A NSW parliamentary inquiry has resolved to extend its focus to bushfire grants in response to claims the Wagga's electorate received too big a share of $177 million in recovery funds.
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Greens MLC David Shoebridge, who is chairman of the upper house Public Accountability Committee, has accused the government of awarding a "remarkable" amount of money to the region.
Mr Shoebridge told The Daily Advertiser that the committee had decided on Monday to extend its inquiry, which is currently looking into the $252 million Stronger Communities Fund.
Mr Shoebridge said said the committee had decided "to open submissions for 21 days from February 1, 2021 in relation to the bushfire funding including the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery fund."
The committee had also decided "that the inquiry be extended to include two days of hearing in relation to the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery on dates to be determined by the chair, after consultation with the committee, after the close of submissions".
Public Accountability Committee members John Graham, from Labor, and Robert Borsak, from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, previously said they would support an expanding the inquiry to cover bushfire grants.
The Dunns Road bushfire started on December 28 in 2019 between Tarcutta and Adelong burned south into the Snowy Valleys council area, destroying 330,000 hectares along with farms, houses and timber plantations.
Mr Shoebridge has previously claimed that the Wagga electorate received a disproportionate amount of recovery funds, equal to one third of the $177 million on offer in the first round.
The Department of Regional NSW, which is led by Deputy Premier John Barilaro, has defended the bushfire grants as a staged program that is not yet complete and said it worked with the National Bushfire Recovery Agency to identify projects for early funding.