Pork barreling in the New South Wales government “could” be considered corrupt conduct in some circumstances, the state’s corruption watchdog has found.
Pork barreling is when a politician or party allocates public funds, mainly taxpayers’ money, and resources to certain projects in order to win votes.
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) found that ministers can be considered corrupt if they influence a public official’s decision-making powers or pressure another official to take actions that breach the public trust.
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption found that pork barrel could be considered corrupt in some circumstances. (Janie Barrett)
It also found that ministers could be considered corrupt if they allocate grants based on merit or deliberately exercise the power to approve grants for partisan reasons, such as family, party or particular constituency interests.
“The report notes that those who exercise public or official powers in a manner inconsistent with the public purpose for which the powers were conferred betray the public trust and therefore misbehave,” the report said.
The body said it wanted to make clear that ministers “do not have unlimited discretion to distribute public funds”.
“The exercise of ministerial discretion is subject to the rule of law, which ensures that it must conform to the principles of public trust and accountability.”
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The report made several recommendations, including that ministers should consider whether approving funding is “effective, efficient, economic and ethical” and follow existing frameworks.
The inquiry was sparked by the controversy surrounding a $250 million Berejiklian government’s Stronger Communities Fund grant scheme, which was seen as a blatant example of politicians using taxpayers’ money to buy votes.