Government grants
Stuart Robert met Infosys multiple times, including before $191 million deal
The new details add to a series of revelations about the former MP’s dealings over several years when he was a backbencher and a senior minister.
- by David Crowe and Nick McKenzie
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‘Not how you run a $1b scheme’: Science fund backers lead chorus for reform
Leading scientists have raised concerns about the role of ‘captain’s picks’ in the Medical Research Future Fund.
- by Liam Mannix
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Science
‘Conga line of scientists’: How $500m went to winners of a one-horse race
The former Coalition government gave out substantial grants without competition to charities or scientists who personally lobbied for funding.
- by Liam Mannix
Editorial
Editorial
Politics and science don’t mix. It’s time for change
Having inherited a $20 billion medical research fund, it’s now important the federal Labor government acts to tackle its shortcomings.
- The Age's View
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A centre never built and a hospital that missed out: the Coalition’s ‘unusual’ $20b research fund
The Medical Research Future Fund is supposed to back cutting-edge research. Insiders claim its ‘unusual’ structure allows the health minister to hold too much sway.
- by Liam Mannix
‘Industrial-scale rort’: Plan to end the government pork barrel
A joint parliamentary committee has flagged plans to restrict the ability of future governments to pork-barrel their way to electoral victory.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
Political leadership
The Morrison bus porkbarrelled its way to the polls. Where were the roadblocks?
No, it’s not a scene from Speed, it’s the outtakes from a $2 billion federal spending program that poured money into hundreds of projects in a race to win the 2019 election.
- by David Crowe
Audit office slams ‘ineffective’ $2 billion Morrison government health funding program
Flagrant breaches of Commonwealth grants rules and unethical behaviour were revealed in the peak audit body’s review of the Coalition scheme.
- by James Massola and David Crowe
Minns urges opposition to join clean-up of NSW’s ‘shameful record’ on grants
The premier implored the opposition to back new laws to clean up government grants in NSW after it oversaw scandals in bushfire and local council funding that favoured Coalition seats.
- by Lucy Cormack
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State Parliament
Labor MPs call for review of ‘inequitable’ western Sydney grants program
Analysis of the multibillion-dollar WestInvest fund reveals some areas received almost 15 times more than their neighbours on a per capita basis.
- by Michael McGowan and Nigel Gladstone
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NSW Votes
NSW Labor accused of pork-barrelling after school P&C offered $20,000
The revelations threaten to undermine Chris Minns’ election promise to legislate a ban on pork-barrelling and “restore integrity” to government grants.
- by Lucy Cormack