Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Green for that question. I completely reject the premise of the question. The sports grants program is a very popular and highly successful program where there was more demand than available resources. Minister McKenzie, in reviewing the recommendations made by Sport Australia, made sure that electorates represented by the Labor Party received a fair share of the grants that were available. If Minister McKenzie had not employed her discretion and made judgements, the allocation of funding would have been more inappropriate. I think that is a matter of public record; I have said that on a number of occasions now. I have not personally been involved in the decisions in relation to those projects. Obviously, and appropriately, that was a matter for the minister for sports. That is really all there is to it.