A group of UFO enthusiasts has come crashing to Earth with a federal minister ordering an urgent probe into their taxpayer funding.
The Tuggerah Lakes UFO Group on the NSW Central Coast has pocketed nearly $6000 in government money since 2013.
Social Services Minister Christian Porter, whose department dishes out the volunteer grants, is in disbelief.
"It was a bit of a 'beam me up Scotty' moment when I found out about it," he told ABC TV on Friday.
"I'm sure they're very nice people and there are lots of volunteers who are getting something out of it but looking at it from my perspective - representing taxpayers - it didn't seem to me to pass a commonsense test."
Mr Porter has requested his department hold any funds until he gets more information about exactly what the group does.
The group, which has more than 800 members on Facebook, is said to share news and information of UFO matters and support friends and networks.
NSW's Central Coast has long been a hotspot for UFO sightings in Australia.
"It's very hard to unpack cause and effect; you tend to find a lot of sightings when you're funding UFO sighting groups.
"But we'll see what they're all about."
The minister's office has been advised the group was previously funded under the Labor government in 2013 and that some of this grant goes to the transport costs of volunteers with a disability.
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