The north shore council, the unbuilt park and the ‘secret’ $19 million grant

Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig has launched an investigation into his own department after discovering he was not told about millions of dollars handed to Hornsby Council even as he fights with the shire to claw back money from a controversial grants program.

In an extraordinary escalation of the minister’s feud with Hornsby Council, Hoenig this week ordered the “urgent” investigation after revealing he was given “inaccurate” information about how much money the former government paid towards the shire’s beleaguered Westleigh Park redevelopment.

The funding included about $3.7 million for Westleigh Park, including mountain biking trails and sports fields.Credit: Edwina Pickles

The Sydney Morning Herald revealed Hornsby Council was contemplating legal action after it was ordered to repay $36 million given to it by the former Coalition government as part of the controversial Stronger Communities scheme.

That threat is yet to be resolved; the council and government have been trading legal letters over the return of the funds, with neither side willing to budge.

In a letter sent to Greens MP Sue Higginson this week, Hoenig said he would seek advice about whether the government should order the council to pay back even more money after discovering he had not been told about a mysterious $19.5 million grant paid after the 2019 election which returned Gladys Berejiklian to power.

“I am as concerned as you are that there may be more unspent funds committed to projects lacking merit and the government’s recovery efforts may need to be expanded,” he said.

The additional $19.5 million grant was discovered via freedom of information laws after Hoenig had denied its existence in budget estimates. The funding included about $3.7 million for Westleigh Park, including mountain biking trails and sports fields.

After he was given the documents by Higginson, Hoenig said his initial answer was based on “inaccurate” advice and revealed he had ordered NSW Planning secretary Kiersten Fishburn to investigate “all funds” given to Hornsby Council by his department under the former government.

Hornsby Council said in a statement the funding came after “a number of election commitments prior to the March 2019 election”. It said it “continues to deliver projects appropriately and in accordance with our obligations”.

Higginson questioned why the funding was approved, labelling it “a pre-election gift to Hornsby Shire Council”.

“This one group of grants is worth $19.5 million – how many other secret pork-barrel grants of the former Liberal National Coalition are still out there?” she said.

Westleigh Park comprises 36 hectares of cleared open space which Hornsby Council has plans to turn into a new sporting and recreation precinct.

The council received $40 million for the project under the Stronger Communities Fund, a grant scheme designed by the Coalition to support forcibly merged councils. The grant scheme was later found to have overwhelmingly favoured Coalition electorates.

Despite the funding, the development is yet to be approved by the council, prompting Hoenig to order the money be returned.

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