Inglis deal with Aboriginal Medical Service probed

NRL star Greg Inglis is the subject of a federal investigation after it was revealed he was paid up to $90,000 a year to act as an ambassador for the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS).

The South Sydney Rabbitohs fullback received the payments from the registered charity as part of a third-party agreement outside his salary, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Inglis signed a three-year deal with the healthcare provider in December 2010 and the contract was renewed last year at $50,000 annually.

The federal health department investigation is based around the fact that Medicare income can only be used to pay for primary healthcare.

"Medicare income in grant-funded Aboriginal medical services must be used for primary health care services," a spokeswoman for the department said.

"Our previous investigations did not show that any Commonwealth money, Medicare or otherwise, was used to employ Mr Inglis.

"However, we will be investigating this new information."

The footballer's manager Alain Gainey said Inglis's accountant invoices the AMS monthly.

"The fee is currently $4583.33, inclusive of GST," Mr Gainey said.

"He is not paid $90,000 per annum," Mr Gainey said. "That is totally wrong.

"The current one ...[is] a three-year deal worth $50,000 per year," he said.

Souths said it was unaware if any problems with Inglis's third-part deal with the AMS.

Redfern AMS Chairman, Sol Bellar, was a director of Souths until 2006.

"This occurred years before Greg Inglis signed on as a health ambassador for the AMS Redfern," an AMS spokesman said.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald