Two commuter parking lots at the Labor headquarters of Macarthur, New South Wales, received federal funding because they were selected by the office of neighboring Liberal MP and Minister Angus Taylor, the Court of Auditors has announced.
Evidence for Senate estimates confirmed that the offices of Taylor and Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg had nominated projects in their own or neighboring constituencies, which, according to Labor MP Mike Freelander, shows that the program was “an exercise in politics.”
The Australian National Audit Office found in June that the 47 project locations of the $ 660 million commuter parking fund were handpicked by the government on the advice of their MPs and candidates – and none were selected by the infrastructure division.
Labor, the Greens and Crossbench MPs are considering pushing for a parliamentary investigation into the program and the broader $ 4.8 billion urban congestion fund.
The ANAO report found that projects were identified, in part, through ministerial offices soliciting the views of 23 coalition MPs, senators, and coalition candidates for six electorate held by the Labor or Center Alliance at the time. This process began with a list that identified 20 marginalized constituencies and asked those MPs to select projects.
On Monday, ANAO Executive Director Brian Boyd confirmed that an additional six sites had been proposed without seeking the MP’s views, including projects selected by the Taylor and Frydenberg offices.
“There were a couple of those in Sydney that made the proposal [Angus Taylor’s] Hume electorate, but the actual train stations are not in Hume because the rail line goes to Sydney, ”he said.
“The stations were suggested from the member for Hume’s office … but the stations were in neighboring constituencies en route to Sydney.”
A spreadsheet submitted by the ministry shows that the Campbelltown project will cost $ 22.1 million and Macarthur $ 15 million, with the federal government being responsible for all of the costs.
quick start Guide
How to get the latest Guardian Australia news
show
Photo: Tim Robberts / Stone RF
Thank you for your feedback signal.
Both are in the planning stages, with the bulk of Campbelltown’s funding ($ 11.4 million) expected to be spent in 2023-24, with Macarthur spending continuing through 2024-25.
Prior to the 2019 election, Taylor was quoted in local media as boasting that he was “directly involved in lobbying for those additional 1,000 seats” on the two channels.
“I have the case with her [then] Minister for Cities, Alan Tudge, for many months, “Taylor reportedly said.
The Berejiklian government had previously promised a commuter parking space in the 2015 state elections, but abandoned this promise again in 2018.
Freelander, whose electorate borders Hume from Macarthur, southwest Sydney, said Taylor “promoted” [the car parks] very much on the Camden side of his constituency ”.
“There is no train station in Camden, they all go to Campbelltown and park there,” he said.
Five Things You Need To Know About The Coalition’s $ 660M Parking Fund Scandal – Video
Freelander said the government “should have” consulted Labor MPs, but he “never missed the opportunity to express my views on the need for public transport, particularly the need for a rail link between Macarthur and Sydney’s western airport”.
“This was not an exercise in counseling or providing vital infrastructure, it was an exercise in politics,” he said.
“I don’t care who builds it – as long as it’s built, but Taylor announced it many times. I’m not sure if it will ever happen. “
Labor and the Greens are considering opening a Senate investigation into the city’s congestion fund after ANAO announced that the same Prime Minister’s office who was involved in the infamous Sportrorts affair was also involved in the funding decision Was involved in multi-storey car park projects.
Sign up to receive the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning
Green Senator Janet Rice said the fund was “no small business for the Morrison administration.”
“This is a multi-billion dollar coalition program to buy votes,” she told Guardian Australia.
“We know that several Liberal Ministers have been involved in several Rorts programs, and that a senior official in the Prime Minister’s office coordinated with LNP members, senators and candidates which marginal seat project they wanted as part of the Electoral Slush Fund .
“We need a full Senate investigation into the city’s congestion fund and clear links to other coalition programs.”
City Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher defended the program on Monday, telling ABC’s program at 7:30 a.m. that the car park projects “were decided as needed”.
Fletcher said former Minister Tudge had the authority of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to make funding pledges “which he did to reduce congestion in our big cities, [in] Melbourne our fastest growing city ”.
Fletcher noted that Labor had also gone to the 2019 election to promise commuter parking in Campbelltown, Woy Woy, Gosford, Mango Hill and Frankston – “commitments from both Labor and the coalition”.
Stuart Norman, chief executive of Peak Body Parking Australia, said voters “want to see a plan” to provide the parking but downplayed the need for an investigation.
“I do not think so [it] will discover things we didn’t know, ”he said.
When asked about the $ 890 million that has not yet been spent in the city’s congestion fund, Norman said, “The government doesn’t need to spend more money to complete these parking lots. It is not the money that they lack, but the know-how. “
