PM Concedes Golf Club Grant Scope Excluded Sewerage

Anthony Albanese admitted on Tuesday that his earlier description of a $6 million federal grant was inaccurate. The Prime Minister told the House of Representatives that the funding would prevent raw sewage from entering the Cooks River. Infrastructure department officials later confirmed that sewerage works were not part of the grant.

The money went to Marrickville Golf Club in Sydney’s inner-west. Albanese holds honorary social membership at the venue. The grant is part of a $560 million invitation-only scheme. Transparency advocates argue the scheme largely funded projects promised during the 2025 election in seats held by Labor. The specific allocation for the golf club was signed off by another minister.

Jacinta McDonald, the infrastructure department’s assistant secretary, provided the correction at a Senate estimates hearing on Monday afternoon. “I can confirm that sewerage is not a component of this grant,” McDonald said. This statement contradicted Albanese’s claims made in question time in early September. At that time, he described the funding as an environmental project to stop sewage flow during flooding events.

Anthony Chisholm, the assistant education minister, defended the Prime Minister’s initial response. He stated that the project scope had changed since the local council’s original proposal. Chisholm noted that the New South Wales government stepped in to support the sewerage work. “I think that was part of the original plan,” Chisholm said. “The scope can change, and the New South Wales government.. stepped in in support of the sewerage work.”

Dan Tehan, the shadow energy minister, questioned Albanese in the chamber on Tuesday afternoon. Tehan accused the Prime Minister of misleading parliament and urged him to correct the record. Albanese conceded that it was not correct to say the federal funding covered sewerage. He explained that the council was finalizing the project design. The current scope includes clubhouse improvements, stormwater harvesting, a new toilet, and landscaping.

Albanese pointed out that the NSW government committed to addressing the sewerage infrastructure in September 2025. He noted that the club is owned by the council and has a history dating back nearly a century. “The federal funding was going to be for sewerage,” Albanese said. “The New South Wales government have stepped in, which is appropriate given that New South Wales run water and sewerage.”