Andrew Laming defends fresh funding to organisations run by LNP branch president
Andrew Laming #AndrewLaming
The controversial Liberal MP Andrew Laming, who returned to parliament earlier this month after undergoing empathy training, has defended another $15,000 in grants that went to organisations run by a local LNP branch president, Guardian Australia can reveal.
In the latest round of the Stronger Communities grant program in Laming’s electorate, two grants were awarded to Redlands Salad Bowl and Community Connections Redlands Coast, both of which were co-founded by the president of the Liberal National party’s Redlands branch, Craig Luxton.
The secretary of both organisations is Laming’s own electorate officer, Stephanie Eaton.
Guardian Australia can further reveal that Laming did not disclose any conflict of interest with the Department of Infrastructure before awarding more than $20,000 in grants to these same organisations in previous rounds of the Stronger Community program.
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“Records indicate no member of parliament conflict of interest declarations were received with respect to these grants,” a department spokesperson said late last week.
In the latest round of grants, announced by Laming last week, Community Connections received $14,885 for the purchase of cinema equipment, while Redlands Coast Salad Bowl received a $5,000 grant for solar panels.
This is in addition to a $10,000 grant received by Community Connections and an $11,500 grant received by Redlands Salad Bowl before the last election.
According to information obtained from the Queensland Office of Fair Trading, the two organisations were both officially registered in August 2018 and they received the grants just four months later in the run-up to the 2019 federal election.
Under the department’s guidelines for the program, “MPs must declare any conflicts of interest to the community consultation committee and the department” before the grants are awarded and advise how such conflicts will be managed.
Laming is also listed as a patron of the Community Connections organisation, which uses its various platforms to promote Laming and the LNP in the community.
In response to questions from Guardian Australia, Laming said neither he nor his staff selected projects, saying he had set up “SharkTank” events to choose successful recipients.
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“In a tightly knit electorate like Bowman, a range of conflicts of interests were identified with nearly every applicant in the first round,” Laming said.
“As a result, an arms-length mechanism was established, empowering large community events called The SharkTank and independent panels to make grant awarding decisions without the MP involved.
“Because neither the MP nor electorate office staff play any role in selecting grant recipients or amounts, conflicts have been satisfactorily addressed.”
He said that a “significant proportion” of grant applicants would have links to political parties.
“Across the country, political links are not declared, nor are groups that are declined where political opponents run applicant organisations.
“Bowman is the only electorate in the nation that has developed an independent mechanism to address conflict of interest issues. That mechanism is strongly supported and will not be changed.”
The application form for the Stronger Community grants also requires applicants to declare any actual or perceived conflict, with an acknowledgement that any “incorrect, incomplete, false or misleading” statement could potentially lead to a fraud investigation and the recovery of funds already paid.
The Community Connections Facebook page includes multiple posts in support of Laming, and photos on the page show that Laming and other LNP politicians, including former LNP candidate Julie Talty and LNP Redlands candidate Henry Pike, spoke at movie night events.
One Community Connections post includes a promotional flyer outlining Laming’s commitments in the electorate, while another urges people to “PLEASE support those that support the community” accompanying a picture of Laming along with certain local councillors and businesses. The page also praises the “massive financial boost” from the Bowman MP as a result of the grant. He also appears in videos on the site.
Related: Liberal MP Andrew Laming awarded grants to two organisations run by LNP branch president
Luxton previously dismissed any impropriety surrounding the grant process and said funding from earlier rounds had helped dozens of community groups, with the AV equipment bought by Community Connections allowing the organisation to run movie nights which gave other organisations the opportunity to raise funds for their cause.
Luxton told Guardian Australia this week that the latest grant applications were “made in accordance with the required guidelines for the program”.
Guardian Australia has previously reported that Laming awarded a $550,000 grant to a rugby club with links to Eaton under the government’s female facilities and water infrastructure scheme – a $150m grant program that was allocated during the election campaign.
Laming, who was disendorsed by the LNP, is also under investigation by the Australian Electoral Commission for operating more than 30 Facebook pages without disclosing his political links.
The Bowman MP has also faced pressure in parliament over his parliamentary committee roles, which he has kept despite being forced to apologise for the online treatment of two Brisbane women that has seen him come under sustained pressure.
On Wednesday, the Labor MP Peta Murphy called on Laming to be sacked from his chairmanship of the Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training, a position which gives him $23,000 extra salary a year.
Murphy moved a motion in the House of Representatives that said the prime minister had “refused to respond appropriately to allegations made against the member for Bowman by forcing him to step down from his chairmanship”.
“By voting to keep the member for Bowman as chair of this committee, the prime minister and everyone who sits behind him in this House is endorsing the member for Bowman’s behaviour,” the motion, which was unsuccessful, read.
Laming will quit politics at the next election, receiving a $105,000 payout when he leaves parliament following his disendorsement.