House debates Questions without Notice
Community Sport Infrastructure Grant Program
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
2:27 pm
My question again goes to the Prime Minister, and I refer to his previous answer. How could the minister's decision have been made on 4 April if Senator McKenzie sought the agreement of the Prime Minister and his office on 10 April? Can the Prime Minister guarantee that the document by Minister McKenzie was not backdated?
Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
As I responded earlier, as Sport Australia advised the committee this morning, Senator McKenzie's authority, approval, of the projects was dated the 4th and provided on 4 April 2019.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
What the member has suggested is that there was some requirement for the Prime Minister—
Tony Smith Speaker
The Prime Minister can pause for a second. The member for Isaacs is warned. I do need the Prime Minister to repeat it because I couldn't hear anything while the member was interjecting. I can't make it any more clear. I'm now issuing a general warning. What that means is I will exercise 94(a) on anyone who I deem to be disrupting the parliament.
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General
Tony Smith Speaker
No. The member for Isaacs will resume his seat. The Prime Minister.
Scott Morrison Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The premise of the member's question is false. The Prime Minister is the not the decision-maker in relation to the program that he has suggested. As I've said on numerous occasions, the ministerial authority for these decisions was the Minister for Sport. The Minister for Sport authorised those arrangements, and that authorisation is dated 4 April 2019.