An analysis of the six-year-old Community Development Grants program shows Joel Fitzgibbon's Labor-held seat of Hunter has also received barely nothing, $15,000 for a footpath, and Meryl Swanson's Paterson has received three grants totalling $193,000.

Sharon Claydon's Newcastle seat and Pat Conroy's Shortland electorate have received nothing, but nearby Coalition-held electorates have been far more fortunate.

The mid-north coast seat of Lyne, held by the Nationals' David Gillespie, has received $22.4 million in grants under the program, and former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce's New England electorate has been gifted $28.7 million.

On the Central Coast, Liberal Lucy Wicks' Roberston seat has gained $11.3 million in CDG funds, including $7 million for a new Gosford library and $3.5 million to redevelop Woy Woy Oval.

In New England, Mr Joyce's constituents have shared in the bounty of a $3.5 million upgrade to Armidale airport, $8.5 million for a Northern Inland Centre of Sporting Excellence at Tamworth, $10 million on the Liverpool Plains regional water supply project, $3.84 million to improve Thunderbolts Way, and $275,000 on air-conditioning at New England Regional Art Museum.

In Lyne, Wauchope pool has enjoyed a $1.5 million upgrade, the local council received $10 million for roads and bridges, Manning Valley Regional Hockey Centre won $858,000, and a private developer, Bushland Health Group Ltd, won a grant of $9.35 million to upgrade roads, paths and drainage around its Fig Trees retirement complex. The only neighbouring Labor-held seat to share in the largesse has been Emma McBride's highly marginal Central Coast seat of Dobell, across the other side of Budgewoi Lake from Mr Conroy's domain.

Dobell has gained $9.3 million under the program, including $1 million for stage one of Central Coast Regional Sporting Complex at Tuggerah, $700,000 for a boat ramp at Norah Head, $2.97 million for Central Coast Youth Skills and Employment Centre, $660,000 to lay synthetic turf at Central Coast Football Club's Pluim Park ground, $550,000 on a new Mingara Recreation Club grandstand, and a handful of smaller grants for Wyoming playground, Charmhaven Park, Gorokan's Peace Park, Wyong Tennis Centre and Berkeley Vale Oval.

Back inside Paterson's safe Labor heartland, Raymond Terrace skate park received $50,000 in 2017, Kurri Kurri rugby league club won $110,000 to improve the town's sportsground and Maitland RSL Club's chairlift gained $33,000.

Cessnock Clay Target Club received $15,000 for a footpath in 2014, the first and only time Mr Fitzgibbon's voters have won a grant.

The funding allocations, outlined in a report on the New Daily website this week, are a stark reminder of the monetary benefit of living in a government-held or marginal electorate.

Ms Swanson's constituents received less than 1 per cent of the amount handed out in Lyne.

"It is outrageous that my seat of Paterson received just $193,000, whilst across the river the Nationals seat of Lyne was splashed with millions," she said.

The government has come under fire over the "sports rorts" scandal after the National Audit Office found grants distributed under Sport Australia's Community Sport Infrastructure Program were not done so on merit.

Last month, Labor accused the NSW government of pork-barreling $44 million of the $47 million Regional Cultural Fund into Coalition seats.

The CDG is not a competitive grants program. Instead, the federal government says it "selects projects to be invited to submit" an interest.

Ms Swanson accused her political rivals of again making funding decisions based on political considerations.

"After sports rorts, we should not be surprised that there is another grants scandal by this government," she said.

"The Morrison government sees no issue in using public money for their political gain."

Labor's Shadow Infrastructure Minister, Catherine King, called on the government to base funding on community need.

"Communities across the Hunter region and around Australia all have worthy projects that are crying out for funding, no matter who they elect," she said.

Ms Claydon said Australians needed to have confidence public money was spent for public good.

"That requires a political culture that is open and transparent," she said.

The Hunter region's political and business leaders have been crying out for funding for long-awaited infrastructure projects, including the M1 Motorway extension, Newcastle's inner-city bypass, the Nelson Bay Road duplication and Newcastle Airport upgrade.

Mr Conroy said the government's Urban Congestion Fund deserved scrutiny for the way it distributed funds.

This $4 billion program last year allocated $99 million of a $105 million Central Coast package to Ms Wicks' Liberal electorate, $6 million to Dobell and $236,000 to Shortland.

"The Morrison government is setting new standards in the undermining of grants processes, picking projects to fund across the Hunter based on their electoral needs," Mr Conroy said. "Shortland is full of communities with worthy projects."

Mr Fitzgibbon labelled the government "pork-barreling gold medallists".

In Sydney, professional sporting organisations have shared in CDG funds, notably $16.5 million for a Sydney Swans and NSW Swifts training base, $11 million for an Australian Rugby Union centre, $2.2 million for Manly to upgrade Brookvale Oval and $5.5 million for Wests Tigers to spend on Concord Oval.

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