Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile suggests that the timing of a damaging Auditor-General's report into government abuse of regional grants was politically motivated, pointing out it was released a week before the election.
The report found ministers had ignored the advice of public servants and accelerated funding without proper assessment — or any at all. It said the Regional Partnerships Program had been plagued by political interference and a lack of transparency, with the 10 electorates that received the most money all held by the Coalition.
"To have an unelected individual who is a statutory office-holder making a decision on the release of a report like this and the timing — maybe that needs to be looked at," Vaile said. He later apologised for questioning the independence of the auditor.