It was US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart who coined the term “I know it when I see it”.

In that instance, Stewart was ruling on the difference between pornography and art. But I reckon the good judge would struggle to discern the distinctions between bribes, pork-barrelling and “rewarding a hardworking community” – all three of which are dominating the federal election campaign (and also dominated the 2022 election).

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.Credit: James Brickwood, Alex Ellinghausen

Let’s put it this way: should candidates for federal office be promising money to projects such as a community garden ($165,000 on offer from the Liberal Party for the seat of Eden-Monaro) or a community playground in outer-suburban Perth ($67,000 from Labor in the newly created seat of Bullwinkel)?

That $67,000 commitment seems a steal when compared to the $1 million playground upgrade the LNP is promising on the Cairns foreshore, which just happens to be in the marginal seat of Leichhardt.

But why stop at $1 million for a new swing set? How about $5 million for basketball courts in Tasmania, which you can then link to the property market, as shadow treasurer Angus Taylor did.

“If you want more housing supply, you’ve got to have the infrastructure being built alongside it. Transport infrastructure, community infrastructure, sporting infrastructure,” he claimed, while standing in the marginal Liberal-held seat of Bass.

Meanwhile, Labor is........

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