Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) at 12.21 pm on 10 April 2019, Senator McKenzie's office sent a letter from Senator McKenzie to the Prime Minister attaching a list of sports rorts projects she intended to approve;

(b) at 8.30 am on 11 April 2019, the election was called and caretaker conventions commenced;

(c) at 8.46 am on 11 April, Senator McKenzie's office emailed the approval brief dated 4 April 2019 to Sport Australia with a list of approved projects attached;

(d) according to the Audit Office, between the 12.21 pm email to the Prime Minister's office on 10 April and the 8.46 am email to Sport Australia on 11 April, one project had been removed and one project had been added "at the request of the Prime Minister's office";

(e) at 12.35 pm on 11 April, Senator McKenzie's office sent a different list of projects to the Prime Minister's office, with one project removed and nine new projects added;

(f) at 12.43 pm on 11 April, Senator McKenzie's office sent the approval brief dated 4 April to Sport Australia with the final revised list of approved projects attached;

(g) the Audit Office found there were emails between the Prime Minister's office and Senator McKenzie's office on 10 and 11 April "sorting out what the final list of approved projects would look like";

(h) the Audit Office confirmed that although Senator McKenzie's approval brief was dated 4 April, the list of approved projects attached to the brief kept changing up until 12.43 pm on 11 April; and

(i) the Prime Minister has repeatedly claimed his office simply passed on information about sports grants and claimed the projects were approved on 4 April, but this new evidence proves beyond doubt:

(i) the Prime Minister was up to his neck in decisions on the corrupt sports rorts scheme;

(ii) the approval brief dated 4 April 2019 kept changing up until 12.43 pm on 11 April; and

(iii) the final list of approved projects wasn't sent to Sport Australia until four hours after the election was called and caretaker conventions commenced; and

(2) therefore, finds this Prime Minister has repeatedly and deliberately misled the Parliament and the Australian people about the corrupt sports rorts scheme.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Leader of the Opposition from moving the following motion immediately—

That the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) at 12.21 pm on 10 April 2019, Senator McKenzie's office sent a letter from Senator McKenzie to the Prime Minister attaching a list of sports rorts projects she intended to approve;

(b) at 8.30 am on 11 April 2019, the election was called and caretaker conventions commenced;

(c) at 8.46 am on 11 April, Senator McKenzie's office emailed the approval brief dated 4 April 2019 to Sport Australia with a list of approved projects attached;

(d) according to the Audit Office, between the 12.21 pm email to the Prime Minister's office on 10 April and the 8.46 am email to Sport Australia on 11 April, one project had been removed and one project had been added "at the request of the Prime Minister's office";

(e) at 12.35 pm on 11 April, Senator McKenzie's office sent a different list of projects to the Prime Minister's office, with one project removed and nine new projects added;

(f) at 12.43 pm on 11 April, Senator McKenzie's office sent the approval brief dated 4 April to Sport Australia with the final revised list of approved projects attached;

(g) the Audit Office found there were emails between the Prime Minister's office and Senator McKenzie's office on 10 and 11 April "sorting out what the final list of approved projects would look like";

(h) the Audit Office confirmed that although Senator McKenzie's approval brief was dated 4 April, the list of approved projects attached to the brief kept changing up until 12.43 pm on 11 April; and

(i) the Prime Minister has repeatedly claimed his office simply passed on information about sports grants and claimed the projects were approved on 4 April, but this new evidence proves beyond doubt:

(i) the Prime Minister was up to his neck in decisions on the corrupt sports rorts scheme;

(ii) the approval brief dated 4 April 2019 kept changing up until 12.43 pm on 11 April; and

(iii) the final list of approved projects wasn't sent to Sport Australia until four hours after the election was called and caretaker conventions commenced; and

(2) therefore, finds this Prime Minister has repeatedly and deliberately misled the Parliament and the Australian people about the corrupt sports rorts scheme.

It is very clear that this Prime Minister has misled parliament over and over again.

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