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| Morrison ally Steve Irons (centre) and Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt (left) were beneficiaries of the Community Sports Infrastructure Program. Photo: Ken Wyatt MP/Facebook |
The state’s most marginal coalition seats and electorates held by key allies of Prime Minister Scott Morrison were some of the biggest winners in the “sports rort” scandal, it can be revealed.
Analysis conducted by The Bunbury Bulletin showed the Perth Hills seat of Hasluck, held by Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt on a 2.1 percent margin before last year’s federal election, was by far the largest recipient of grants from the Community Sports Infrastructure Program in the state.
Sporting organisations and local governments in Hasluck received a total of $1.23 million in grants, more than 70 percent about the national average of $696,000.
The second largest recipient of grant funds was the seat of Tangney in Perth’s southern suburbs.
The electorate, which received $1.07 million in grants, is held by Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Ben Morton. He is a close ally of the Prime Minister and travelled with Mr Morrison during last year’s federal election campaign.
Another key Morrison ally and vulnerable Liberal MP Steve Irons received a helping hand with grants totalling $982,000 handed out in his electorate of Swan.
Although Irons’ margin eroded at last year’s federal election, he managed to fend off a challenge from Labor’s Hannah Beazley, daughter of former Opposition Leader Kim Beazley.
The state’s two largest electorates, Durack and O’Connor, held by Melissa Price and Rick Wilson respectively, were the other big winners. Organisations in O’Connor received just over $1 million in grants, while those in Durack received $951,000.
On the opposite end of the scale, the Labor stronghold of Brand held by Shadow Trade Minister Madeleine King received the least amount of grant funding of any electorate in the state. Sporting organisations in Brand received under $395,000.
It was a similar story in Canning, the Mandurah-centred electorate held held by prominent Liberal backbencher Andrew Hastie. Organisations in his electorate received over $395,000.
The state’s largest recipient of grants was the City of Joondalup, which received three grants totalling $740,000. The mayor of Joondalup is Albert Jacob, a Barnett government minister who lost his seat in the 2017 state election.
The large number of grants in some electorates brought up the state’s average to $708,000, a 1.7 percent increase on the national average. Only six electorates in the state matched the average: Hasluck, Swan, Moore, O’Connor, Durack and Tangney.
The electorate that was the closest to the state and national average was the Bunbury-centred seat of Forrest, held by Assistant Regional Development Minister Nola Marino. A total of $688,000 worth of grants were handed out in her electorate.
It comes after analysis published in The Weekend Australian showed that Hasluck had the highest number of grants in the country, with seven grants being approved in one round.
