Sports rorts affair (2020)

For a similar scandal uncovered in December 1993 to January 1994, see Sports rorts affair.

The "sports rorts" affair, also called the McKenzie scandal,[1] is a scandal involving the Sport Australia's Community Sport Infrastructure Program that engulfed Senator Bridget McKenzie, the then Minister for Sport in the Morrison government commencing in February 2019.

On 15 January 2020, the Australian National Audit Office published a report into the Community Sport Infrastructure Program titled 'Award of Funding under the Community Sport Infrastructure Program'. The report had two main conclusions: the award of grant funding was not informed by an appropriate assessment process and sound advice and the successful applications were not those that had been assessed as the most meritorious in terms of the published program guidelines.[2] The outcomes of the report resulted in extensive media coverage due to Minister McKenzie using her ministerial discretion to favour marginal or targeted electorates in the allocation of grants in the lead up to 2019 Australian federal election.[3][4][5][6]

The scandal was compared to the sports rorts affair in 1993–1994 that resulted in the resignation of Ros Kelly, Minister for Sport in the Keating government.[7][8]

  1. ^ Tsikas, Mick (2 February 2020). "Remembrance of rorts past: why the McKenzie scandal might not count for a hill of beans". The Conversation. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Award of Funding under the Community Sport Infrastructure Program". Australian National Audit Office. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  3. ^ Speers, David (18 January 2020). "Bridget McKenzie's sport grant cash splash is a particularly brazen example of pork-barrelling". ABC News. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  4. ^ Martin, Sarah (15 January 2020). "Coalition gave out $100m in pre-election grants favouring targeted seats, audit office says". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  5. ^ Masters, Roy (17 January 2020). "'It's not me': Executive in government cash splash report stays anonymous". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  6. ^ Packham, Ben (16 January 2020). "Bridget McKenzie attacks 'ridiculous' Labor claims on $100m grants". The Australian. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  7. ^ Waterford, Jack (17 January 2020). "How rorting sports grants became a bipartisan game". Canberra Times. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  8. ^ Knaus, Christopher (17 January 2020). "Explainer: Bridget McKenzie is digging in over calls to resign but does her defence stack up?". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2020.