Giving money to gangs is a risky business

If gangs are to receive government funding, they need to meet a high bar. (Image: Tim Marshall, Unsplash)

Sat, 17 Jul 2021

Have you heard of the “front page test”? Before making any decision, public servants are encouraged to consider: if this ended up on the front page of a newspaper, what would the consequences be? This week, the government has been dogged by a story that failed the front page test: a decision to provide $2.75 million of funding for a meth rehab programme linked to the Mongrel Mob. From a PR perspective, any headline that includes the words “government”, “gang” and “taxpayer money” is prob...

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