The #SportsRorts scandal has outed huge sums of public money pork barrelled to Liberal target seats - 💰 $100k here, $5 million there 💰 - but it’s not until you look closer at a campaign that you realise this was not just a part of Lib campaign, it WAS the campaign. A thread👇🏻
I am using Sarah Henderson’s campaign as example - former MP for Corangamite and now Liberal Senator. She won narrowly in 2016, and seat was a key Liberal target as under threat from Labor MP Libby Coker who won it narrowly in 2019.
I know you’re thinking Labor won seat so pork barrelling didn’t work. But hang on. In nearby Corio, Labor had +4.18% swing. In Bendigo, Labor’s swing was +5.18%. Both are safe Labor seats, so no Lib pork barrelling. Corangamite only had a swing to Labor of 1.41%.
So Labor won Corangamite (just) but it’s impossible to know what swing might have been if it wasn’t for Lib pork barrelling. Difference of 2,3,4% is huge when you see how many seats are won/lost by slim margins. Either way, Libs know pork barrelling works or they wouldn’t do it.
Before I show you how #SportsRorts wasn’t just an element of Henderson’s campaign, but indeed it was central, a few things to note. Firstly, I am not criticising any of the groups who received grants. I’m sure they’re all worthy and made good use of the pork from the barrel.
It’s also noteworthy that the Liberal campaign was devoid of any major Federal policy announcements. You’ve probably forgotten the sad and sorry spectacle of the Lib campaign launch where they had nothing to say. They just criticised Labor, promised tax cuts and pork barrelled.
We all know how important quick media appearance and social media message is for a local candidate. When I looked back at Henderson’s FB election posts, almost daily she had a new boast about huge funding commitments to local sporting clubs and other projects. Here we go...
12 April, celebrating $500k for netball club lights and $250k for football and cricket club. 
14 April, $30 million for the now infamous two new swimming pools and $20 million for a new aquatic centre and $10 million for an outdoor pool. That’s $60 million dollars worth of aquatic activities in one electorate.
April 15, proud to have contributed $1 million to surf life saving club.
April 16, celebrating the $10 million pool with ‘ScoMo’. Important to remember the pork barrels weren’t just announced once. They were constantly referred back to throughout campaign - their existence central to campaign tag ‘Delivering for Corangamite’.
16 April, $406,000 for a bowls club.
April 17, $2 million for health and community services centre. Yes, I know this isn’t a #SportsRort but since new rort programs are popping up all the time, this is possibly a new one. And point is, Henderson barely opens her mouth during campaign without splashing public cash.
April 26, $580,000 for a clubhouse upgrade.
27 April, $240,000 already funded previously for a netball pavilion - Henderson there to turn the sod.
28 April, $430,000 for toilet facilities and $70,000 for CCTV cameras. Note the dig at the Labor candidate - ‘she won’t be marching this commitment’. Labor candidate’s not in government - how can she ‘match’ a funding commitment?
29 April, $100,000 for lights for a football club.
30 April, $600,000 for a new surf life saving club, bringing total committed to $1.25 million. Announced on the local radio station - ‘proud to be delivering for Corangamite’!
2 May, $165,000 for solar panels for a football club. Such a shame Liberals aren’t interested in funding large scale solar farms at the rate they pork barrel to win elections!
May 4, $135,000 for surf life saving club equipment, on top of $1.15 million for the club house. This gift just keeps giving!
May 4, Scomo back to help announce $3.5 million for sports precinct.
May 5, $127,000 for a cricket club.
May 9, promoting the already announced $3.5 million for sports precinct.
May 11, $265,000 for women’s change rooms at a football and netball club.
May 11, announcements coming thick and fast - $425,000 for an oval, $35,000 for nets and $40,000 for netball seating. So much cash, so little time to spend it all before election day!
May 12, $500,000 for bowling club rooms.
May 13, $832,000 for changing facilities at a soccer club. Notice she’s now using the hashtag ‘’every community matters’’ - but perhaps would be more accurate to say ‘every community matters except those in safe Labor seats’.
May 14, seemingly having run out of football, netball and cricket clubs, Henderson gives $100,000 to a clubhouse for surfers.
May 15, a $6 million infrastructure spend 3 days from election. You’ve got to give Henderson credit - she sure knew how to keep the public funds rolling in to save her skin!
Last one, May 15, $95,000 for an electronic scoreboard which was on top of $380,000 already delivered for lights. Anyone with a calculator handy is welcome to add these up!
These spending announcements weren’t rare posts amongst other campaign and policy announcements - they were Henderson’s campaign. There was barely anything else posted on her page during that time. So you can see #Sportsrorts WAS central to the Lib local campaign strategy. End.
Post script: @Brenda1132 has done the sums - $88.7 million spent in Corangamite in a six week election campaign. Great question too about whether everyone got the money since Henderson lost the seat. I believe promises were incumbent on Morrison being re-elected, not Henderson.
