One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson says she will “get behind” Labor to call for a “full investigation” into Bridget McKenzie’s “handling” of the ‘sports rorts’ scandal.
Deputy Nationals Leader Bridget McKenzie is facing pressure to resign over the saga which saw the government use a $100 million sports grant program to hand out cash to marginal seats ahead of the 2019 election. Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell had revealed Minister McKenzie’s behaviour was exposed by the solitary email which one staffer emailed to themselves so they could print the information.
Ms Hanson told Sky News host Peter Gleeson there “has to be accountability” when ministers push for their “own agenda”. “You cannot allow any government … to push their own pork barrelling or push their own agenda or [to be] looking after themselves,” she said. “It’s not fair on everyone else … [and] people are sick and tired of lies, corruption or whatever politicians get up to in feathering their own nest”.
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Bridget McKenzie fails to declare investment property | Sky News AustraliaEmbattled Deputy Nationals Leader Bridget McKenzie is facing more criticism for failing to declare a new investment property for three months.\n\nParliamentary practice gives MPs 35 days to update their register of interests after buying a property, but she did not declare the October purchase until January. \n\nHer office has blamed a long settlement period for the delay. \n\nThe latest controversy comes in the wake of the sports rort funding saga.\n\nThe senator will find out whether she will stay in her role in the coming days as Prime Minister Scott Morrison awaits his department secretary to determine if she broke ministerial standards.\n\nImage: News Corp Australia
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EXCLUSIVE: Whistleblower in Bridget McKenzie’s office reveals grant fears were silenced | Sky News AustraliaA whistleblower from Bridget McKenzie’s office has told Sky News they were silenced when concerns were raised over the sports grant scandal.\n\nPolitical Editor Andrew Clennell spoke at length with the whistleblower, who told Sky News when they raised their concerns they were told “this is how the minister wants to do it and we have to abide by that”. \n\nThe minister’s office said Ms McKenzie would not comment on “purported conversations between staff in her office” but did not deny the accuracy of the claims. \n\nMs McKenzie has been under pressure to resign from her frontbench post after an Auditor-General report outlined a $100 million sports grant programme was used by the government to hand cash to sport clubs in marginal seats ahead of the 2019 election. \n\nMr Clennell was also made aware of a report commissioned from the Department of Health by the minister – at a $160,000 cost to the taxpayer – into the economic and social effects of shooting. \n\nHowever, when handed down the report said “it is not possible to say from the data whether hunters and shooters have these attributes because they engage in hunting and shooting, or for another reason”. \n
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BREAKING: Whistleblower in Bridget McKenzie’s office reveals grant fears were silenced | Sky News AustraliaBridget McKenzie’s former chief of staff was warned by a staffer the sport grants scheme could be detrimental to the government, Sky News understands. \n\nPolitical Editor Andrew Clennell spoke at length with the whistleblower, who told Sky News when they raised their concerns they were told “this is how the minister wants to do it and we have to abide by that”. \n\nThe minister’s office said Ms McKenzie would not comment on “purported conversations between staff in her office” but did not deny the accuracy of the claims. \n\nMs McKenzie has been under pressure to resign from her frontbench post after an Auditor-General report outlined a $100 million sports grant programme was used by the government to hand cash to sports clubs in marginal seats ahead of the 2019 election. \n\nMr Clennell was also made aware of a report commissioned from the Department of Health by the minister – at a $160,000 cost to the taxpayer – into the economic and social effects of shooting. \n\nHowever, when handed down the report said: “it is not possible to say from the data whether hunters and shooters have these attributes because they engage in hunting and shooting, or for another reason”.
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‘Concern’ sports rorts saga would break before election | Sky News AustraliaSky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell says a whistleblower from Bridget McKenzie’s office told him there was a “concern” the ‘sports rorts’ scandal would “break” before the previous federal election.\n\nMs McKenzie has been under pressure to resign from her frontbench post after an Auditor-General report outlined a $100 million sports grant programme was used by the government to hand cash to sport clubs in marginal seats ahead of the 2019 election.\n\nMr Clennell said he was told the ‘sports rorts’ scandal originated very much “from McKenzie and her office” and did not involve the prime minister. \n\nMr Clennell said he was told the ‘sports rorts’ implication doesn’t seem to extend “that far” to involve Prime Minister Scott Morrison. \n\n“There are a lot of people running around thinking Scott Morrison was deeply involved in this [but] it doesn’t sound like that,” Mr Clennell told Sky News. \n\nImage: News Corp Australia
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‘Sports rorts’ scandal could ‘ruin’ Morrison’s National Press Club address | Sky News AustraliaSky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell says his sources have said Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s National Press Club address on Wednesday could 'be completely ruined” by the Bridget McKenzie scandal. \n\nMr Clennell revealed Ms McKenzie’s behaviour was exposed by the solitary email which one staffer emailed to themselves so they could print the information. \n\nMinister McKenzie is facing pressure to resign over the saga which saw the government use a $100 million sports grant programme to hand out cash to marginal seats ahead of the 2019 election. \n\n“All of us kind of think she’s gone,” Mr Clennell told Sky News host Chris Smith. \n\n“Surely … enough is enough for Scott Morrison,” he said.\n\nImage: Getty
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EXCLUSIVE: McKenzie grant rort ‘exposed’ by two words in a single email | Sky News AustraliaThe auditor-general reached its scathing conclusion when probing Bridget McKenzie’s sports grants scheme because a single email contained the words “targeted” and “marginal”.\n\nSky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell has revealed Minister McKenzie’s behaviour was exposed by the solitary email which one staffer emailed to themselves so they could print the information.\n\nMs McKenzie is facing pressure to resign over the saga which saw the government use a $100 million sports grant programme to hand out cash to marginal seats ahead of the 2019 election. \n\nThe minister’s defenders are maintaining the grants are all above board but many within the Nationals are gunning for her to be sacked from her deputy leadership position.\n\nImage: Getty
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