QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS

Senator STEWART (Victoria) (16:29): I am seeking the call to respond to the questions and answers that were put during this question time. Senator Henderson interjecting— Senator McKenzie interjecting— Senator STEWART: Thank you for the sage advice over there! I really appreciate it!

Those opposites seem to be running down some rabbit holes. They are looking for something dodgy, and they're looking for something dodgy because they expect everybody else to act like they did when they were in government. They think there's something to see here, but there isn't.

In response to the questions, Senator Wong really articulated what has happened. Where I want to start is with the grants. The coalition, those opposite, are conflating two things: there are open competitive grant rounds, and there are closed grant rounds.

And I want to spend a couple of seconds talking about the closed grant rounds, because I think they're really important to talk about. This government is delivering significant funding Australia-wide through a range of grant programs. Although, with some of the questions today you'd think that the closed grant round was the only grant program available for Australians to get things funded.

That is not the case. We've got over $1.7 billion for the Growing Regions Program and Thriving Suburbs Program, $550 million through the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program, $600 million through the Active Transport Fund program— A baby having begun crying in the gallery— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Sterle ): I'd rather hear that noise any day.

Senator STEWART: We welcome babies in the gallery. It's completely fine. There is $350 million every year for the Black Spot Program and the Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program.

These programs are application based, competitive and open to local councils to apply for. Alongside those, Minister King is administering the one-off closed program to deliver on our 2025 election commitments through the Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program, administered in accordance with the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Principles. Those opposite are deliberately conflating the two types of programs.

I would remind those opposite, if they had been successful at the last election, they would have done the exact same thing. In fact, I quote the member for Riverina, from their own side, this week: 'You've got to fulfil your election commitments. You can't have MPs running around making commitments if they happen to win an election.' I think he was saying you've got to have an avenue in which those election commitments can be fulfilled.

I think that's what he was saying there. The ANAO found the same thing: election commitments can be a legitimate basis for grant funding when administered in accordance with the Commonwealth Grant Rules and Principles. And this grant system is being run exactly as the coalition agreed it should be run just three years ago.

That is the finding of the Joint Committee on Public Accounts and Audit, which had five coalition members on it. They did write a dissenting report to that report. They happened to agree with all the recommendations in the report but wrote a dissenting report because they needed to defend their former colleagues from accusations of pork barrelling.

So, they're looking around trying to find something, but we've followed the rules in this process. Election commitments have been fulfilled through this process. (Time expired)