Coalition awarding non-compliant drought grants
January 2020
The Coalition Government ignored its own criteria in awarding $1 million drought grants, with six of the 14 councils not meeting the requirement that at least 17% of its workers be employed in agriculture. Of the 14 councils, 13 were in Coalition-held electorates.
The Coalition Government ignored its own criteria in awarding $1 million drought grants. According to the ABC, almost half the councils the government announced would be eligible for grants during the 2019 election did not meet the funding criteria. Six of the councils did not meet the requirement that at least 17 per cent of workers in the local government authority be employed in agriculture. In Victoria, Latrobe had 2.92% of its workforce in agriculture and Mildura 11.28%. Of the 14 councils announced eligible as an election commitment in April last year, 13 were in Coalition-held electorates and just one — Alexandrina in South Australia’s Mayo — was Independent.
