BY ISABEL EVERETT AND DAKOTA TAIT
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes will speak at a State Government inquiry on Friday, raising the issue of the city missing out on grant programs.
The inquiry into Integrity, efficacy and value for money of NSW Government grant programs was launched earlier this year to investigate the procedures and results of grant programs.
Mr Simon Massey, Economic Strategy and Government Relations Manager for the City of Newcastle, also speaking at the inquiry, says Newcastle has somehow been deemed not regional enough to receive regional grants, and not metropolitan enough to be eligible for programs aimed at Sydney.
"Potentially we've fallen through the cracks," Mr Massey said. "In a research report conducted by the University of Newcastle has identified over $175 million in missed NSW Government grant opportunities that the City of Newcastle has not been eligible to apply for, and therefore hasn't received."
"We'll be raising and tabling that report at this morning's inquiry."
Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp is also set to discuss the city's exclusion and inconsistencies in eligibility for funding programs.
Mr Crakanthorp says Newcastle was excluded from all arts and infrastructure programs until new announcements made in last week's budget.
“It’s uncanny that these new funds were announced during the middle of an inquiry that has already revealed widespread pork-barrelling in Government grant programs,” Mr Crakanthorp said.
“It’s quite clear that previous programs have been designed to deliberately exclude Newcastle, which also happens to be a safe Labor seat."
These concerns come regarding the distribution of the $250 million council grant scheme, amid claims 95 percent of it went to Coalition seats, with Newcastle missing out.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian admitted on Thursday to Government pork-barreling, saying the practice was not illegal.
Ms Berejiklian said a majority of grants were handed out to Coalition-held seats as there were simply more of them.
"Guess what? There are more Coalition seats than any other," she said on Thursday.
