The Tasmanian government awarded a $400,000 grant to redevelop a rural hall where a Liberal MP is on the committee, sparking fresh criticism about its taxpayer-funded election grants program.
It led to Sports Minister Nic Street promising to review whether the grants scheme should operate in future elections, in a bid to avoid "any perception" of a conflict of interest.
The construction of a new Bracknell community hall was one of four projects funded using additional Local Community Facilities Fund money following last year's state election, with no input from public servants as to whether it was an appropriate use of taxpayer funds.
Speaker and Liberal Lyons MP Mark Shelton is on the hall's committee, as are three of his family members.
Greens MP Cassy O'Connor said the decision to fund the hall's replacement was "a clear conflict of interest".
"These are public funds, clearly pork-barrelling funds," she said in state parliament.
"There are countless football clubs, community halls all over this island who did not receive $400,000 coming out of the last state election, who did not have the benefit of the Premier's office and the Premier's department advocating for a request for additional funds to cover their upgrades."
Mr Street defended the funding.
"The process is that the government makes decisions on funding priorities every day," he said.
"Members of parliament are intrinsic members of their community by the very nature of being elected to the position.
"The fact that members of parliament are members of committees or community organisations isn't a surprise and I don't think that should preclude organisations from being able to approach the government and ask for funding for what they perceive to be worthwhile and which the premier's office and the minister then perceive to be worthwhile as well."
He said the project was not funded through the Local Community Facilities Fund, and multiple Department of Communities documents referring to it as an election commitment was due to "an administrative error".
"The four projects, one of which is the Bracknell Hall, were approved by the minister and Premier's office subsequent to the election, they weren't election commitments," he said.
Minister commits to review of election fund
The Local Community Facilities Fund has come under fire for giving public funds to organisations that Liberal MPs were patrons or members of, including a $45,000 grant to the Bracknell Football Club, where Mr Shelton is a life member.
Mr Street also announced a $50,000 grant for a Country Women's Association branch, where his family member was treasurer, during last year's state election campaign.
The fund has been criticised as having an "appalling" lack of transparency by the Centre of Public Integrity's Geoffrey Watson, who said funding decisions should be made by independent bureaucrats, not politicians.
Mr Street said he stood by the commitments but would review whether a scheme like the Local Community Facilities Fund should be run in the future.
"There will be an opportunity for me in the lead-up to the next election to shape programs, whether they be in relation to election commitments or grants, in a way that I see fit," he said.
"I want to be comfortable with all processes that are under my responsibility.
"I don't want any perception, real or otherwise, that there's a conflict of interest with these funding commitments when we make them because we absolutely believe in the fact that they're worthwhile and we don't want community organisations to feel like they can't approach the government for government support when they think it's necessary."
