A former mayor in Melbourne's north-west who made false statements in applications to a community sports grants program is still sitting on the council, the ABC can reveal.
Councillor Cam Nation pleaded guilty to falsifying claims for two community swim grants over the past three years.
The Broadmeadows Magistrates Court heard that in 2018, Mr Nation applied for federal grants on behalf of a community swim club, SwimAid, and an LGBTQI+ support group.
He was not affiliated with the groups and supplied his personal bank account, home address and phone number.
He was only caught when an officer at the LGBTQI+ support group saw that the organisation had been awarded a grant but had not authorised the application.
The claims totalled about $3,900 and the court heard the grants were awarded but never paid out.
The Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court handed him a two-year bond in December 2021, with no criminal conviction, but he continues to serve on the council.
In sentencing, Magistrate Abigail Burchill said Mr Nation's offending was serious.
"It involved a huge breach of trust of the grant system, but also of the social and educational privilege that Mr Nation has, that even gives him the skills to write these applications," she said.
Mr Nation is well known in the squad swimming community in Melbourne's north-west. He founded the swim school North-West Aquatic in 2004.
According to its website, the school has more than 600 swimmers across three sites and Mr Nation has coached swimmers to multiple Victorian and Australian championship titles.
He has served on the City of Moonee Valley council since 2015, which included a stint as mayor in 2020-21.
Mr Nation told the ABC it was a personal, non-council matter.
The current Mayor of the Moonee Valley City Council, Samantha Byrne, declined to comment.
"It is not appropriate for Council to comment on Councillor private matters," she said in a statement.
Under Victoria's Local Government Act, councillors are barred from sitting on councils for eight years if they receive a jail term of two or more years.
A Victorian government spokesperson said: "All councillors are expected to abide by the standards of conduct under the Local Government Act and to uphold a standard of behaviour that their community expects and deserves.
"This is a matter for Moonee Valley Council to address in accordance with the councillor conduct framework under the Act."
