Expensive Pork

Mr. Howard has conceeded that his new health policy won't result in additional private health insurance members. Rather, it's about "rewarding" existing members. People aren't rewarded out of the blue for past behaviour. It just doesn't make sense. So the only future behaviour this reward could influence is voting.

For a policy that will cost taxpayers in excess of $1 billion over the term of the next Parliament, Michelle Grattan (25/8) estimates it may benefit just a few thousand voters. I hope that the few over-65 swinging voters in marginal seats with private health insurance appreciate that the Government has valued their vote at up to half a million dollars.

Is this the most expensive per capita pork-barrelling exercise Australia has ever seen?