ADELAIDE Plains Council (APC) has been caught up in a second Government grants scandal involving former minister Bridget McKenzie, this time over the awarding of drought recovery funding.
Senate estimates figures released last week showed seven of the 14 local councils, including APC, added to the Federal Government’s Drought Communities Program in April last year failed to meet eligibility criteria regarding workforce numbers.
The criteria outlines council’s must have 17 per cent of its area working in agriculture to be included in the scheme.
APC fell short of the mark, with only 10.15 per cent employed directly in the industry.
The councils were added while Ms McKenzie was minister for Regional Services and responsible for administering the grants.
In response to the revelations, APC Mayor Mark Wasley said farmers, local businesses and communities “bear the brunt” of drought.
“Uncertainty, lack of employment and pressure on families can extend for long periods of time,” he said.
“Adelaide Plains Council was identified by the Federal Government as a council that would benefit from much needed drought stimulus funding and to that end your council is working to progress eligible projects.
“We sincerely thank the Federal Government for their generosity.”
APC CEO James Miller said: “The distribution of funds and the criteria used to determine eligibility is a matter for the Federal Government, not individual councils”.
It is the second scandal involving grant programs administered by Ms McKenzie this year, after an auditor-general report found she had disproportionately given grants to sporting clubs in marginal seats prior to the 2019 Federal Election as part of the community sports grants program.
Ms McKenzie resigned from Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s cabinet and as deputy-Nationals leader on Sunday amid controversy surrounding her handling of the community sports grants program prior to the 2019 Federal Election.
An investigation by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet found she failed to disclose she was a member of a shooting club which received a grant as part of the scheme.
Opposition spokesperson for agriculture Joel Fitzgibbons claimed that Ms McKenzie adding the councils to the scheme was “pork barrelling”.
“Bridget McKenzie and the Government have taken this terrible drought and used it as an excuse to pork-barrel their electorates, in the same way they targeted the sports grants,” he said.
“It’s a rort and it’s fundamentally unfair to genuinely drought-affected councils.”
