Liberal MP: Politicians addicted to buying votes, take spending out of their hands – Sydney Morning Herald

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There needs to be an independent authority that does the long-term planning so its not piecemeal, ad-hoc and used as a political bargaining chip, Mr Alexander said.

Mr Alexander said that Infrastructure Australia, established in 2008 to advise the federal government on infrastructure funding, has no weight at all and should be significantly beefed up.

A report by the Grattan Institute released this week found Australia had a long and bipartisan history of pork-barrelling transport funding.

Just one of the 71 Coalition transport promises worth $100 million or more at the last election was based on a business case approved by Infrastructure Australia.

As for Labor, just two of the partys 61 transport funding announcements made during the 2019 campaign was based on a business case approved by Infrastructure Australia.

Mr Alexander reclaimed John Howards former seat of Bennelong, in Sydneys northern suburbs, for the Liberal Party in 2010 and fended off subsequent attempts by several high-profile Labor candidates to win the seat.

Mr Alexander said he was deeply disappointed the Coalition and Labor had not reached bipartisan agreement on a national integrity commission despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison vowing to deliver one at the last election.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese congratulates Liberal MP John Alexander after he delivered his valedictory speech in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Both sides are letting down the people they purport to represent, he said. Thats a failing. I dont think there was the essential goodwill and trust to sit down and work things through.

He said senior members from both parties should have got together in a room and locked the door until they could reach a compromise on the structure of a commission.

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Mr Alexander said such a commission would help address the cynicism many Australians feel about politicians and the use of public money.

The number one currency politicians should have is that they are trusted, they have integrity and that people can believe them because they can demonstrate telling the truth, he said.

One of the attacks on our prime minister is that hes not trusted all the time.

Mr Alexander said he hoped Labor and the Coalition outline a long-term policy agenda during the upcoming election campaign rather than just pork-barelling and political attacks.

I think it will be very close, he said of the election. Id love to see a competition of ideas and vision thats uplifting.

Jacqueline Maley cuts through the noise of the federal election campaign with news, views and expert analysis. Sign up to our Australia Votes 2022 newsletter here.

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Liberal MP: Politicians addicted to buying votes, take spending out of their hands - Sydney Morning Herald