Liberal candidate for Mayo Georgina Downer’s novelty cheque is ‘misleading’, says Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie

Liberal candidate Georgina Downer has dismissed allegations that a cheque with her face on it — given to a local Adelaide sports club which won a $127,000 federal grant — was misleading. But the shadow Attorney-General has requested an investigation.

• Rebekha Sharkie wins Mayo by-election, defeating Georgina Downer
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Liberal candidate Georgina Downer has dismissed allegations that a cheque with her face on it — given to a local Adelaide sports club which won a federal grant — was misleading.

The stunt, however, has prompted shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to request an investigation from the Auditor General's office into the Liberal Party’s conduct, including Ms Downer and relevant government ministers.

Meanwhile the actual member for Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie, considers lodging a complaint with the Australian Electoral Commission.

Ms Downer, Liberal candidate for the Fleurieu and Hills seat, said it was “clearly a novelty cheque, not a real cheque” for the Yankalilla Bowling Club, which was last week awarded a $127,373 grant for infrastructure upgrades.

But she came under fire over the past 24 hours after a picture of her posing with the Downer-branded cheque, with the phrase “Liberal for Mayo” on it, began trending on Twitter.

Georgina Downer with the novelty cheque.

Ms Downer told The Advertiser she brought the cheque along “at the request of the Yankalilla Bowling Club” and said she was “instrumental in advocating for the grant” that will allow the club to replace its third green and install solar panels.

And this morning Ms Downer told ABC Adelaide radio: “It was quite clearly not going to be taken to the BankSA across the road to be cashed.”

“The novelty cheque was there for them to enjoy as a photo opportunity.

“There was not one person … who thought it was my money or that the cheque was real.”

Yankalilla Bowling Club president David Maddern said “we are not politically based one way or the other”.

Mr Maddern said Ms Downer had “done everything right by the club” and helped progress their cause — after it contacted Ms Sharkie’s office six months ago to seek support for the grant but never received a reply.

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The Advertiser has viewed a letter, dated September 2018, from Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie to Sport Minister Bridget McKenzie supporting the club’s grant application.

However, Mr Maddern said he had no knowledge of it.

Ms Sharkie said it was important that when public money was spent, there was a proper process for its announcement.

“I have never seen a time when a preselected candidate, outside an election campaign, has handed over a cheque for taxpayer funds with that cheque carrying their image and their name, implying it is their money or money from their party,” Ms Sharkie said.

“This is misleading conduct and it’s extremely disappointing.

“There is a clear distinction that should be drawn between advocacy and support for a grant application and claiming to provide the taxpayer funds. It’s important not to mislead the community in this regard.”

Centre Alliance member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie is not thrilled …

… nor is shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten accused the government of passing off taxpayer money as Ms Downer’s “personal announcements”.

Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Sunday wrote to Auditor-General Grant Hehir calling on him to investigate the incident.

“I understand Ms Downer “announced” the grant to the Yankalilla Bowling Club before the elected local Member of Parliament, Ms Rebekha Sharkie, had even been advised that the grant application was successful,” the letter states.

“It is questionable whether this is compliant with Community Sport Infrastructure Program Guidelines.”

Sport Minister Bridget McKenzie did not respond to The Advertiser’s request for comment.

An Australian Electoral Commission spokesman said the electoral act has provisions relating the appropriate authorisation of electoral communication and advertising, so people know the source of communication, “but does not regulate truth in advertising”.

The Liberal Party also maintains there was no grounds for an AEC breach.

SA Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham backed Ms Downer’s advocacy saying she was “highlighting, quite rightly, commitments that our government has made”.

“That type of self-promotional activity is what members and candidates do right across the country all the time to help raise awareness of the fact that they’re working and fighting for their local communities,” Mr Birmingham told Sky News.

Ms Downer also came under scrutiny on Sunday for featuring former Liberal Party staffer, Jim Bonner, in a social media video about Labor’s retiree tax.

She did not respond to The Advertiser’squestion about the video.