Labor electorates were favoured over Liberal National Party seats in 33 changes made by Queensland Sport Minister Mick de Brenni to the state government's $197 million sports grants program.
A Queensland auditor-general's review of the sports grants program between July 2017 and February 2020 was released on Tuesday.
Auditor-General Brendan Worral found Mr de Brenni awarded 18 grants and rejected 14 applications related to the female facitilies program against the advice of his department.
He also awarded $150,000 to one sporting organisation in a Labor electorate against departmental recommendations.
"While the department summarised the decisions of the minister in a subsequent briefing note, there was no documentation of the reasons for the changes," Mr Worral wrote.
Mr de Brenni's interventions resulted in female facilities program, aimed at building better change rooms and amenities for females, favouring Labor over LNP electorates, the report says.
The proportion of grants awarded to Labor seats rose from 44 per cent to 68 per cent, while those for LNP seats fell from 43 per cent to 28 per cent.
Overall, the auditor-general found the wider $197 million grants program was fairly evenly distributed seats held by the major parties and Katter's Australian Party.
Mr Worrall wrote that Mr de Brenni's 33 changes represented only one per cent of 2900 grants awarded but the department failed to explain his actions as required.
"In those instances where decisions have been made by the minister that were not based on the department's recommendations, the department did not produce adequate records relating to the awarding of grants," the report says.
"The department has not met the Queensland government requirements for record-keeping of decision-making in its interactions with the minister."
The auditor-general noted the program was changed in February 2020 to ensure the Housing and Public Works director-general approved the grants.
"Grants are now approved by the director-general and noted by the minister," the report says.
"For this reason, we have not made any specific recommendations to the department."
Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington called for a better explanation for what she labelled as shocking and "pork-barreling" by the Labor government.
"The premier needs to immediately explain why 33 grants were approved by her sports minister against the expert advice of her department," she said.
