State 'broke Guidelines' For Boating Grant
The Sunday Age
Sunday June 11, 2006
THE State Government has awarded a $400,000 grant for a boat ramp at Lake Eildon in breach of its own guidelines and against a senior bureaucrat's advice.
The grant, provided under the Boating Safety and Facilities Program, was approved after construction of the ramp and access road had begun. Guidelines for the program state that "grants are allocated for future initiatives, not for reimbursement of costs for items, activities or works already undertaken". A bureaucrat with Marine Safety Victoria advised that he had probity concerns about the grant. In a briefing note, manager for recreational boating Peter Corcoran noted that he was told by the executive director of freight, logistics and marine in the Department of Infrastructure, John Rogan, to "make it work"."I informed him of probity concerns and was told to work it appropriately to 'make it work' and that we were politically bound to make it work."At a later meeting of senior members of the department, it was noted that "pressure from Deputy Premier's office also being applied". The grant was awarded to Goulburn Murray Water in August 2005. Opposition scrutiny-of-government spokesman Richard Dalla-Riva said the Government had compromised the proper decision-making process for the grant. "This brings further examples of the level of political interference," he said. He said questions needed to be asked "which minister applied the political pressure and what were the benefits to various stakeholders . . . ".Louise Perry, spokeswoman for Transport Minister Peter Batchelor, defended the grant. "Whilst funding for boating grants is not normally provided retrospectively, the Government agreed to give the application to fund boating facilities at Lake Eildon special consideration due to the significant benefits received by the Victorian community through the project," she said.The Eildon region attracts millions of dollars in boating tourism each year.
© 2006 The Sunday Age
