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Slater and Gordon considers class action over sporting grants scandal
Plaintiff firm Slater and Gordon is considering launching a class action over the “sports rorts” scandal.
Jerome Doraisamy
Last week, deputy leader of the National Party, Bridget McKenzie, was found in a report by the auditor-general to have allocated funding to marginal electorates crucial to the Morrison government’s surprising re-election.
“The grants, made as a result of the minister’s intervention, favoured a high proportion of clubs that did not score highly enough for funding based on Sport Australia’s assessments, and in the context of a federal election campaign disproportionately benefited clubs in marginal and ‘targeted’ seats.”
While National leader Michael McCormack backed his deputy over the weekend, amidst calls for her to resign, Slaters said on Sunday that it is investigating a possible class action in the wake of the audit.
The clubs that Sport Australia decided were worthy of funding but missed out may have rights to seek legal remedies, according to class actions practice group leader Andrew Baker.
“Every dollar that went to a club whose application should have been unsuccessful is a dollar that didn’t end up with a club that Sport Australia had identified and recommended for funding in the course of proper processes,” he said.
“These community organisations, clubs and groups have lost out because it appears public funds were used for political gain. After a thorough investigation, the Australian National Audit Office has stated that there was no legal authority evident to it which allowed the minister to approve the grants, rather than Sport Australia.
“This raises serious questions about the lawfulness of the conduct involved. In these circumstances, the clubs that have suffered because of any unlawful conduct may have rights to seek legal remedy.”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. In June 2024, he also assumed the editorship of HR Leader. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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