$800k given to Palm Beach golf club run by former Liberal staffer
A former staff member to a state government frontbencher is now the president of a golf club which has been given an $800,000 under a state government sports fund.
NSW
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The state government has handed almost $800,000 in funding to a Palm Beach golf club whose president is a former staffer for the local MP.
The grant, for accessibility upgrades, was one of 22 given to local sporting bodies this year under a program which the Opposition labelled a Coalition “slush fund”.
But the government said the awarding of grants under the Greater Sydney Sports Facilities Fund is administered by an independent body.
Palm Beach Golf Club received $790,995 to make its grounds more accessible.
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Its now-president Daniel Hill worked as an adviser to Planning Minister Rob Stokes for five years until April 2019, three months before grant applications opened.
The club plans to “expand on the number of people who can use the club (including) women, girls, and the elderly,” including redesigning holes to facilitate mobility scooters, golf club treasurer Stephen Farr said.
“When we put the application in it was my name on the applications … Daniel (Hill) wasn’t involved in that part of it.”
Mr Hill yesterday said that his only involvement was “contacting our state and federal members to request a letter of support”.
Mr Stokes said his only involvement was writing that letter of support, as he does for all projects in his electorate.
The local federal MP, mayor and Golf NSW are also understood to have provided letters of support.
An Office of Sport spokesman said the sports grant process “is overseen by an independent probity officer”.
Opposition sports spokeswoman Linda Voltz said that with 16 of 22 grants provided going to Coalition seats this year, the fund was “looking like it’s a slush fund for Liberal electorates”.
“A key criteria of these grant guidelines is that there’s geographic spread,” Ms Voltz said. “When are Liverpool and Campbelltown going to get a look in?”
Originally published as $800k given to Palm Beach golf club run by former Liberal staffer
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