Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour threatens to sue Victorian Senator Lidia Thorpe

Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour has denied allegations raised during Senate Estimates that the Northern Land Council approved $400,000 in Covid Stimulus payments to ‘to build a holiday house’ on a Top End cattle station.

NT Labor Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour has threatened to sue independent Victorian Senator Lidia Thorpe over questions made in Estimates.

Territory federal MP Marion Scrymgour has threatened legal action after one of her peers alleged during Senate Estimates she used $400,000 in Covid grants to her family’s business ‘to build a holiday house’.

Lingiari representative Ms Scrymgour said she was considering legal action against Victorian Senator Lidia Thorpe following an Estimates grilling of the Northern Land Council earlier this month.

During Senate Estimates, Ms Thorpe alleged that while Ms Scrymgour was the NLC chief executive, the land council approved a $400,000 grant to an Aboriginal corporation “to build a holiday house for Ms Scrymgour’s family at Twin Hill Station”.

The NLC’s chief financial officer Irfan Bhat was unable to confirm how much of the $31m in allocated Covid stimulus grants were given to organisations with ties to then-chief executive, and now Federal MP.

Lingiari representative Ms Scrymgour said she was considering legal action against Victorian Senator Lidia Thorpe following an Estimates grilling of the Northern Land Council earlier this month. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Oldman

“I’m not aware of how many of them were from family members of the former CEO,” Mr Bhat said.

“I don’t have the number with me. But we did manage the conflicts.

“If there is an involvement of any of the delegates who are responsible for approval, that delegate will be removed from the approval processes.”

The A Daiyi Aboriginal Corporation lists several members of Ms Scrymgour’s family including her son, Richard Scrymgour, and two daughters Cherise Daiyi and Helen Daiyi, within its 2021 general report.

The documents on the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations said the 10 member organisation was awarded $399,508.10 in grants in 2020-2021, with its main place of business at Pandayal Community, Rakula — also known as Twin Hill Station.

It was not stated where this grant was from, or what it was used for.

Marion Scrymgour with daughters Helen and Cherise Daiyi, and Ms Scrymgour’s husband David Dalrymple in 2003 when she was first elected to NT Parliament. Picture: Peter Bennett

The documents said the business was principally involved in agriculture, housing, employment and training and land management.

When asked specifically about the A Daiyi Aboriginal Corporation funding in Estimates, NLC interim Chief Executive Officer Jessie Schaecken said she was not able to discuss that grant as it related to an ongoing investigation.

“There are complications surrounding my ability to answer your questions,” Ms Schaecken said.

According to NLC’s annual report from 2020-21 the Covid grant funding meant to be “targeted” investments intended to “assist Indigenous businesses in the NLC region, create jobs and stimulate economic recovery”, particularly in pastoral, tourism, gas, mining opportunities and tourism.

Of the $66.9m in Covid stimulus grants applications to the NLC, just over half were approved for funding to the tune of $35.6m.

At the time the outgoing NLC chief — who had a take-home remuneration package from the land council of $448,770 — was preparing for her Federal election bid for the seat of Lingiari.

Member for Lingiari, Marion Scrymgour in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Ms Scrymgour stepped down from the top role four months after announcing her candidacy in March 2021, with the NLC annual report stating she resigned on July 30.

Ms Thorpe also accused Mr Scrymgour of using the Covid stimulus money for political campaigning purposes.

“Is anyone aware of any advice given to Ms Scrymgour about using Covid stimulus grants to garner support for her political aspirations?” she asked.

Ms Schaecken responded: “There are matters that are relevant prior to my employment in regard to the governance and application of matters relevant to stimulus and a wealth of other things that I have been looking into and would prefer not to discuss at this level.”

Ms Scrymgour has denied the accusations to Sky News, saying the statements made under parliamentary privilege had damaged her reputation, exposed her to racism and resulted in threats against her family.

“I absolutely deny all of the allegations she’s made,” Ms Scrymgour said.

“I can confidently, 100 per cent, stand and say that I had absolutely no input into that process of any of the allegations that she has put up.

“She made a number of quite slurs, on my reputation.

Ms Scrymgour has accused Ms Thorpe of “attacking” and “bullying” fellow Aboriginal women in parliament, telling Sky News that the Victorian senator had a history of making “scurrilous accusations (in parliament) and thinks that she can go out into social media and think that there’s no repercussion for her action”.

Ms Scrymgour said, while the claims in parliament were protected, her lawyers were investigating if social media posts by Ms Thorpe were considered defamatory.

“What I don’t expect is to have one aspect of the system deliberately weaponised through social media,” Ms Scrymgour said.

Three weeks after the heated grilling in Estimates, Ms Thorpe has defended her questions to NLC about Ms Scrymgour.

“Budget estimates is a time to scrutinise the administration of public money and adherence to good governance,” Ms Thorpe said.

“My questions in Estimates this month were guided by community concerns.

“Pushing for better accountability and transparency around government spending is a key part of my role as an independent Senator.”