Skewed: How grants with ministerial discretion are biased towards Coalition seats
Grants with ministerial discretion skew towards Coalition seats
This week the Australia Institute released the biggest most comprehensive analysis of federal government grants programs ever undertaken, which revealed that $3.9 billion spent by federal grants programs with ministerial discretion has clearly skewed towards marginal Coalition seats in particular, at the expense of safe Labor seats and, to a lesser extent, safe Coalition seats. It’s public money, but there is little transparency about how it is spent or who gets the money.
Recorded live on 30 November 2021, things may have changed since recording.
The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute
Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett
Guests:
Bill Browne, senior researcher, Democracy & Accountablity program // @Browne90
Hannah Melville-Rea, Anne Kantor Fellow // @HannahMelRea
Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey
Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
Related research
Between the Lines Newsletter
The biggest stories and the best analysis from the team at the Australia Institute, delivered to your inbox every fortnight.
You might also like
One Nation’s rise gives progressive voters unexpected power in ‘safe’ Coalition seats
The rise of One Nation creates a surprising opportunity for progressive voters.
Hearing voices: why the Nats should be watching their backs
The community independent movement did not begin in Sydney or Melbourne, but in the bush.
Why the election’s closest seat went unnoticed: Too close to Calwell
Updated 30/05/2025 The outer-Melbourne electorate of Calwell was named “Australia’s most unpredictable seat” by The Age after the election and was – aside from those going to a recount – the last seat to be called. The AEC labelled the counting process for the seat “likely the most complex in Australia’s history”. The count is