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The shadow transport minister, Bridget McKenzie – who was at the centre of the Morrison government’s sports rorts saga and was forced to resign from her position – has also weighed in on Labor’s invite-only grants program.

It’s been revealed that program handed $6m to a golf club the PM’s electorate that he was an honorary member of. This morning Anthony Albanese said he made “no apology” for that funding, which he argued was used to stop sewage from the club entering the local river.

Speaking to RN Breakfast earlier this morning, McKenzie said she was “very surprised” by the story.

double quotation mark I resigned my ministerial portfolio because of a perceived conflict of interest. I had an honorary membership that I didn’t know I had from a gun club that I decided under the guidelines to award funding to so women and disabled members could actually go to the toilet on site, a $36,000 grant.

So I have been very surprised by the story today of the ABCs that the prime mnister has held an honorary membership to a golf club in his electorate that received a $6m grant in a grant program that was closed, non-competitive, and where only one golf club out of the 1600 golf clubs across the country was invited to participate.

For a recap of the sports rorts saga, see here .

Host Sally Sara pushes back on McKenzie’s claim that she made the “choice” to resign after sports rorts, but the Nationals senator says:

double quotation mark I handed him my resignation, upheld my own personal integrity, but also importantly, the integrity of the system. I’m concerned I’m going to be the last minister in this Westminster system to actually take personal responsibility.

Guardian Australia revealed in 2024 after the Morrison era that McKenzie’s office had actually proposed tripling funding for the “sports rorts” program to deliver “priorities for target and marginal” seats after consultation with MPs and senators.