Government grant assessment criteria ‘must be above suspicion’

The Australian Local Government
Association (ALGA) has renewed calls for public grants to councils and
community organisations to be assessed against transparent criteria and awarded
on merit.

It comes amidst allegations that some
state and commonwealth government grants and funding programs, including the
Safer Communities Fund, have been “gerrymandered”.

ALGA President Linda Scott said the Safer
Communities Fund program – which is financed by the seized proceeds of crime
and assets confiscated from criminals – is a constructive way to help local
communities prevent crime and enable safer communities.

“The underlying administrative principles
of the Safer Communities Fund program – or any other or public funding program
– must be merit and transparency,” Cr Scott said.

Councils work closely with their local
communities to identify crime hotspots and ensure the right infrastructure –
usually lighting or design upgrades – is in place to address prevent crime,
address anti-social behaviour, and protect at-risk communities.

Cr Scott said the Safer Communities Fund
is another example of councils working on behalf of their communities to drive
locally led solutions to local issues.

“Councils that have had projects funded
by the Safer Communities Fund are grateful for the support of the Federal
Government,” she said.

“However, to ensure councils and
communities can have confidence in the use of public money for Commonwealth
grant allocations, it will be important for future grant rounds to have
established criteria, with merit-based recommendations adopted by the Federal
Government.”

This is especially important given the
public’s dissatisfaction with how democracy in Australia is working continues
to grow.

Cr Scott said councils are typically
required to make local government grant decisions in public meetings, based on
public recommendations and merit assessments.

When variations occur, the decisions are
explained in public meetings where clear, transparent justifications are
provided.

“This level of public accountability
should standard operating procedure for all levels of government,” Cr Scott
said.

ENDS