Prime Minister Scott Morrison has referred Bridget McKenzie’s decision to award a $36,000 grant to a shooting club she was a member of to the head of his department.
The former sports minister is under immense pressure over a $100 million grant scheme the auditor-general found favoured clubs in marginal seats before the election.
In February last year, Senator McKenzie announced the Wangaratta Clay Target Club had received $35,980 from the Commonwealth Sports Infrastructure Program.
Senator McKenzie failed to disclose she was a member of the club when her senator’s register of interests was last updated on November 21.
But amid widespread calls for the National Party MP’s resignation, the PM has asked Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Philip Gaetjens to check if her actions breached ministerial standards.
The PM was asked about the sports grants saga on Monday, and said he’d asked the Attorney-General to look in to legal issues raised by the Auditor-General.
If the PM asked the Secretary of his dept to look into it the Friday prior, why not mention it at the same time? #auspol https://t.co/FdLhHdU9oq
— Matthew Doran (@MattDoran91) January 22, 2020
In a statement released on Wednesday evening, the prime minister’s office said Mr Morrison had referred the auditor-general’s scathing report to Mr Gaetjens on Friday.
“The Prime Minister is awaiting the secretary’s advice and will continue to follow due process,” a spokesman said.
“The matters raised in the media today have also been referred.”
On Wednesday it emerged Senator McKenzie gave a grant under the program to a shooting club she is a member of at Wangaratta in Victoria.
Labor have called for Senator McKenzie to be sacked over the scandal after the damning auditor-general’s report found most of the cash went to seats the coalition was targeting.
-with AAP
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