About that public money for water infrastructure

Oh, for Cliff’s sake.

An election-year increase in spending from the Government’s $1.6 billion Water Smart Australia Program – set aside to cover large-scale water infrastructure projects – has drained it nearly dry, despite it being meant to last until 2010.

What is it that Billy Bragg sings, about putting smart bombs in the hands of dumb people? Who know water programmes could go the same way?

Conceived of by the Government during the 2004 election as a way to appeal to green and rural voters, the fund had been criticised for being underspent. But the dynamics of another election year have opened the eyes of both sides of politics to its pork-barrelling opportunities.

Government spending from the fund this year doubles total spending in previous years of $500 million.

Labor, without rejecting any of the Government’s projects, has promised an additional sum of nearly $400 million from the fund, also mostly targeted at marginal seats. But with the Government’s spending spree leaving just $81 million in the water kitty, Labor would have to fund most of its promises from elsewhere if elected.

Some of the expenditure listed actually don’t sound too bad – but Eco 1 students will remember the criteria for evaluating government expenditure and intervention: does it do what it was supposed to, and does it do it as efficiently as possible? That money is gone – new/better proposals won’t be built, now.