Auditor general finds NSW Labor seats denied bushfire grants due to limit set by John Barilaro’s office

Report says $1m project threshold saw opposition-held electorates excluded from 2020 funding round

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Thresholds set by the former New South Wales deputy premier John Barilaro’s office effectively excluded Labor electorates from urgent bushfire recovery funding in an “inconsistent and poorly documented” black summer grants program, according to a report by the state’s auditor general.

The auditor general, Margaret Crawford, revealed that although there was no designated role for the then National party leader in handing out the grants, his office implemented a $1m threshold for bushfire recovery projects, denying funding for anything less than that amount.

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