from aged care home at centre of deadliest COVID outbreak
Background Briefing

/ By Ashlynne McGhee
Posted 12 hours ago, updated 5 hours ago
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-16/ ... /100068128
A group of taxpayer-funded aged care homes funnelled $31 million back into the coffers of one of Australia's largest churches, an ABC investigation has found.
The homes include St Basil's in Melbourne, where 45 residents died in Australia's deadliest COVID outbreak.
In the past eight years, St Basil's paid more than $22 million in rent and fees to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese while receiving federal government funding.
A commercial real estate agent told Background Briefing this was double the rental market rate.
Towards the end of that period, the church was funding the [highlight]lavish lifestyle[/highlight] of its newly appointed Archbishop, including the purchase of a $6.5 million Sydney apartment with harbour views.