Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Reynolds. Documents released under freedom of information have revealed that Minister Dutton announced two grants, worth $194,000, for two councils during the Braddon by-election. The grants were announced a month before the rules for the grants opened and went against the explicit advice of his own community safety experts, who warned they 'do not reflect the order of merit' and 'you may be criticised either in the media, or by the Australian National Audit Office'. Why did the minister ignore the advice of community safety experts and fund the grants?