The government has defended its distribution of federal funding as a pork-barrelling scandal rocks their NSW counterparts.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, when pressed, admitted her government engages in pork-barrelling amid questions of $250 million grants given to councils in Liberal and National Party areas.

Labor backbencher Joel Fitzgibbon told Deborah Knight he’s seen the impact of pork-barrelling for himself.

“Sporting organisations missed out in my electorate, because they had the audacity to vote Labor, both at the state and federal level.”

Energy Minister Angus Taylor rejected suggestions pork-barrelling is being used as a political tool at the federal level, and said he “will defend those [programs] every day of the week”.

“It’s very clear that my microgrids program I’m rolling out across Australia, there’s a range of electorates – Liberal, Labor, Nationals, you name it – and they get support.

“That’s how these things should work, on proper criteria.”

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