Albanese concedes $6m golf club grant in his electorate was not to contain ‘raw sewage’
News Source
•Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:52:27 GMT
📰 What Happened
Anthony Albanese has admitted he was wrong when he told parliament a $6 million grant to a golf club was to stop raw sewage flowing into a river. The money went to Marrickville Golf Club in his own inner-west Sydney electorate.
On Monday, infrastructure department officials told a Senate hearing the grant did not pay for sewerage work. Assistant secretary Jacinta McDonald said sewerage was not part of the grant. The prime minister said he accepted the advice and that his earlier statement was not correct.
🔍 The Backstory
The grant is part of a $560 million scheme that works by invitation only. Transparency groups say most of the money went to projects promised during the 2025 election in seats held by Labor. That has raised questions about whether public money was used to help friendly electorates.
The government says the projects were chosen on merit and meet community needs. Assistant regional development minister Anthony Chisholm defended the program at the hearing. Senate committees have been examining the scheme for weeks.
🎯 Why It Matters
This is taxpayer money. When grants are handed out without open competition, voters cannot see whether their money bought something useful or just helped a seat held by the government.
Anthony Albanese has admitted he was wrong when he told parliament a $6 million grant to a golf club was to stop raw sewage flowing into a river. The money went to Marrickville Golf Club in his own inner-west Sydney electorate.
On Monday, infrastructure department officials told a Senate hearing the grant did not pay for sewerage work. Assistant secretary Jacinta McDonald said sewerage was not part of the grant. The prime minister said he accepted the advice and that his earlier statement was not correct.
The grant is part of a $560 million scheme that works by invitation only. Transparency groups say most of the money went to projects promised during the 2025 election in seats held by Labor. That has raised questions about whether public money was used to help friendly electorates.
The government says the projects were chosen on merit and meet community needs. Assistant regional development minister Anthony Chisholm defended the program at the hearing. Senate committees have been examining the scheme for weeks.
This is taxpayer money. When grants are handed out without open competition, voters cannot see whether their money bought something useful or just helped a seat held by the government.