Bridget McKenzie

In the lead-up to the 2019 election, McKenzie oversaw a controversial $100 million grant program that led to claims of pork-barrelling. A report by the Australian National Audit Office stated that the administration of the program "was not informed by an appropriate assessment process and sound advice." Sports Australia made determinations as to which applications were most deserving of funding, but the allocation of grants was subsequently determined by ministerial discretion and the Auditor-General's report noted that it was unclear whether this was within McKenzie's legal authority. The allocations went disproportionately to marginal electorates held by the Coalition or to electorates that the Coalition was targeting in the election and critics alleged she had unlawfully spent taxpayer funds with the aim of improving the coalition's electoral prospects. No evidence was supplied. Morrison ordered an investigation when claims were made that McKenzie had acted with a conflict of interest in directing funding to a club of which she was a member. McKenzie resigned from her positions as Minister for Agriculture and deputy party Leader on 2 February 2020.

In January 2020, McKenzie was widely accused of pork-barrelling after a report by the Commonwealth auditor-general found that a $100 million sports grant program which she oversaw in the lead-up to the 2019 Australian federal election was administered in a way that "was not informed by an appropriate assessment process and sound advice". The auditor-general's report noted that it was not clear what the legal authority for the particular allocation of grants was.

Following the revelation that McKenzie awarded a $36,000 grant to a regional Victorian shooting club without declaring that she was a member, on 22 January 2020 Morrison referred the matter to the Commonwealth Auditor-General and the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet for advice in relation to the conduct of ministerial standards. On 29 January, Morrison attempted to distance himself from the scandal after being asked questions at a National Press Club meeting. Morrison was asked why his office had approved an extra $42.5 million for the sports grants scheme in March 2019, but did not explain.

When Scott Morrison became prime minister in August 2018, McKenzie was appointed Minister for Regional Services, Decentralisation and Local Government. She also retained the sport portfolio. After the Coalition retained office at the 2019 election, she was appointed Minister for Agriculture, the first woman to hold the position.

A disproportionately high percentage of funds were allocated to sporting clubs in marginal Coalition electorates. One Adelaide rugby union club was awarded a $500,000 grant under the scheme for new female change rooms, despite not fielding a women's team since 2018 when it was embroiled in a sexism controversy. The club, located in the marginal Coalition-held seat of Sturt, was awarded the scheme's maximum available grant just weeks before the election. A football club in the marginally held Coalition seat of Brisbane was given $150,000 for a project that had already been funded. More than $1 million in grants were allocated to sports clubs with links to clubs Coalition MPs as members or patrons: three linked to Indigenous affairs minister Ken Wyatt, one tied to treasurer and deputy Liberal leader Josh Frydenberg, and two associated with senator Sarah Henderson. Nationals leader Michael McCormack's son's football club in the NSW Riverina also received a $147,000 grant under the program. In some cases, the funds were presented as oversized novelty cheques by the Liberal candidate for the seat in question, rather than by the sitting member.

McKenzie's electorate office was in the regional city of Bendigo, and she was described in media headlines as "Bendigo-based" on a number of occasions. In 2018, after maintaining the office in Bendigo as "a National Party campaign office" for some months following her ascension to Cabinet, McKenzie relocated her electorate office to Wodonga, some 250km away in the federal electorate of Indi, which led to rumours she would contest the seat, at the 2019 federal election but eventually declined to do so. This ultimately cost taxpayers more than $500,000. In 2016 it was noted that her primary residence was a flat in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Elwood, and she stayed in hotels when she visited Bendigo.

In 2017, McKenzie was accused of using parliamentary travel entitlements for personal benefit, in a weekend trip to the Gold Coast in September 2014. Also questioned was a February 2017 trip to Sydney to speak at a Shooting Australia awards ceremony, which was claimed as "electorate business"; media reports suggested that it did not fall under the usual category of parliamentary business, and the city of Sydney is not located in the state of Victoria which Bridget represents.

McKenzie was her party's Senate whip from September 2013 to June 2014. She was elected deputy leader to Barnaby Joyce in December 2017, replacing Fiona Nash after her disqualification from parliament due to dual citizenship. Under the terms of the Coalition Agreement with the Liberals, McKenzie was elevated to cabinet as Minister for Sport, Minister for Rural Health, and Minister for Regional Communications.

McKenzie joined the National Party at the age of 18, and was a junior vice-president of the Victorian branch from 2006 to 2009. She first stood for parliament at the 2004 federal election, unsuccessfully standing for the House of Representatives in the Division of McMillan. At the 2010 election, McKenzie was elected to the Senate in the third place on a joint Coalition ticket. Her term began on 1 July 2011.

Prior to entering politics, McKenzie started a family and then attended Deakin University as a mature-age student, where she served as the president of the student association in 2003. She stood for the House of Representatives seat of McMillan at the 2004 election, but was unsuccessful. Prior to becoming a Senator, McKenzie worked as a school teacher in the Gippsland region of Victoria and later at Monash University where she lectured in Education. Between 2006 and 2009, McKenzie was a junior vice-president of the Victorian branch of the National Party, which she had joined when she was 18 years old. After entering the Senate, McKenzie served as party whip from 2013 to 2014.

McKenzie was born in Alexandra, Victoria. She grew up in Benalla, where her mother was a primary school teacher and her father was a dairyman. She attended Tintern Grammar, where she was a house captain and swimming captain. After starting a family, McKenzie began studying at Deakin University as a mature-age student, completing a double degree in applied science (specialising in human movement) and teaching (specialising in mathematics). She served as the president of the Deakin University Student Association in 2003. McKenzie subsequently taught physical education and mathematics for several years at Yarram Secondary College, Gippsland. She later lectured in education at Monash University.

In 1993, Ros Kelly, the Labor Sports Minister in the Keating government resigned under almost identical circumstances in what came to be known as the Sports Rorts affair.

Bridget McKenzie (born 27 December 1969) is an Australian politician. She was elected to federal parliament in 2010 and took her seat as a Senator for Victoria on 1 July 2011. She won re-election at the 2016 election. In December 2017, she was elected deputy leader of the National Party in place of Fiona Nash, who had been ruled ineligible for election to the Senate by the High Court. As a consequence of the terms of the Coalition agreement with the Liberal Party, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull immediately appointed McKenzie to cabinet as Minister for Sport, Minister for Rural Health, and Minister for Regional Communications. When Scott Morrison replaced Turnbull as Prime Minister, he reshuffled the ministry and abolished the latter two positions. McKenzie retained the sports portfolio and also became Minister for Regional Services, Decentralisation and Local Government until the 2019 Federal election, after which she became the first woman to be appointed as Minister for Agriculture.