New $250K Fund Opens to Community Groups After Scrapping Members' Grants

A $250,000 Community Empowerment Grant Programme has been established to support neighbourhood initiatives and address the loss of elected representatives' assistance grants, Premier and Minister of Finance Dr. Natalio Wheatley announced during his 2027 Budget Address.

The scheme invites residents, churches, non-profit organisations, community groups and social-purpose entities to submit proposals for projects that meet genuine local needs and strengthen communities. Wheatley framed the initiative as a partnership model, stating that "Government does not have a monopoly on good ideas, and Government does not have to do everything itself." He noted that people across the Territory possess knowledge of their own communities' requirements and possess the capacity to help solve them.

The framework emphasises measurable community benefit alongside transparency and accountability measures. Wheatley said the approach encourages local solutions and community-led action.

What prompted the change

The former Members Assistance Grant system faced intense scrutiny during the 2022 Commission of Inquiry, which uncovered inadequate guidance, wide discretion given to elected representatives, deficient record-keeping and weak protections against misuse. The CoI advised scrapping the grants in their current structure and routing funds instead through the Social Development Department using set criteria and published rules.

After representatives lost access to those grants, the government created a separate constituency arrangement covering office rent and staffing costs. However, Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn has contended this falls short: representatives cannot readily respond to urgent constituent hardship or back community programmes, he said, forcing many to spend personal funds to assist their districts.

Deputy Premier Julian Fraser has defended the current setup as essential for representatives to maintain service delivery following the reforms. He indicated he would not block colleagues pursuing modifications, but stated he did not wish to be involved in expanding funding through the existing policy.