Council missed out on $500k

TOOWOOMBA Regional Council was passed over for a $500,000 grant under the controversial Community Sport Infrastructure grant funding program, despite scoring highly on its application.

The council applied for funding for the Nell E Robinson

Park Amenities Upgrade, which was to upgrade the existing amenities block to incorporate additional toilets and multifunctional areas.

The park currently includes hard and grass netball fields, and soccer fields.

According to a report by the

ABC, the council’s application scored 85.5 – placing it in the top 30 projects not funded under the program.

Sport Australia set a rating threshold of 74 out of 100 in order to receive funding.

Former Sports Minister Bridget McKenzie is under investigation over her handling of the grants scheme.

The Australian National Audit Office found the awarding of funding by Senator McKenzie was biased towards marginal electorates held by the Coalition as well as “those electorates held by other parties or independent members that were to be ‘targeted’ by the Coalition at the 2019 Election”.

“Applications from projects located in those electorates were more successful in being awarded funding than if funding was allocated on the basis of merit assessed against the published program guidelines,” the ANAO said.

In April 2019, Football Queensland South West was the recipient of $190,000 to install lighting at Captain Cook Oval under the second round of the grants scheme.