In the wake of the corruption scandal embroiling former Wagga MP Daryl Maguire, questions have been raised in Parliament regarding the allocation of up to $30 million for the Riverina Conservatorium of Music.
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Labor Party members of the upper house Adam Searle, Penny Sharpe, Walt Secord and Courtney Houssos have aired concerns over Mr Maguire's involvement in advocating for the project.
In phone recordings from 2017 heard during the anti-corruption inquiry this week, Mr Maguire briefly mentioned to Sydney property developer Joseph Alha that he had "two more meetings to make happen and - and yours is one, and another one for ... the Conservatory of Music and that's it."
When questioned, Mr Alha said he did not know what the mention was in reference to.
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Director of the Riverina Conservatorium, Hamish Tait, told The Daily Advertiser it was "frustrating" to have been brought into the unfolding saga.
According to Mr Tait, the conservatorium approached the former member when the south campus of Charles Sturt University, on which it stood, was to be sold.
"In 2013 it was made clear we needed to find a new home, we went to the member for Wagga at the time and said 'this is our problem'," Mr Tait said.
"Our option was to find a new home or cease to operate.
"Daryl Maguire's contribution was just to tell us who we needed to speak to [and] which government agencies we needed," Mr Tait said.
Mr Tait also said the suggestion that the conservatorium had been delivered a full $30 million which is "just not true".
"Initially a $10 million grant was given to renovate the Simmons Street building [but] that building is still owned by the state government, we're the tenants," he said.
The further $20 million was announced by Don Harwin, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, during the 2018 byelection.
Allocated from the Regional Cultural Fund, it was announced after Mr Maguire was removed from office. Mr Tait said the conservatorium is still preparing its business case and risk assessment before the funding is awarded.
On Thursday, Mr Harwon questioned whether Labor was "suggesting there is something untoward about this particular project" based on Mr Maguire's recordings.
"If so, the Opposition should get to the point and ask it because I do not see the need. This project is like any number of other regional cultural projects that have been put to me by sitting members," he said.
"I have no reason to believe it is anything other than a very good project."