By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Assistant Federal Minister Jason Wood said he knew he’d “cop flak” after hand-picking churches and temples for funds to protect themselves from intruders.
Mr Wood defended his redirecting of $3 million of Safer Communities funds to protect crime-hit places of worship in Dandenong South, Cranbourne South, Keysborough and other parts of the country.
The three temples in the South East each received $300,000-plus for security measures such as alarms, CCTV, fences, lighting, bollards and external blast walls and windows.
In doing so, Mr Wood over-ruled a Home Affairs Department’s assessment which deemed their applications as either ineligible or too low-scoring on merit.
Government diverted cash from $31m safer communities grants to ineligible projects
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The federal government redirected cash from a $31 million safety program into a selected group of churches and cultural events after a key minister rejected department advice that ruled the projects ineligible.
Assistant Minister Jason Wood handpicked the projects to receive taxpayer funds for security services and equipment in a decision that cut funding to recipients that scored more highly in the Home Affairs department’s analysis of their merit.
Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs Jason Wood.
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The federal government redirected cash from a $31 million safety program into a selected group of churches and cultural events after a key minister rejected department advice that ruled the projects ineligible.
Assistant Minister Jason Wood handpicked the projects to receive taxpayer funds for security services and equipment in a decision that cut funding to recipients that scored more highly in the Home Affairs department’s analysis of their merit.
Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs Jason Wood.
Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Mr Wood intervened to make sure the grants went to projects including a Catholic parish in south-east Melbourne, a preschool in Gulargambone in NSW and an African music festival.