Hendo defends grants
FORMER Corangamite Liberal MP Sarah Henderson has defended her work advocating for sporting clubs after it was revealed cash was distributed, under a controversial grants scheme, to two clubs with which she had been associated.
The Geelong-based MP, now a senator, was a sponsor of Barwon Heads Football and Netball Club and Grovedale Tigers Netball and Football Club for part of last year. 5pm. The eastbound lanes of McKillop St were closed, while Swanston St was shut in both directions.
Paramedics treated people at the scene.
A man in his 40s was taken to Geelong hospital with upper body injuries. His condition is not yet known.
Emergency crews were also two
The clubs received $370,000 and $256,000 respectively.
The Coalition has been accused of using a sport grants scheme to favour federal marginal seats.
Six grants, worth more than $1.3 million, were awarded to sports clubs in Corangamite, Victoria’s most marginal federal seat, according to the Sport Australia website.
Three, worth $569,000, went to clubs in the safe Labor seat of Corio. called to an incident at the corner of Kilgour and Swanston streets, understood to have also involved the Commodore and another vehicle.
Paramedics assessed three people at the Kilgour St scene.
Police are investigating.
Senator Henderson’s sponsorship of the two clubs has now lapsed.
She said she wrote a letter of support for nine clubs across Corangamite, including Barwon Heads Football and Netball Club.
“As the member for Corangamite, I strongly backed and advocated for the clubs and organisations I represented without fear or favour,” she said. “I also worked very hard to look after clubs and organisations in the Corio electorate.
“Of the nine Corangamite clubs and one Corio club for which I was asked to, and provided, a letter of support, two were successful — Barwon Heads Football and Netball Club in Corangamite ($370,000) and Geelong Soccer and Sports Club in Corio ($500,000).
“So of the clubs I actively supported, one club from each of Corio and Corangamite was successful, on its merits, with the Corio club receiving the maximum funding allocation.”
Senator Henderson was one of a number of Coalition MPs reported to have been associated with sports clubs that received grants under the scheme.
Senator Henderson, who lost the seat of Corangamite to Labor’s Libby Coker at the 2019 election but soon after filled a Senate vacancy, said like many MPs on all sides of politics, she sponsored many major sporting and recreation clubs across her electorate.
“Of five applicant clubs in
Corangamite which I sponsored, two were successful and three were unsuccessful in obtaining funding,” she said.
The Australian National Audit Office found the 2018-19 Community Sport Infrastructure program was biased towards marginal Coalition seats.
Some 684 grants totalling about $100 million were awarded by then-federal Sport Minister Bridget McKenzie in three rounds between December 2018 and April 2019.