were elected to government. Agencies are delivering funding subject to due diligence being undertaken and in accordance with procurement processes and requirements.

“We are proud that our team of candidates were in touch with their communities and were able to work with local community groups, not-for-profit organisations, school P and Cs and the like to identify smaller projects that create jobs, benefit the wider community and would have a big impact on a local level.

“This is what local MPs should always be doing. It was clear from the great work of our candidates and MPs, that the previous government had forgotten about the suburbs and towns across our State.

“I’m pleased we are able to help make a difference at a local level for so many West Australians and continue to deliver on our election commitments.”