A spokeswoman for the foundation said a "dialogue with the potential donor who was contacted is ongoing". Crucial days Environment department officials will be questioned on their preparations when a Senate inquiry into the foundation grant resumes in Canberra. Labor senator Kristina Keneally, who has helped lead the probe, said the documents zero-in on the crucial few days and their aftermath. Loading "What happened in the week before April 9 has yet to be explained by the government and is exactly what the Senate inquiry is targeting," Senator Keneally said, adding the apparent permission for Ms Marsden to scout for additional money from donors was a new concern.

“It is concerning that a private foundation may have been telling big corporations, including those involved in fossil fuels and mining, about a budget announcement before it was made public and using that information to do secret deals to get money for its own coffers," she said. A spokesperson for the department said only the $5 million project had been under discussion with the Foundation before the April 9 meeting. The project, though, was not part of the $443.4 million grant, the spokesperson said, adding terms of that agreement are "currently being negotiated between the Business Grants Hub and the Foundation". Mr Frydenberg did not respond to requests for comment. The foundation told the inquiry on Tuesday it had secured about $25 million in donations last financial year, or about triple their typical annual revenue.

A spokeswoman told Fairfax Media on Thursday those funds "were secured prior to April", implying donations have not been boosted by the grant. 'Best talent pool' Loading Evidence of the rushed effort to prepare for the April 29 unveiling of the massive grant includes a search for a celebrity, as requested by the minister, and schoolchildren from "the best talent pool" to front the launch. Representatives of the foundation, which then had just six full-time staff, have stressed they had no prior knowledge of the grant before the meeting and did not ask for it.

The group had been in talks with the Environment department in the weeks beforehand over a potential ad-hoc grant of $5 million. The Reef Trust would provide the money, to be matched by the foundation on a dollar-for-dollar basis, to rehabilitate and conserve reef islands. A ministerial briefing note dated March 21 recommended the grant be approved after the department's due diligence found it represented "value for money". A section justifying why the money was to be awarded without a tender process was redacted. One staffer's diary entry noted the foundation funded "projects that help coral reefs" and "ideas that make sense". Another from April 4 indicated that the reef islands funding was set to be announced by the prime minister and the foundation "maybe early next week". "In terms of meetings prior to April 9, we held meetings earlier in the year with the department relating to the Reef Islands project," a separate foundation spokesperson said. "In prior years, we have engaged with the department on other projects, including one funded under the former government in 2013," he said.

Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Celebrity search The day after the $443 million grant was offered, a staffer wrote that "Anna wants to approach major donors on no prej[udicial] basis", and needed approval from the Minister and Prime Minister's office. The staffer noted that Mr Frydenberg "wants a celebrity" for the funding announcement. An ideas paper for the funding announcement, prepared by Ms Marsden after a conversation with the department's media unit, included the key message that it would be "a significant day for the GBR and reefs all around the world".

One of the objectives was to: "Announce largest Reef investment package in the world's history (fact check)," it said. Among the speakers would be two students from a Reef Guardian school. "Townsville has best talent pool", it noted. In the end, "no celebrity attended", the department spokesperson said. 'Over the line' On April 18, Ms Marsden sent an email to a department's assistant secretary, Deb Callister, as they worked on the draft collaboration principles for the grant.