Global event for intellectually impaired athletes knocked back for funding as study on benefits of shooting approved

This article is more than 7 months old

This article is more than 7 months old

Bridget McKenzie chose to use spare federal money to fund a $150,000 study into the benefits of shooting instead of supporting a major event for 1,000 intellectually impaired athletes, documents show.

The decision denied $200,000 to the INAS Global Games – a huge 2019 sporting event in Brisbane – until it received funding through a separate process after further lobbying.

Internal documents produced to the Senate show the department of health told then sports minister McKenzie in early June 2018 that it had underspent on its sports participation and integrity program by $580,000 and needed guidance on where to direct the leftover money.

A list of options was drawn up to decide where the spare cash should go. One of the funding options was to give $200,000 to the INAS Global Games, which involved 1,000 intellectually impaired athletes from about 50 countries competing in 10 sports.

McKenzie – a shooting enthusiast and the official patron of the Australian Clay Target Association – had told her department she was interested in commissioning a national study into the economic, social and health benefits of shooting, which would cost about $150,000.

The shooting study was added to the “funding options” list. It was successful in receiving money from the leftover $580,000 funding pool.

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The INAS Global Games was sent a rejection letter.

The chief executive of Sport Inclusion Australia, Robyn Smith, said the games were not awarded the $200,000 at that stage, though a larger amount of money was awarded almost a year later.

Smith said she got the rejection letter from McKenzie in July 2018.

“I wasn’t privy to the decision-making,” Smith said. “All I got was a letter from the sports minister saying we hadn’t been successful on this occasion.”

The decision was, in the end, fortuitous.

Smith continued lobbying the government and almost a year later, in the 2019 budget, the games were awarded $1.8m and given “major event” status.

“We were absolutely delighted that we did get support beyond that,” Smith said.

The games were a huge success, Smith said, something that would not have been possible without the $1.8m eventually provided by the federal government.

McKenzie’s office categorically rejected any suggestion that the government “rejected funding” for the games.

“In fact the government provided $1.8 million to the Brisbane INAS Global Games in the 2019 budget,” a spokesman said. “INAS received three times the funding through the Budget than was available in the program underspend.”

But the Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, who obtained the internal documents, said the 2018 decision to push money towards the shooting study instead of the INAS Global Games was “appalling”.

“Senator McKenzie’s choice to funnel Department of Health funds toward her shooting interests is despicable,” Faruqi said.

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“The report itself is a glorified online poll not worth the paper it’s printed on. Its highly questionable conclusions include that people who hunt have a higher standard of living, better personal relationships and feel more secure in their future than everyone else.”

The documents also show McKenzie had asked her department to find money for the shooting study.

“Your office received a proposal from ACIL Allen to undertake an economic impact assessment of shooting related activities in Australia,” the department said in a submission to McKenzie.

“You have directed the department to identify potential funding to commission this study.

“Should you decide to fund this activity the department will undertake the necessary procurement process to engage the requested service provider.”

The contract eventually went to RM Consulting Group in a limited tender. The study involved using an online poll to gauge the views of the recreational shooting community.

Victoria and NSW Nationals MPs had written in support of a national study into the benefits of shooting, which they hoped would lead to better regulation of the sport.

Other options on the “funding options” list included a National Rugby League proposal for $200,000 and a bid by Football Federation Australia for $48,000 to fund its Mini Roos program. The Guardian has confirmed that both the FFA and NRL programs were funded.