Sponsor speech Supports
Helen Haines
Haines supports the bill and says it is overdue because it would stop pork-barrelling and force grant spending to be fair, transparent, and merit based.
Read in Hansard ↗Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling)
Current status
This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Policy area
Government & democracy
What does this bill do?
More Commonwealth bodies that hand out grants, including corporate Commonwealth entitiesA Commonwealth body that is separate from a department but still uses public money and can administer grants., would have to follow the federal grants rules.
Why was it introduced?
Grant rules left some Commonwealth bodies outside the system and let ministers approve grants in their own electorates or against advice without timely public scrutiny, exposing public money to pork barrellingUsing public money to win political support, often by favouring targeted electorates instead of funding projects on merit.. The bill expands the rules to more grant-makers, requires merit-based guidelines, and adds public reporting and parliamentary oversight of grant decisions and investment mandatesA direction telling a public fund or body how it should invest money, which the bill would make easier for Parliament to scrutinise..
Broader context
Australia already had a federal grants framework under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013The core law that sets the basic framework for how Commonwealth money is managed and overseen. and later Commonwealth Grants Rules and PrinciplesThe main federal rules that set how Commonwealth grant programs should be designed and run., but the bill’s backers argued it still left some grant-makers outside the rules and let ministers approve grants in their own electorates or against advice without prompt public scrutiny. Citing a string of past pork-barrelling examples and the Albanese government’s community battery scheme, an earlier version was introduced in February 2024 before this No. 2 bill was introduced in November 2024 to tighten merit rules and parliamentary oversight, but it lapsed when Parliament was dissolved in March 2025.
Key criticism
No significant public case against this bill is recorded so far, and the available debate focused on arguments that stronger legal safeguards are needed against politically driven grants. in publicly available sources reviewed, no party represented in the debate opposed the bill and no substantial drafting, cost or implementation criticism was clearly raised.
Who supported it?
Helen Haines MP introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from some crossbench members.
Introduced in House 04 Nov 2024
Failed in House 28 Mar 2025
Did not reach Senate —
Did not become law —
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
144 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
What does this bill do?
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More Commonwealth bodies that hand out grants, including corporate Commonwealth entitiesA Commonwealth body that is separate from a department but still uses public money and can administer grants., would have to follow the federal grants rules.
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Federal grant programs would need merit-based selection rules and clear public guidelines, making it harder to direct money for political advantage.
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Parliament would get more scrutiny over grant programs through new reporting duties and a new Parliamentary Joint Committee on Grants Administration and Investment MandatesThe new parliamentary committee proposed to scrutinise grant programs and investment directions more closely..
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Ministers would have to publicly explain grants approved against official advice or in their own electorate, and large grant programs over $100 million would face extra reporting.
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Ministers would have to report each year to Parliament on whether government investment directions were followed, and Parliament could disallow those directions.
Show source excerpts
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removing the exclusion of the Principles’ application to CCEs.
Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) explanatory memorandum -
strengthening the requirements for probity by requiring all Commonwealth grant programs to have merit-based selection criteria and clear program guidelines.
Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) explanatory memorandum -
improving Parliamentary oversight of grant administration, guidelines, selection criteria and approval processes by imposing multiple reporting obligations to Parliament and a new Joint Parliamentary Committee on Grants Administration and Investment Mandates.
Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) explanatory memorandum -
This includes reporting requirements when a Minister decides to award a grant contrary to advice of the relevant official or in their own electorate.
Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) explanatory memorandum -
improving oversight of Investment Mandates by requiring the relevant Minister to table annual reports in Parliament about how the Investment Mandate has been complied with. The Bill also makes Investment Mandates disallowable instruments, to improve Parliamentary oversight.
Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) explanatory memorandum
Context
Broader context for this bill
Australia already had a federal grants framework under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013The core law that sets the basic framework for how Commonwealth money is managed and overseen. and later Commonwealth Grants Rules and PrinciplesThe main federal rules that set how Commonwealth grant programs should be designed and run., but the bill’s backers argued it still left some grant-makers outside the rules and let ministers approve grants in their own electorates or against advice without prompt public scrutiny. Citing a string of past pork-barrelling examples and the Albanese government’s community battery scheme, an earlier version was introduced in February 2024 before this No. 2 bill was introduced in November 2024 to tighten merit rules and parliamentary oversight, but it lapsed when Parliament was dissolved in March 2025.
- 2013
Parliament creates the main federal public spending framework
The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013The core law that sets the basic framework for how Commonwealth money is managed and overseen. became the base law for how Commonwealth money, including grants, is governed.
Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) explanatory memorandum ↗ - 2024
Commonwealth grants rules remain in place but key gaps are identified
The explanatory memorandum says the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Principles 2024The main federal rules that set how Commonwealth grant programs should be designed and run. still left corporate Commonwealth entitiesA Commonwealth body that is separate from a department but still uses public money and can administer grants. and some grant-like payments outside the system, with weak transparency and parliamentary oversight.
Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) explanatory memorandum ↗ - 26 Feb 2024
Earlier debate cites community battery concerns
Supporters said the Albanese government’s community battery scheme had bypassed the department and was not subjected to independent review, showing the culture behind pork barrellingUsing public money to win political support, often by favouring targeted electorates instead of funding projects on merit. still persisted.
Hansard ↗ - 26 Feb 2024
Earlier version raises pork-barrelling concerns
In debate on the earlier version, Haines and supporters pointed to cases including sports rorts and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation grant as evidence that public money had been used for political advantage.
Hansard ↗ - 04 Nov 2024
The bill is reintroduced ahead of the next election period
Haines reintroduced the bill and argued that, with election season approaching, stronger rules were needed to stop taxpayer money being used to buy votes.
Hansard ↗ - 28 Mar 2025
The bill lapses when Parliament is dissolved
The proposal did not pass before dissolution, so its attempt to expand grant rules and add stronger reporting and parliamentary scrutiny fell away.
Parliamentary timeline ↗
Legislative route
How did it move through Parliament?
House Senate
Introduced 04 Nov 2024
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
Second reading opened 04 Nov 2024
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principlesThe main federal rules that set how Commonwealth grant programs should be designed and run..
Second reading moved
Scrutiny of Bills review 20 Nov 2024
Considered by scrutiny committee (20/11/2024): Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills; Scrutiny Digest 14 of 2024
Considered by scrutiny committee
APH bill page notesLapsed at dissolution 28 Mar 2025
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
The main case against this bill
No significant public case against this bill is recorded so far, and the available debate focused on arguments that stronger legal safeguards are needed against politically driven grants. in publicly available sources reviewed, no party represented in the debate opposed the bill and no substantial drafting, cost or implementation criticism was clearly raised.
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far.
Votes
Recorded votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Who spoke, and what they said
Start here — lead voices
All speeches by bloc
Minor parties and independents
1 speaker · 1 support
Minor parties and independents
1 speaker · 1 support
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Helen Haines ★ Haines supports the bill and says it is overdue because it would stop pork-barrelling and force grant spending to be fair, transparent, and merit based.
“That is why this bill is more than overdue, and I commend it to the House.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
Full record
- Status
- Not Proceeding -- Collected from the APH bill page.
- Originating house
- House of Representatives
- 04 Nov 2024
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
- 04 Nov 2024
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principlesThe main federal rules that set how Commonwealth grant programs should be designed and run..
- 28 Mar 2025
House · Lapsed at dissolution
Lapsed at dissolution
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills
Considered by scrutiny committee
Considered by scrutiny committee (20 Nov 2024): Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills; Scrutiny Digest 14 of 2024
APH bill page notes