Reef foundation chair tells senators he had no idea Turnbull was going to offer $444m

John Schubert appears before Senate inquiry into the grant awarded to his small non-profit without tender

The chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, John Schubert, has told a Senate inquiry he did not know the government was going to offer a $444m grant when he agreed to meet with the then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and his environment and energy minister, Josh Frydenberg.

In the hearing on Tuesday, Schubert said the prime minister's office called with an invitation two days before the 9 April meeting but gave no information on what was to be discussed.