{"id":109857,"date":"2025-09-01T02:05:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T02:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/109857\/"},"modified":"2025-09-01T02:05:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T02:05:10","slug":"radio-station-under-scrutiny-over-200k-in-unaccounted-funds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/109857\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio station under scrutiny over $200K in unaccounted funds"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The organisation behind Sydney\u2019s Koori Radio<\/a> has come under scrutiny after a Deloitte audit raised concerns about how funds were managed during the tenure of its former chair and treasurer, John Leha.<\/p>\n

According to The Sydney Morning Herald<\/a>, the review covered expenditure between January 2022 and October 2023, including $250,000 in government funding earmarked for studio upgrades.<\/p>\n

Deloitte reported that the grant money did \u201cnot appear to have been transparently managed\u201d, adding that incomplete records made it \u201cchallenging\u201d to confirm whether funds had been spent \u201cin accordance with its intended purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Auditors also found $217,000 had been transferred to a debit card in Leha\u2019s name. More than $41,000 of that went on travel, including $13,000 in Uber fares, with further costs for accommodation ($23,000), food ($11,400), and smaller charges such as $400 in ATM withdrawals and $350 on car detailing.<\/p>\n

While Deloitte stressed there was no evidence of misappropriation, it noted some spending, particularly the \u201csignificant\u201d use of Uber, \u201cmay not be genuinely business-related.\u201d<\/p>\n

The organisation has now been banned from applying for state government grants.<\/p>\n

\"Koori<\/p>\n

Governance under pressure<\/p>\n

Leha, who served as chair and treasurer of Gadigal Information Service Aboriginal Corporation<\/a> (GIS) from 2019 until a no-confidence vote in April 2023, stepped down amid separate bullying claims<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In early 2024, Aboriginal Affairs NSW issued GIS with a non-compliance letter that barred it from applying for state funding for two years.<\/p>\n

Emails from March 2024 show the organisation\u2019s interim CEO Tony Duke described the situation starkly: \u201cWe are an organisation in chaos and a critical situation financially,\u201d he wrote, citing unpaid bills of more than $200,000 and noting that work funded by the government grant \u201chas not been done and the funds are not readily identifiable in our bank accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving forward<\/p>\n

The turbulence has raised broader concerns about member contributions, with reports that membership fees went missing and direct debit payments could not be traced.<\/p>\n

Despite this, GIS\u2019s current chair Dallas Wellington has stressed that the organisation is rebuilding. \u201cLike many grassroots community organisations, there is a vulnerability that comes with the territory,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we are now a strong and viable organisation that every day goes from strength to strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

But according to The Sydney Morning Herald<\/a>, insiders say the operations are in \u201cdire straits\u201d and \u201cchaos\u201d.<\/p>\n

Wellington added that the board and staff are focused on embedding \u201csystems and best practices to ensure that our organisation is appropriately governed and managed in a culturally respectful and publicly accountable manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mediaweek has reached out to Koori Radio for comment.<\/p>\n

Main image: John Leha<\/p>\n

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the\u00a0Mediaweek\u00a0Morning Report\u00a0\u2013 delivered for free every morning to your inbox.<\/a><\/p>\n