Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has directly addressed that precise question on a number of occasions. The role of the Prime Minister's office is the same role as that of the Prime Minister's office since time immemorial, and that is that they pass on representations to relevant ministers in relation to grants programs. That is the role that his office played and that prime ministerial offices before this have played. The Prime Minister said at the National Press Club just last week:

What prime ministers have always done is supported their colleagues and when matters are raised with them. And that has been done since time immemorial with prime ministers to relay those positions on to the relevant ministers in those programs.

The Prime Minister's office provided information based on the representations made to them, including information about other funding options or programs relevant to project proposals received.

The decision-maker in relation to this was Senator McKenzie, and she did a great job. The sports grants program is a great program. It's very popular. It's very successful. And you know what? The Labor Party should be very grateful to Senator McKenzie, because the original recommendations received from Sport Australia, the independent Sport Australia decisions, would have seen only 26 per cent of the approved projects going to Labor electorates. Senator McKenzie lifted that to 35 per cent, through her discretion—from 26 per cent to 35 per cent. You should have been grateful. And some Labor MPs were quite grateful, in fact, as I am reading here:

Sport Australia is managed by The Minister for Sport, Bridget McKenzie, whom I thank for campaigning for further investment in this precious asset.

That is from one Anthony Albanese, thanking her for half a million dollars more to save Dawn Fraser pool. Here was the Leader of the Opposition thanking her.