Bridget McKenzie resigned as minister the day after Phil Gaetjens finished his report with its conclusion that the minister broke the ministerial code of conduct.Credit:James Brickwood
The findings have been revealed in full after the release of the February 2020 report under freedom of information laws,long after the Coalition unveiled the funding blitz on sports grounds and facilities in the run-up to the 2019 election.
McKenzie resigned as minister the day after Gaetjens finished the report with its conclusion that she broke the ministerial code of conduct byfailing to disclose her membership of the Wangaratta Clay Target Club,as revealed by this masthead. At the time,Gaetjens provided private advice to Morrison,which was considered by cabinet,but the report was not released.
In the report,Gaetjens,who was secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet after serving as chief of staff to Morrison when he was treasurer and prime minister,defended the $100 million scheme but admitted to key flaws in handing out grants.
“I find there were significant shortcomings in the process undertaken by the minister and her office that give rise to issues around the fairness and probity of that process,” he wrote on February 1,2020.
The confidential report came two weeks after theauditor-general issued a scathing review of the program,which was soon dubbed “sports rorts” because the audit found the spending had favoured marginal electorates the Coalition wanted to win.
The furore over the scheme led to revelations of a colour-coded spreadsheet prepared by the minister’s office to show projects and their electorates,although the Gaetjens report acknowledged that documents were not kept and it was difficult to confirm the reasons for each grant.
While Gaetjens acknowledged the failings on probity and fairness,he told Morrison the minister had the ultimate authority to make the final decisions on each grant.