ACT LIBERAL leader Zed Seselja has announced the Liberal Party will repay the $10,000 grant it recieved in 2008 from Volunteering ACT.

On Monday, news broke that the Canberra Liberals had recieved a grant, part of an ACT Government emergency relief package, intended for volunteers to bounce back after the global financial crisis.

Mr Seselja said that Monday was the first time he became aware the party had received the $10,000 grant.

“I was aware we had recieved money from grants,” he said. “But looking at the grant applications, you wouldn’t have known where the money came from. Once I understood what had happened I certainly felt it was the right thing to do to pay the money back.”

He said he came to the decision yesterday and hopes to pay the money back “as soon as possible.”

He said political parties, including the Labor Party, should not recieve money intended for community groups.

The grant money was distributed among Liberal Party volunteers through Woolworths’ gift vouchers.

Mr Seselja said the Liberal Party would foot the entire bill and the volunteers would

not be out of pocket.