Anthony Albanese demands answers over Bridget McKenzie’s sports grant changes

If Bridget McKenzie made no last-minute changes to grants who did? The Labor leader wants to know.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, says Scott Morrison needs to clarify what happened in the sports grant saga. Picture: Gary Ramage

Anthony Albanese has demanded the government explain who made last-minute decisions about which projects would be funded under the final round of a $100m community sports infrastructure grants scheme.

The Opposition Leader on Friday seized on a statement by former sports minister Bridget McKenzie clarifying that she made no changes to round three projects after April 4, ­despite Scott Morrison repeatedly saying she was the ultimate ­decision-maker.

“The Prime Minister has said repeatedly that it was minister McKenzie who made all the ­decisions. She says that’s wrong. Who did make the decisions? Who was it who was allocating funding?” Mr Albanese said.

Senator Bridget McKenzie has denied making changes to the sports grants after April 4. Picture: Gary Ramage

“The Prime Minister has to answer these questions, and ­answer them very clearly … I don’t know why this government just can’t come clean when they get a simple question and give a ­simple answer.”

Senator McKenzie lost her place in cabinet and the Nationals deputy leadership over the sports rorts, with evidence emerging in recent weeks that the brief containing the list of round-three projects was modified as late as April 11, despite being dated one week earlier.

Sport Australia clarified to parliament that it received the final brief of eligible projects under the Community Sport ­Infrastructure scheme from Senator McKenzie’s office at 12.43pm on April 11 — more than four hours after caretaker mode had started.

The Australian National Audit Office said one project was removed and another added at 8.46am on April 11 at the request of Mr Morrison’s office, while at 12.35pm on that same day ­another nine projects were added and one removed by Senator McKenzie’s office.

The nine successful applicants included the Maroondah City Council ($500,000), Yep­poon Swans Australian Football Club ($146,200) and Yarra Ranges Shire Council ($500,000), all in what were marginal Coalition seats before the 2019 election.

Projects for the Katanning Country Club ($248,000), Pennant Hills Australian Football Club ($500,000) and Coolgardie Shire ($287,823) — in safe Liberal seats — were handed grants after being approved on April 11.

Westbury Bowling Club, in the Tasmanian marginal Labor seat of Lyons, was given $235,000; the Nagambie foreshore walk in the Victorian seat of Nicholls held by the Nationals was handed $350,000; and Wangaratta council in the Victorian marginal independent seat of Indi received $500,000.

Belgrave Netball Club in Melbourne, in Liberal MP and Speaker of the House Tony Smith’s marginal electorate of Casey, received $500,000 through the Yarra Ranges Shire Council.

Senator McKenzie insisted on Thursday night that none of the changes after April 4 were made by her. “My ­expectation was that the brief would be processed in a timely and appropriate manner. Nevertheless, changes were made and administrative errors occurred in processing the brief,” she said.

Opposition home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally said Senator McKenzie had “fired a warning shot across Scott Morrison’s bow”.

“She’s clearly sick and tired of being blamed in public by the Morrison government for decisions taken after the government went into caretaker mode,” she said.