Shortland received $6.775 million from grants program favouring Labor seats, report finds

Newy 87.8 FM – The federal electorate of Shortland received 11 grants worth $6,775,000 under an invitation-only Commonwealth grants program that directed about 73.2 per cent of funds to Labor-held seats, according to a Centre for Public Integrity report published on 8 September 2026.

The research paper, 'Public Money, Political Advantage?', examined the $560.9 million Major and Local Community Infrastructure (MLCI) Program, a non-competitive scheme established to deliver the Albanese Government's 2025 election commitments. Entities not invited could not apply.

The Centre analysed 226 active applications worth $559,241,712 and found $409.1 million went to notionally Labor-held divisions, with 22.6 per cent to Coalition-held seats. Forty-five electoral divisions received no funding at all.

Shortland, held by Labor's Pat Conroy, covers eastern Lake Macquarie and was the only Hunter electorate named in the report, cited as an example of grant concentration in a Labor-held seat.

Centre chair Anthony Whealy KC said the figures 'ring alarm bells', telling ABC 7.30: 'Prima facie, it looks like the misuse of public money or serious pork-barrelling.'

Infrastructure Minister Catherine King told the ABC the program followed longstanding practice and Commonwealth grant rules, that ministers do not decide applications in their own electorates, and that $1.7 billion in open competitive grants was separately available.

The individual Shortland projects funded under the program have not been published. Join the discussion on Facebook.