The Morrison government has promised more than $5.6bn in discretionary grants to projects across the country as part of a massive $28bn pre-election spending spree, with almost half directed to key marginal seats.
A Guardian Australia analysis of major party spending commitments from January to March this year shows Queensland as the biggest beneficiary of commitments from the Coalition and Labor, with the state a key battleground for parties to form government.
As the official election campaign kicked off on Sunday, with an election to be held on Saturday 21 May, Guardian Australia is tracking the funding commitments of both major parties and highlighting pork-barrelling in marginal electorates.
The breakdown by electorate of funding promises so far shows Labor has promised $756m for local projects over the same period – with more than 80% directed towards target marginal electorates, and just 2.4% promised for safe seats.
The party’s shadow treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has promised to “trim” discretionary funding programs if Labor wins office, but has not gone so far as to commit to abolishing them.
Of the total $2.5bn that the opposition has committed over the past three months, at least $1.1bn is allocated to Queensland, targeting the marginal seats of Leichhardt and Flynn.
The Coalition has committed a total of more than $28bn in just three months across all major government funding streams, with almost $14bn directed to projects in Queensland.
This is more than the funding directed to Victoria and NSW combined.
Of the total funding, $5.6bn is for projects targeting single electorates. About half of this – 49% – will be directed to projects in marginal seats, accounting for $2.8bn, with 25% going to those held by Labor.
While this means $2.9bn is also committed to safe or fairly safe seats with a margin above 6%, just $290m, or about 10%, of that will go towards Labor-held electorates.
The total government spend from discretionary funds to safe Labor seats is just $158m – less than 3% of all funding committed, compared with more than $2bn, or 35%, spent in safe Coalition seats.
Of the total $28bn committed by the Coalition since January, the largest projects include funding for large state-based road and infrastructure work, such as the north-south corridor in South Australia, the Brisbane to Sunshine Coast rail extension, the intermodal terminal package for inland rail, and more than $300m for roads in regional Tasmania where the Coalition is targeting three marginal seats.
A separate Guardian Australia analysis of the government’s budget infrastructure package shows that only 15% of the funded projects were recommended as priorities by Infrastructure Australia, with more than half of the $6.4bn for single electorate projects going to marginal seats.
The Coalition’s targeted funding includes $352m for the Milton Ulladulla bypass in the seat of Gilmore, which the Coalition is hoping it can win off Labor’s Fiona Phillips.
The Labor party is also spending up in the NSW south coast seat, pledging $7.5m for a new library, $22m for a birthing centre and $25m for an emergency operations centre in Moruya.
Seats in Western Australia are being targeted by the Coalition, with $2.1bn in rail and road spending allocated to projects that will benefit commuters in the outer suburbs of Perth, where the government is hoping it can hang on to the seats of Swan, Pearce and Hasluck.
It has also committed $25m for a new bridge over the Swan River, which was announced by Morrison and the Liberal candidate for the seat, Kristy McSweeney.
Labor has also been lavishing spending commitments in the seat of Swan, committing $5.3m for a new playground, $2m for a new commercial kitchen at the local Tafe and $250,000 for lighting at the Redcliffe juniors football ground.
In Pearce, Labor has promised to spend $5,500 for a new computer and furniture for the Wanneroo senior citizens association, and $15m for the Neerabup Industrial Precinct.
Labor’s largest overall commitments over the past three months include $600m for the Paradise Dam announced in the Queensland seat of Flynn, $163m for reef conservation announced in the Cairns-based seat of Leichhardt and $125m for a road duplication in the seat of Corangamite.
It has committed another $100m to local projects in Flynn, held by the Coalition on an 8.7% margin, including $15m for an aquatic centre, $15m for a marine research centre, $2.8m for an allied health clinic and $2m for an industry hub.
The Coalition has committed $130m to projects in Flynn, including $45m for an alumina production facility near Gladstone, $10m for a new rural health department at James Cook University and a combined $74m for four separate road projects.
In Boothby, held by the Coalition on a 1.4% margin, Labor has committed $3m for a community hall upgrade, $1.6m for a park in Blackwood, $544,000 for a tennis club redevelopment and $135,000 for a reserve in Warradale. The government – which is hoping a new moderate-aligned candidate, Rachel Swift, can hang on to the seat after the departure of incumbent Nicolle Flint – promised $200m in the budget to fix a tram line intersection.
In Tasmania, Labor has so far targeted spending at the marginal seats of Lyons, Braddon and Bass, spending a combined $55m on local projects, including $50,000 for a playgroup in Invermay, $500,000 for an RSL redevelopment, $500,000 for a jobs hub and $25m for a Devonport sports centre.
Northern Tasmania is also a focus for the Coalition, with the government committing $100m for the eastern Tasmania tourism drive in Lyons, $24m for the Bell Bay line reconnection in Bass and $14.4m for a rail hub in Braddon.
Labor holds a notional 69 seats, so needs a net gain of four seats from the Coalition to hold more seats, and a net seven seats for majority government.
After the most recent redistribution of electorate boundaries, the Coalition has just 75 of 151 seats, so needs to win seats to retain majority government.
During this election campaign, Guardian Australia is monitoring the distribution of election promises and monetary announcements in real time, tracking how much money goes towards marginal seats, and how this compares to what each seat would receive if the funding was shared equally.
You can read more about how we’re doing this here.
Maya Pilbrow and Stephanie Tran contributed to the database underlying this reporting.
