Advertisement
Australia markets closed
  • ALL ORDS

    7,957.80
    +32.60 (+0.41%)
     
  • AUD/USD

    0.6519
    -0.0041 (-0.63%)
     
  • ASX 200

    7,703.20
    +27.40 (+0.36%)
     
  • OIL

    82.51
    -0.21 (-0.25%)
     
  • GOLD

    2,161.30
    -3.00 (-0.14%)
     
  • Bitcoin AUD

    99,662.96
    -5,589.04 (-5.31%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     

#SportsRort? All the MPs who awarded grants to clubs in their electorate

These MPs have all given grants to local sporting clubs - of which they are members. Source: Getty
These MPs have all given grants to local sporting clubs - of which they are members. Source: Getty

Deputy Nationals Leader Bridget McKenzie made headlines for granting $36,000 to a shooting club of which she was a member, prompting outrage - but she’s not the only one.

The $100 million sports grant scheme, called the Community Sport Infrastructure (CSI) program, was designed in 2018 to allow Sport Australia to give money to local sports clubs in a bit to help player growth.

There are guidelines that clearly set out the criteria required for a sports club to be eligible for a grant, but in October last year, reports emerged that then-sports minister McKenzie was instead choosing the clubs and councils she felt deserved the funding (including $25 million for her home state), rather than those that fit the bill.

ADVERTISEMENT

In fact, many suspect this is a case of pork barrelling, or government spending in particular areas solely to bring cash to a representative’s electorate.

“There has been a complete lack of leadership from this prime minister ... it’s his ministry – it’s his ministerial standards,” Labor legal affairs spokesperson, Mark Dreyfus said.

"Bridget McKenzie should have resigned days ago, and if she won't resign Mr Morrison needs to sack her. We already know all that any real leader should need to know in sacking this minister."

“The only reason she has lasted as long as she has is that Mr Morrison and his cabinet are all up to their necks in this."

But McKenzie isn’t the first to do so.

Indigenous affairs minister, Ken Wyatt was the patron of three sporting clubs that received funding to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Kalamunda Districts Rugby Union Club received $180,000, Swan Districts Football Club received $199,616 and the Guildford and Kalamunda Districts Swimming Club received $24,195, according to The Guardian.

Liberal Party Senator Sarah Henderson awarded a grant of $370,000 to the Barwon Heads Football and Netball Club, of which she was a member of at the time.

Henderson was also a member of the Grovedale Tigers Football and Netball Club, which was awarded a grant of $256,000 in the third round of the CSI program.

Liberal MP Julian Leeser was a patron of the Eastwood-Thornleigh District Tennis Association, which also received $184,000 in funding.

Even treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who was a member of Grace Park Tennis Club, awarded the club $25,000.

Make your money work with Yahoo Finance’s daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, property and tech news.