Armidale Safer Communities program: Barnaby Joyce says there may be an innocent explanation for alleged Peter Dutton port-barrelling

But the New England MP committed to advocate on behalf of the council over the emerging national scandal.

Federal Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton ignored the advice of public servants that he fund Armidale council's entire $945,687 project through the Safer Communities program. He instead funded just $450,000 in 2019.

An ABC investigation this week revealed he intervened to spend much of the savings on projects considered "less merited" in marginal electorates, including before a crucial 2018 Tasmanian by-election.

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Mr Joyce said he can hardly complain about alleged pork-barrelling.

"I'm the last person to ever complain about pork-barreling, I think that just means you're an effective member. Urban seats always throw out the pejorative of pork-barrelling because they want all the money to be spent in Sydney," he said.

"You're supposed to get the very best deal for your area."

Deputy Mayor Debra O'Brien and Councillor Margaret O'Connor told the Leader on Wednesday the council had been forced to delay new lighting and CCTV cameras because of the cut.

They were furious to learn their grant had been short-changed, allegedly in order to effectively buy votes in other electorates.

Mr Joyce said if he needed to have a conversation with Mr Dutton on behalf of his local council, he would.

"If it's the case that they basically slashed the cross across the nation - basically a budget cut - then it's hard thing to argue against," he said.

"But if you find they've been taken from one area and put in another area, that is something you need to take up with the minister. "

He said he was confident the minister, a former Queensland police detective, hadn't broken any laws, or the ministerial code of conduct.

Mr Joyce said what some call pork-barreling is just ordinary politics.

"I'll fight for money for my electorate any way I can. I'd never do anything illegal. Any way you can get a greater outcome for your electorate, you get it. That's my job," he said.

"When I go fight for New England, I don't walk into the room with my bible, I walk into the room with my hammer."

Labor Senator Tim Ayres said Mr Dutton had treated money that should have been spent keeping the community safe on a "personal slush fund".

"Where was Barnaby Joyce? He says he fights for the people of New England, but when it came to keeping them safe he let the big city Liberals walk all over him," Mr Ayres said.

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It's not the first time a pork-barreling scandal has cost the New England electorate.

Tamworth missed out on $432,304 of additional lighting at the Riverside sporting precinct after then sports minister Bridget McKenzie overruled her department about what they considered a merited application. She was later sacked amid the 'sports rorts' scandal for allegedly allocating money to less merited projects in marginal electorates.

Two projects were announced in 2018 in the north Tasmanian electorate of Braddon even before applications had been considered through a merit-based review - just before a high-profile by-election. The Department of Home Affairs later ruled them not to be value-for-money.

Others were ticked off by Mr Dutton after being ruled less merited by public servants, including some in his own Brisbane electorate.

The Armidale project funded new lights and CCTV cameras for a number of high-crime areas of town, including a walking and bike track near the university.

The Inverell Shire Council was also short-changed over a CCTV project, receiving just $200,000 after asking for $335,536.

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