National Audit Office found 60 per cent of grants failed to meet minimum requirements

There are calls for federal minister Bridget McKenzie to stand down for “shameless politicisation” of taxpayers’ money after a damning report found 60 per cent of sports grants handed out in a $100m cash splash went to marginal seats.

THE Morrison Government pork barrelled marginal and targeted seats before the last election using a $100 million community grants program, according to a damning report.

The National Audit Office found more than 60 per cent of grants awarded under the community sport infrastructure program failed to meet minimum requirements of published guidelines.

Peninsula Power get the ultimate Christmas gift before the 2019 football season

Auditor general Grant Hehir found then Sports Minister Bridget McKenzie’s office ran a “parallel” assessment process that was “inconsistent” with the guidelines and “drew upon” other considerations such as the location of the projects.

“The award of funding reflected the approach documented by the minister’s office of focusing on ‘marginal’ electorates held by the Coalition as well as those electorates held by other parties or independent members that were to be ‘targeted’ by the Coalition at the 2019 Election,” the report says.

Former Sports Minister Senator Bridget McKenzie kicks the footy with local players after announcing the new $100m community grants program.

Senator McKenzie said all projects selected for funding were eligible to receive it.

“The community sport infrastructure program was a very popular program that funded 684 projects right across the country to help get people up and moving,” she said.

The report found significant shortcomings in the program because although the minister had approval power there was no evidence she was “advised of the legal basis” on which to make the decisions.

It found the Sport Australia board signed off on a list of endorsed projects that had been assessed according to the guidelines.

Then Liberal candidate for Mayo Georgina Downer handing a cheque to the at Yankalilla Bowling club during the 2019 election campaign. Picture: Georgina Downer

The list was provided to the minister’s office but the final approvals were “predominantly informed” by the minister’s assessment process”, the report says.

“This resulted in the assessment advice to the minister being inconsistent with the approved program guidelines,” the report says.

The audit was ordered after shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus raised concerns about Liberal candidate Georgina Downer presenting a $130,000 cheque to a South Australian bowls club during the election campaign.

Labor sports spokesman Don Farrell has called for Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie to stand down over her handling of $100 million in community grants.

Labor sports spokesman Don Farrell called for Senator McKenzie, who is now Agriculture Minister, to be stood down due to the “shameless politicisation” of taxpayers’ money.

“This betrayal of the sporting community means it is now impossible for clubs to have any faith that this Government will assess their grant applications on merit,” he said.

Originally published as National Audit Office found 60 per cent of grants failed to meet minimum requirements