Marrickville Golf Club received closed non-competitive grants on five past occasions

Marrickville Golf Club received closed, non-competitive grant funding on five previous occasions before the Albanese government awarded it $6 million for a major redevelopment of its clubhouse, stormwater systems and grounds.

The club was handed $21,450 in funding in 2019-20 for a toilet and locker room upgrade, $11,000 in 2021 to upgrade its computer operating system and $12,650 in 2021-22 to install energy-saving downlights at the clubhouse.

It also received $3,410 in 2022 to plant rows of flame trees and install a plaque to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee, and a further $9,350 that year to install benches around the golf course. 

In total, it received $57,860 in closed funding across the five federal grants.

While three of those grants were awarded under the former Coalition government, in each case the local member of parliament was asked to identify projects worthy of financial support.

The Sydney suburb of Marrickville was previously split across the federal seats of Grayndler, held by Anthony Albanese and Barton, held by Linda Burney. 

The golf club itself was in Ms Burney's seat at the time the five grants were awarded.

Mr Albanese and Ms Burney were both involved in a 2020 campaign to save the course being cut from 18 holes down to nine holes, a proposal that was ultimately defeated.

The ABC revealed last month that Mr Albanese held an undisclosed honorary membership to Marrickville Golf Club, which he promised $6 million at the federal election in 2025, and with which he has a decades-long association.

The prime minister has dismissed concerns, saying he was not aware of the membership.

"I don't have a card, I don't go in there, I haven't been in there for years," Mr Albanese told the ABC last month.

Constitutional lawyer Anne Twomey identified the past grants in a submission to an inquiry into the Major Local Community Infrastructure (MLCI) grants scheme, under which the $6 million in funding was awarded.

"What is remarkable is that all these grants were classified as 'closed, non-competitive,'" Professor Twomey wrote.

"The effect was that the Marrickville Golf Club was granted funds without any assessment of whether it had greater need for these grants than anyone else. They were effectively gifts of political largesse, funded by taxpayers."

Mr Albanese also previously promised $340,000 for the club at the 2016 election for a new verandah and function space, and again promised $350,000 at the 2019 election to deliver those same upgrades. 

That funding was not awarded because Labor did not win the 2016 or 2019 elections.

PM's sewage fix disputed

Following reports of his membership, Mr Albanese defended the $6 million grant in Question Time, saying it had been awarded to stop raw sewage from flowing across the golf course and into nearby Cooks River.

But in her submission, Professor Twomey questioned the prime minister's claim the funding was to upgrade the club's sewage system, noting that his initial media release did not refer to that but rather clubhouse renovations, stormwater harvesting upgrades to irrigate the golf course and outdoor upgrades.

"There was no reference to the more recent claim that the money is to prevent raw sewage from flowing into the Cooks River," she wrote.

Professor Twomey said those sewage fixes were actually being done under another grant given to the Marrickville Golf Club, a $269,500 NSW government grant awarded in 2025 to connect the clubhouse to the sewer, and avoid the use of septic tanks that were overflowing during floods.

The ABC has identified at least two other state grants awarded to the Marrickville Golf Club, a $35,000 grant in 2021 to install solar panels on the club roof, and $8,000 that same year for watering system maintenance.

Summer Hill MP Jo Haylen celebrated both grants with giant cheques to the club, which was also where Ms Haylen launched her campaign for state parliament in 2015 alongside Mr Albanese.

Professor Twomey said in this case the Major and Local Community Infrastructure program did appear to be constitutional, although an earlier version of it may not have been.

But she noted that closed non-competitive grants like those awarded under the MLCI appeared "incompatible" with grant rules, since they did not have a proper selection process or "genuine assessment" of merit or value for money, as required.

"It is hard to see how a Minister, in approving grants, can genuinely be satisfied that the expenditure is efficient, effective, economical and ethical in such circumstances," Professor Twomey wrote.

"The system is a farce, with the paperwork drafted to justify decisions already made without any consideration of merit, need, value for money or the public interest."

The Infrastructure Department confirmed in its submission to the inquiry that projects had been chosen by Labor, with no oversight by the department.

"The department had no role in identifying, selecting or recommending projects or applicants invited to apply under the program, nor determining project funding value," it wrote. 

"The department did not provide any advice to government in relation to identifying, selecting or recommending applicants invited to apply at any point, and the government did not seek any such advice from the department. This includes the geographic distribution of projects."

A senate inquiry is seeking to examine how projects were identified for MLCI funding and whether there were any perceived or actual conflicts on interest in grants being nominated. 

A Centre for Public Integrity examination of the program found funding flowed overwhelmingly to seats favouring Labor, which prompted accusations the government used public money to pork barrel at the 2025 election.