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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Michael McGowan

‘How’s $100,000 sound?’: John Barilaro directed grants to marginal seats

John Barilaro NRL New South Wales Nichole Overall Coalition Nationals
NSW Nationals candidate for Monaro Nichole Overall speaks to former NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro.
NSW Nationals candidate for Monaro Nichole Overall and former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro. In 2018, Barilaro awarded $5,000 to Overall to support a local art installation. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Former New South Wales deputy premier John Barilaro directed millions of dollars in grants to Coalition electorates, many of them at-risk National party seats, from a discretionary pool of funds which have almost no departmental oversight.

An analysis of discretionary grants handed out by Barilaro during the past three years shows that 70% of the $3m spent went to Coalition seats.

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