Greens senator David Shoebridge has queried why a charity, which controversially received an $18 million grant from the Morrison government, still has ties to the Governor-General.
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The Australian Future Leaders Foundation received the multimillion-dollar grant after Governor-General David Hurley lobbied then-prime minister Scott Morrison to back it.
The Albanese government scrapped the grant last year after it became apparent the foundation had not run any leadership programs, had no website or staff and did not go through a competitive process to receive the grant.
During senate estimates on Monday, Senator Shoebridge questioned why the charity still called one of its activities the "Governor-General's Australian Future Leaders Program" in a 2022 information statement.
Paul Singer, official secretary to the Governor-General, was unaware the charity was using this name.
"So is it the Governor-General's Australian Future Leaders Program? Which is what they're asserting right now, on the charity regulator's website, is that accurate?" Senator Shoebridge asked.
"No senator, the title of the program, if it were to be delivered, is the Australian Future Leaders Program," Mr Singer said.
The charity had not sought permission to use the Governor-General's name in its 2022 annual information statement, he said.
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Mr Shoebridge also questioned whether due diligence had been undertaken, before the Governor-General expressed support for the charity.
"The Governor-General's association with this entity was considered in terms of the value that the Governor-General could bring to it, that in order to correct the record, is different to the Governor-General's association with a patronage, which does go through different criteria requirements," Senator Shoebridge said.
"You may think it's different but it appears that the Governor-General supported this without any of that due diligence being done."
Mr Singer denied this.
Mr Hurley was linked with the charity after one of its directors, Chris Hartley, asked him to discuss it with Mr Morrison.
The charity has a vision to establish programs which "prepare, better equip and better connect Australia's future leaders for a more uncertain world".