http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/money/money-matters/independent-federal-mps-win-15-billion-for-their-electorates/story-fn300aev-1226611161247

$1.5B in fact.

BALANCE-of-power politicians are crowing they have won $1.5 billion extra for their electorates by propping up the Gillard Government - and now they want more.

Andrew Wilkie, the independent MP for Denison, claims to have secured $900m in bonus funding for Tasmania since the last election.

And Tony Windsor is claiming credit for $300m worth of extra spending - including $120m to redevelop Tamworth Hospital and $32m for a cancer clinic - in his northern NSW electorate of New England.

In the neighboring seat of Lyne, Rob Oakeshott's constituents have enjoyed $360m in federal grants for projects ranging from $137m in hospital expansions to $102m in local highway upgrades.

Mr Oakeshott said his Port Macquarie electorate had secured more federal government funding during his five years as MP, than in 60 years with a National Party member.
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'Twould appear that these MPs have done well by their constituents, despite all the crap and bile directed at them. (Mostly by people who live outside their electorates.)

Can anyone put this into some sort of perspective. Is there some sort of table that shows us Federal Government expenditure per capita in each electorate.

MOTR wrote on Apr 3^rd, 2013 at 6:31pm:


I had it somewhere, but lost it.
If I remember correctly, they did marginally better than other electorates.

Still, that was exactly what they set out to do....

Lobo wrote on Apr 3^rd, 2013 at 6:48pm:


Thanks, froggie.

From an individual electorate's position seems like a strong argument for voting in an independent, although the risk of increased logrolling and porkbarrelling has to be a real concern.

woof woof wrote on Apr 3^rd, 2013 at 7:13pm:


Unless of course your independents vote isn't needed to pass legislation.

I was thinking along the lines of more independents. There was certainly plenty of pork-barrelling during Howard's time. Julia isn't averse to it either.

Not only did the independents allow gillard to sell out the Australian people, they allowed their electorates to gain from it.

In my books, thats bordering on criminal. But let their electorates be happy getting more than other Australians, because they too are enslaved by labor's record debt.

MOTR wrote on Apr 3^rd, 2013 at 7:17pm:



or if your vote is needed to keep em in power