Refund Projects Dismissed in Sports Rorts

The 'Sports Rorts' saga surrounding the 2018 Community Sport Infrastructure grant program led to the Senate Select Committee on Administration of Sports Grants. The final report of the Committee has been released with nine sensible recommendations. The recommendations outlined improved communication, transparency & integrity when Government bodies are administering grants.

These recommendations were made in response to findings of "overt and organised practice by the Government of inappropriately using Commonwealth grants for partisan political purposes, and a failure to act transparently and accountably in relation to the expenditure of public monies".

The recommendations also included that "the Australian Government immediately fund in full all projects that were assessed as meritorious and recommended by Sport Australia, but dismissed in the final ministerial funding decisions." This is vitally important to restore trust and faith in the Australian Government, by the not-for-profit organisations who rely on these programs, to improve the facilities they offer to their members and their communities.