Bridget McKenzie refuses to reveal her sports grant procedure

Nationals deputy leader Bridget McKenzie has refused to outline the process she used to green-light almost $100m in grants.

Nationals deputy Bridget McKenzie. Picture: Kym Smith

Nationals deputy leader Bridget McKenzie is passing questions about the sports grants furore to her successor Richard Colbeck as she ducks inquiries on the approval process her office used to green-light almost $100m in funding to grassroots clubs.

As Labor on Tuesday ramped up calls for the cabinet minister to resign over her handling of the grants program while she was sports minister before the 2019 federal election, Senator McKenzie’s office declined to answer questions on the program and referred them to the new minister.

In an explosive report, ­Auditor-General Grant Hehir found the former sports minister ignored recommendations by government agency Sport Australia on which applications to approve before the election without apparent legal authority, favouring marginal and targeted seats. While Sport Australia’s initial check weeded out non-­compliant applications, ensuring no ineligible groups were awarded funds, the report revealed Senator McKenzie’s office conducted a parallel assessment process to approve projects.

The Australian on Tuesday asked Senator McKenzie’s office about how its approval process worked, the eligibility guidelines used and who was on the committee that assessed the grants.

The Australian National Audit Office analysis of the program suggested Sport Australia’s assessments appeared to be increasingly ignored by the minister as the election grew closer.

In the first program round, 41 per cent of grants were not recommended by Sport Australia. In the second round, that had risen to 70 per cent, and by the third round had reached 73 per cent.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese seized on the saga on Tuesday to lash Attorney-General Christian Porter and his proposed investigation into the grants, describing the probe as “farcical” considering Mr Porter’s own electorate had benefited from the program.

Government sources told The Australian it was likely Mr Porter would ­request legal advice from the government’s Solicitor-­General, Stephen Donaghue, after the ANAO report questioned if Senator McKenzie had the legal authority as sports minister to ­approve the grants.

Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday insisted no rules were broken, echoing Scott Morrison and other cabinet colleagues. “All the projects were eligible under this program,” the Treasurer said.

Lilli Pilli Football Club in the Prime Minister’s electorate of Cook, which scored $200,000 under the scheme, said it used some of the funding to pay for gender-neutral change rooms and renovations to its clubhouse.

This comes almost six months after Mr Morrison hit out at a gender-inclusive toilet sign on display in his department.