BRIDGET McKenzie has given Prime Minister Scott Morrison her resignation as Agriculture Minister over sports funding decisions she made in her previous portfolio as sports minister.
Mr Morrison made the announcement at a press conference in Canberra yesterday after receiving a departmental report that said Senator McKenzie breached ministerial rules in the so-called sports rorts scandal.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack will step in as Agriculture Minister.
Mr Morrison last month ordered his department secretary to look into the handling of the $100 million sports grant program, and particularly a $36,000 grant Senator McKenzie awarded to a Victorian shooting club of which she is a member.
Senator McKenzie said in a statement she also intended to resign from her position as deputy Nationals leader, adding that she accepted the finding of the report made by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
“I have always taken my role as a minister of the Crown very seriously and I understand that the community expects parliamentarians to abide by the highest standards,” she said.
“I maintain that at no time did my membership of shooting sports clubs influence my decision-making, nor did I receive any personal gain.
“However, I acknowledge that my failure to declare my memberships in a timely manner constituted a breach of the Prime Minister’s ministerial standards.”
The scandal came to light after a damning report by the National Audit Office over how the sports grants were doled out in the run-up to the federal election.
Member for Mallee Anne Webster last month backed the embattled minister, telling Sunraysia Daily Senator McKenzie had been a “champion of sport”.
“I absolutely stand by her,” Dr Webster said.
“I had the opportunity both through the campaign and since the election to visit many sporting clubs and her passion for every sport was very clear.”
By Thursday, Dr Webster was saying she would await the findings of the departmental report.
“When those reviews have taken place, the Attorney-General has handed his report and the Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary has handed his findings down on ministerial conduct, then I think that we’ll have more to say,” she told ABC Wimmera.
“But at this point in time, I think we shouldn’t throw away loyalty – which is also a value of Australians – because we have caught on to a potential misdemeanour.
“I think that we need to wait until this process has gone through to find out really what the outcomes are.”
— with AAP
