PETER VAN ONSELEN: Aussies are struggling with the cost of living… So how can Albo justify this staggering overseas splurge?

I love my rugby league, as do many Australians. But you have to wonder what Anthony Albanese will formalise in the coming weeks: spending $600 million to support the creation of a new NRL team for Papua New Guinea.

Timing is almost everything in politics. Right now our economy is on the brink of the abyss, growth rates are weak and interest rates may be rising.

The cost of living crisis facing Australians is being exacerbated by persistently high house prices, a shortage of housing stock and a per capita recession.

Meanwhile, the federal cabinet is poised to approve Albo’s decision to send hundreds of millions of dollars abroad to help a neighboring country establish a new rugby team.

When welfare advocates asked Finance Minister Jim Chalmers why his recent budget did not include an increase in the Newstart allowance, he said the government has to make decisions about where to spend a limited amount of taxpayers’ money.

He indicated that the Labor Party had other, more pressing priorities.

How can it be that so much money goes abroad to support the expansion of a commercial sports enterprise, and that this is now a good use of taxpayers’ money?

It would be bad enough if that money were spent on domestic sporting activities, such as those organised in Papua New Guinea.

While the government sees its actions as an important example of soft diplomacy – keeping Papua New Guinea close to China – this does not change the fact that the money invested could also have been used for other, more needy areas within the country.

For example, to address the crisis in elderly care. Or to help the government achieve its target for new home construction, which it is currently not meeting.

If Australia is doing well and has the opportunity to extend its generosity to countries in need, that is one thing.

But now that we’re on the brink of a technical recession and unemployment is set to rise in the coming years, according to the May budget, it just feels wrong to donate $600 million to a foreign power to start a sports team.

And what about the values ​​that Labor holds so dear? Is the money being shared equally between the sexes, or is it going to the men’s game only?

Perhaps more importantly, why can’t the government find the money to support women’s sports at home, such as netball, the most popular sport played across the country?

By ensuring that netball becomes a viable commercial enterprise that can compete with other well-paid television sports, Labor could turn the gender issue into action rather than just talk.

I suspect that Team Albo made the decision to have an NRL team for PNG in a misguided quest for votes. In the hope, in a roundabout way, that the money promised would endear the government to rugby league fans who are keen to see the sport grow in reach.

The Labor Party hopes to win seats from the Coalition in Queensland. They need to retain their share of seats in New South Wales to have a chance of a majority government at the next election.

It is no coincidence that these are the two states that will most welcome Papua New Guinea’s investment.

I wonder if they will, given the economic challenges of the moment. The money going out the door doesn’t even provide tangible assets for key seats, like a brand new stadium in the heart of a marginal seat that must be won.

Instead, it will be a mix of overseas infrastructure, security arrangements and grassroots support for the game in PNG, all a far cry from the grassroots seat campaigns that will determine the next election.

While it is unlikely that the Coalition will oppose this allocation of money abroad, or even point out the opportunity costs involved, if voters take the time to think about the amount being donated, they may well wonder how Albo can find so much money to help another country.

But he can’t seem to find the funds needed to raise the standard of living for Australians. Shouldn’t charity start at home?