So, there’s this whole situation unfolding in the NSW government, and it’s turning into quite a controversy. It all started when Minister Tara Moriarty was accused of yelling at a senior public servant, demanding that $33 million in funding for a Dubbo sports facility be returned. She’s completely denying it, though, saying she never even interacted with the people mentioned in the emails making these claims.
Apparently, during Question Time, the opposition’s Sarah Mitchell confronted her about these internal emails that surfaced through a parliamentary request. These emails suggest that Moriarty set a strict deadline—5 p.m. on January 24, 2025—for the Office of Sport to send the money back to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
Now, the backstory here is that this sports hub was originally a $4 million project proposed by the previous Coalition government, but over time, the cost skyrocketed to $48.6 million. When Labor took over, Moriarty scrapped the whole thing in December 2024, calling it “no longer viable” due to delays, cost overruns, and changes to the project’s scope.
Her spokesperson later told The Daily Telegraph that the $33 million wasn’t just taken away but returned to the government for future consideration in the 2025-26 budget. They described the Dubbo sports hub as a “ghost proposal” that wasn’t actually feasible or compliant with NSW grant guidelines.
But the NSW Nationals Leader, Dugald Saunders, isn’t letting this go. He wants Moriarty to give more details and is even pushing for an investigation. He pointed out that the email chain is pretty direct in suggesting she did yell at someone.
And here’s where it gets even more interesting—those same documents that revealed the email chain also showed that there was an alternative plan in place. The PCYC had put forward a proposal to buy and renovate an existing facility instead of building from scratch, and this plan had support from both the Office of Sport and legal advisors. Even the Minister for Sport, Stephen Kamper, was on board before Moriarty revoked the funding.
Saunders is calling this a purely political decision, saying it’s a huge letdown for Dubbo’s sports community—basketball, gymnastics, netball, and even just kids who need a space to play.
Premier Chris Minns has weighed in, saying that government officials should always be treated with respect, and if there’s actual evidence that public servants were mistreated, they’ll take action.
