Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

The answer to the senator's question is as follows:

(1) Yes. The Commercial Horse Assistance Payments (CHAPs) program was delivered by six organisations under guidelines that allowed for on-site inspections to verify claims being made, or to verify claims being made by a third party. I am advised that site visits were made by all six delivery organisations.

(2) CHAPs delivery organisations included racing clubs in New South Wales and Queensland. Each delivery organisation was required under their funding deed to implement appropriate governance practices and maintain records to enable an independent review at the completion of the program. To ensure racehorse trainers did not claim payments for more horses than they had, applicants were required to:

(3) The Australian National Audit Office has not audited CHAPs. However, each delivery organisation was subject to an independent third-party financial and performance audit at the completion of the program. The reports on individual delivery organisations were provided to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and informed the findings of a final report. The final report is available on the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's website.