Page 4362 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 30 November 1994
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application to the sport and recreation grants program, which would have the effect of providing finances for sporting and recreational organisations from 1 January 1995. That is an important date, and I hope that you remember it, Mr De Domenico. In that funding round, the Sport and Recreation Council's recommendation to me was that they not be funded.
Mrs Carnell: So, it is not your fault. Is this a duckshove?
MR LAMONT: Do you really want me to start?
Mrs Carnell: Yes, go ahead.
MR LAMONT: The Bureau of Sport, Recreation and Racing, acting on that advice, forwarded to me the list of announcements for grants to apply from 1 January 1995 - about $1.9m worth. They were announced last week. At a meeting in my office at the end of last week, it was indicated to the president of the RLSS and their full-time officer that we had some concerns about the way in which the RLSS conducted its business. What had happened - - -
Mrs Carnell: They probably had concerns about how you conducted yours as well.
MR LAMONT: Will you listen? Quite clearly, concerns have been raised, by both my departmental officers and the Sport and Recreation Council, as to the day-to-day administration of the Royal Life Saving Society's operations in the ACT - - -
Mr De Domenico: The one chaired by Justice Higgins?
MR LAMONT: Listen again. I said "the day-to-day operations". It is not the chair who is responsible for that; it is the full-time officer.
Mrs Carnell: Who is responsible to the chair.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Members, perhaps you would like to remember standing order 39.
MR LAMONT: Where doubt has been cast upon the organisational ability of any particular grant applicant, I have ministerial responsibility to ensure that the public interest is protected in providing that organisation with grants money, which is public money. I intend to exercise my ministerial responsibility in relation to the Royal Life Saving Society. It has been notified to them that that is the situation - that we have some concerns and that, while they have not been included in the grants round, funding could be made available for them to continue their operation from 1 January 1995. Did you get the date, Mrs Carnell? It was 1 January. That is on the basis that their internal organisation is satisfactory to me, as the Minister.
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