Albanese concedes golf club grant did not fund sewage works

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged on Tuesday that his earlier explanation for a $6 million grant to Marrickville Golf Club was inaccurate. He told the House of Representatives that it was not correct to describe the funding as a project to stop raw sewage from flowing into the Cooks River during flooding.

The admission followed a Senate estimates hearing on Monday where infrastructure department officials contradicted the Prime Minister's previous claims. Jacinta McDonald, the department's assistant secretary, stated that sewerage is not a component of the grant. This revelation places the funding under scrutiny as part of a larger $560 million invitation-only grants scheme.

In early September, Albanese had told parliament the money would fund an environmental project specifically targeting raw sewage entering the river. He noted that the club sits on a floodplain and relies on a septic tank. The opposition shadow energy minister, Dan Tehan, pressed the issue in question time on Tuesday, urging the Prime Minister to correct the record after he had previously misled the House.

Albanese explained that the New South Wales government committed in September 2025 to address the sewerage infrastructure at the club. He argued that state involvement was appropriate because NSW manages water and sewerage systems. The federal funding, he said, will instead support improvements to the clubhouse, stormwater harvesting, a new toilet, and landscaping.

The Prime Minister rejected suggestions that he influenced the decision to grant the funds, noting that another minister signed off on the project. He holds honorary social membership at the club. The last major remodel of the facility was completed in 1947, according to the media release announcing the current project.

Assistant education minister Anthony Chisholm defended the Prime Minister's initial statements during the estimates hearing. He explained that sewerage was part of the original plan but that the scope of such announcements can change. Chisholm said his understanding is that the NSW government stepped in to support the sewerage work, leaving the federal grant to focus on other infrastructure upgrades.