3 years ago
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION DOCUMENTS REVEAL EVEN MORE SPORTS RORTS
SENATOR DON FARRELL
Documents released under FOI show Scott Morrison continued to pump taxpayers’ money into marginal seats after his Sports Rorts pork barrelling scheme.
The documents reveal the Government used at least two other schemes to redirect funding into politically preferred projects that had been unsuccessful in the rorted Community Sport Infrastructure Grants program.
Sport Australia had rated some of those marginal seat projects as low as 27 out of 100 against criteria such as supporting community participation, community need and project design and delivery.
But because these marginal seat projects suited their political purposes, the Morrison Government still found ways to fund them ahead of other shovel-ready, merit assessed, and highly rated projects.
The documents also show Scott Morrison was so desperate to save Christian Porter that in May 2019, just weeks before the election, he let him announce $5 million for a swimming pool project that can’t be built until at least 2026.
On May 8, 2019, Porter said a re-elected Morrison Government would “invest $5 million to get the North Coast Pool underway” when in reality there could be two more elections before construction can begin.
Scott Morrison is addicted to pork barrelling. He’ll never stop the rorts.
Both clubs that have missed out and clubs that received grants have done nothing wrong. They are run by dedicated volunteers who work hard to provide sporting opportunities to their communities.
The wrongdoing sits entirely with Scott Morrison and his Government, who treat taxpayers’ money as their own re-election slush fund.
Labor supports funding for community sport infrastructure across Australia.
But we will always hold Scott Morrison to account for his shameless rorting.
The documents reveal the Government used at least two other schemes to redirect funding into politically preferred projects that had been unsuccessful in the rorted Community Sport Infrastructure Grants program.
Sport Australia had rated some of those marginal seat projects as low as 27 out of 100 against criteria such as supporting community participation, community need and project design and delivery.
But because these marginal seat projects suited their political purposes, the Morrison Government still found ways to fund them ahead of other shovel-ready, merit assessed, and highly rated projects.
The documents also show Scott Morrison was so desperate to save Christian Porter that in May 2019, just weeks before the election, he let him announce $5 million for a swimming pool project that can’t be built until at least 2026.
On May 8, 2019, Porter said a re-elected Morrison Government would “invest $5 million to get the North Coast Pool underway” when in reality there could be two more elections before construction can begin.
Scott Morrison is addicted to pork barrelling. He’ll never stop the rorts.
Both clubs that have missed out and clubs that received grants have done nothing wrong. They are run by dedicated volunteers who work hard to provide sporting opportunities to their communities.
The wrongdoing sits entirely with Scott Morrison and his Government, who treat taxpayers’ money as their own re-election slush fund.
Labor supports funding for community sport infrastructure across Australia.
But we will always hold Scott Morrison to account for his shameless rorting.