Victorian Minister for the Aviation Industry Gordon Rich-Phillips has been criticised after his own aero club was given a government grant.
Mornington Peninsula Airport at Tyabb - where Rich-Phillips keep his F33A Bonanza - has been granted around $1 million from the Victorian Government's Regional Aviation Fund.
According to Shadow Attorney-General Martin Pakula, the grant represents a conflict of interest for the minister.
"This is a fund that is supposed to be for public-use regional airports," he told journalists on Wednesday morning, "and the revelations today that a million dollars has been given to an urban-fringe airport that is fundamentally for private use I think is a very concerning revelation.
"I think Minister Rich-Phillips has some serious questions to answer about how this facility got a million dollars, particularly given that it's one that he's a member of.
"It seems very curious that such a large amount of money has been given to a facility which doesn't seem to fit the criteria for that fund."
The RAF is open to councils, state government agencies, regional infrastructure providers, regional organisations, business groups and the private sector located in regional Victoria. Projects must be for capital works and infrastructure.
Tyabb Airport is located within the Mornington Peninsula Shire, which shares a border with Melbourne's urban growth boundary and is operated by the Peninsula Aero Club.
The minister has defended his position by pointing out the decision to make the grant was done outside his office.
"The Minister has taken all appropriate steps to avoid any conflict of interest," a spokesperson for Rich-Phillips told Australian Flying.
"Acting on advice from [Department of Premier and Cabinet], the Minister delegated any and all matters related to Mornington Peninsula Airport to the Secretary of [the Department of State Development, Business and Innovation], to deal with at the Secretary’s absolute discretion.
"Any decisions around RAF grants have been made by the Secretary without any involvement of the Minister or his office."
Previous grants from the RAF have gone to Cobden, Edenhope, Benalla, Stawell and Lethbridge.