Treasurer Nicole Manison opposed new turf club grandstand but was forced to sit out of the decision

TREASURER Nicole Manison opposed the Darwin Turf Club $12 million grandstand but was forced to sit out of the cabinet decision-making process because of a perceived conflict of interest

Treasurer Nicole Manison opposed the $12 million Darwin Turf Club grandstand

• DARWIN Turf Club’s $12 million grandstand tender awarded to Jaytex Constructions
• GERRY Wood questions how the government can afford Turf Club grandstand
• GUNNER to change government grant rules following Darwin Turf Club controversy

TREASURER Nicole Manison had opposed handing $12 million to the Darwin Turf Club to build a new grandstand but was forced to sit out of the cabinet decision-making process because of a perceived conflict of interest, according to sources familiar with the deal.

The NT News has been told Ms Mansion was strongly against giving the club a $12 million grant to build the new grandstand given the dire state of the NT’s finances.

But she sat out of the cabinet decision because her brother-in-law is on the Turf Club’s board.

“She’s the Treasurer, she’s just handed down a report saying we’re on track to be $35 billion in the red. No Treasurer in their right mind would agree to that deal,” one source said.

Ms Manison confirmed she had not participated in the decision to hand the $12 million to the Turf Club.

“I think we all know that Darwin’s a very small place and I do have a family member that sits on that board and that is why I excluded myself from that decision to ensure there was no perceived conflict of interest,” she said.

Asked if she had made the decision to sit out of the decision-making process or if it had been made by others, Ms Manison said: “I think all of the cabinet was in full agreement that it wasn’t appropriate for me to be part of that decision.”

Ms Manison did not directly answer questions about whether she had been opposed to giving the Turf Club the $12 million grant.

In response to one of those questions she said: “My position is that I did not participate in that decision.”

Asked if she thought it was a good decision to hand over the grant, she said: “I didn’t participate in that decision, what we have done as a result of this particular project is make sure we have strengthened our grants processes.”

Independent MLAs including Gerry Wood and Scott McConnell have called for the Auditor-General to investigate the deal that saw Jaytex, a company owned by Darwin Turf Club chairman Brett Dixon, awarded the tender to build the grandstand.

Mr Dixon’s companies were among the Labor Party’s biggest financial donors before the 2016 Territory election.

Mr Dixon last week told the ABC he would welcome any investigation into the deal.

“Our process has been squeaky clean and will withstand any vigorous investigation,” he said.

“I couldn’t be more comfortable with the process our project manager undertook.

“I personally removed myself from all Darwin Turf Club meetings that had anything to do with the project, or the tender process.”

The Government last week released a probity report into the deal that said the decision-making process around the grandstand tender had been above board.

It found three of the five members of its selection panel had voted for Jaytex to be awarded the tender, with one tied, and one voting in favour of another developer.

The panel included two members of the Turf Club’s board but the report did not say how they voted.