The Push to Stop Pork Barrelling
Independent MP Helen Haines has introduced a bill to Parliament designed to prevent pork-barreling, where taxpayer money is allocated according to where it is needed to win votes, not where the public needs it most.
This was recorded on Tuesday 27th February 2024 and things may have changed since recording.
australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute
Guest: Bill Browne, Director, Democracy & Accountability program, the Australia Institute // @Browne90
Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett
Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey
Edited by: Emily Perkins
Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
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
The election exposed weaknesses in Australian democracy – but the next parliament can fix them
Australia has some very strong democratic institutions – like an independent electoral commission, Saturday voting, full preferential voting and compulsory voting. These ensure that elections are free from corruption; that electorate boundaries are not based on partisan bias; and that most Australians turn out to vote. They are evidence of Australia’s proud history as an
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.
Gender parity closer after federal election but “sufficiently assertive” Liberal women are still outnumbered two to one
Now that the dust has settled on the 2025 federal election, what does it mean for the representation of women in Australian parliaments? In short, there has been a significant improvement at the national level. When we last wrote on this topic, the Australian Senate was majority female but only 40% of House of Representatives

