Scott Morrison’s spin-doctors spoke to the Minister for Sport last night ahead of him being quizzed on the sports rorts scandal at Senate Estimates today.
Minister Colbeck this morning revealed that the Prime Minister’s sport adviser and another undisclosed member of the PM’s staff came to his office last night to discuss issues relating to the sports rorts scandal.
The Minister admitted that he will sign off on Sport Australia’s responses to questions on notice from the Senate Select Committee on Administration of Sports Grants, including the committee’s requests for the provision of relevant documents.
But he “can’t recall” whether he discussed access to those documents with the PMO.
He also revealed that the Prime Minister’s office was “already aware” that Sport Australia had last Thursday provided inaccurate evidence to the Select Committee about when the agency received the final list of projects to be funded in the third round of the Community Sport Infrastructure Grants program.
This week we learned the Prime Minister’s office and office of the former Sport Minister, Bridget McKenzie, requested and made changes to a final list of grant winners after caretaker conventions had commenced – decisions worth at least $2.7 million of taxpayer’s money.
The Prime Minister should finally come clean about his role in the sport rorts scandal – and apologise to the hundreds of clubs he cheated out of funding.