Updated ,first published
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s controversial $6 million election promise to a golf club in his electorate was based on rough estimates and internet research, a Senate inquiry has heard, raising fresh questions about the allocation of taxpayer funds in his seat.
A taxpayer-funded upgrade of the golf club was costed on an “educated guess” by its manager, who admitted the money was not needed to fix the sewage problems that Albanese cited in parliament to justify the controversial election promise.
A Senate inquiry on Thursday heard the prime minister’s honorary membership of Marrickville Golf Club carried the same privileges as a $1100-a-year golfing membership, even though Albanese previously suggested it was worth just $5. Club officials, however, conceded they were often given to individuals they knew would not use them.
The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has also challenged the Albanese government’s claim that its controversial grants program had been endorsed by the independent watchdog, telling the inquiry that ministers had overstated its findings.
Under questioning from Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, senior audit officials confirmed they had not been consulted before Infrastructure Minister Catherine King and fellow minister Kristy McBain wrote to the committee claiming the government’s approach was supported by the ANAO.
“We haven’t audited the program, so we can’t make such a statement,” senior ANAO official Brian Boyd told the hearing.
The watchdog also raised concerns about the assessment process, after the Department of Infrastructure revealed every project assessed had cleared the minimum six-out-of-10 threshold, but declined to release the individual scores.
Boyd said auditors would examine whether assessments were genuinely rigorous or merely designed to approve projects already promised by politicians.
The ANAO said an audit of the program had been added to its 2026-27 work program for consideration, with officials acknowledging there was merit in investigating whether public money had been allocated appropriately.
The revelations have intensified scrutiny of the multimillion-dollar commitment to the club in the inner-west Sydney electorate of Grayndler. Most of the money has been earmarked for a major clubhouse redevelopment featuring a new bar, furnishings and outdoor dining facilities.
Club general manager Mathew Ward conceded the original $6 million figure had been calculated using his own experience in renovating golf clubs, internet research and rough estimates rather than professional costings.
“That was purely my estimates based on a combination of past experience of renovations at golf clubs,” Ward told senators.
“So it’s my estimates plus the internet research, but look, a bit of an educated guess too, but I suppose not professionally.”
Ward said club officials approached Albanese’s electorate office in 2024 seeking assistance with longstanding infrastructure problems, including sewage and drainage issues, and were encouraged to submit a broader list of proposed improvements.
Ward subsequently returned with a package of projects totalling $6.05 million, including about $1 million for stormwater harvesting. Professional costings were commissioned only after the club was invited to apply for the federal funding.
In September, Albanese told parliament the funding was designed to prevent raw sewage from entering the nearby Cooks River during flooding.
“When it floods in Marrickville, raw sewage flows into the Cooks River. That is what the funding is for,” he declared.
Ward said the sewerage works were part of initial discussions towards the federal funding package but were addressed through a separate $269,000 NSW government grant.
“It was not ultimately part of what was funded with the $6.05 million,” he said.
Albanese subsequently conceded his explanation to parliament had been wrong.
Club president Andrew Tighe nevertheless defended the need for infrastructure investment, describing the club’s sewage problems as “environmentally, absolutely, catastrophic”.
He said heavy rainfall coinciding with high tides could cause the club’s septic system to connect with the Cooks River, while large functions required costly measures to prevent wastewater from overflowing.
The committee also heard Albanese had held honorary membership of the club since 2012, but formally relinquished it on September 14, a week after an ABC investigation disclosed the arrangement.
Albanese had previously told parliament he was unaware of the membership and pointed to the club’s $5 social membership fee when questioned about its value. Club officials confirmed honorary members enjoyed the same rights as full golfing members, although records showed Albanese had not played a round under the membership since it was granted.
In a letter declining the honorary membership, Albanese said he would be happy to pay the $5 social membership fee in future.
Ward also revealed club staff had endured abusive calls, prank restaurant bookings and demands from angry taxpayers for their money back since the controversy erupted.
He said staff had faced “verbal abuse”, with people saying, “You’re scum for taking taxpayer money.”
In other instances, there would be inquiries about membership that staff would “answer politely and in a friendly manner, and then that person turns and abuses them”.
“So, that’s been difficult,” Ward said.
Senior Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet officials confirmed they could not identify who authorised Labor’s election commitments, including Albanese’s golf club pledge, and declined to disclose who brought the funding proposal before cabinet’s powerful expenditure review committee.
McKenzie accused the government of hiding behind cabinet secrecy to avoid explaining how hundreds of millions of dollars were allocated to projects overwhelmingly concentrated in Labor-held electorates.
PM&C Deputy Secretary Blair Exell said the department was responsible for co-ordinating cabinet decisions but would not identify the minister responsible for the $125 million submission.
“We don’t go into the details of submissions, or who brings them forward,” she said.
The department also confirmed it does not monitor ministers’ compliance with the prime minister’s Code of Conduct, leaving responsibility for enforcing the rules with Albanese himself.
First Assistant Secretary Andrew Walter said the prime minister had sought confidential advice about the code on occasions, but refused to confirm whether any advice concerned potential conflicts of interest involving the grants program.
Walter acknowledged that, under the code, only the prime minister could refer allegations of serious misconduct involving himself to an independent authority for investigation.
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Rob Harris is the national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Canberra. He is a former Europe correspondent.Connect via email.From our partners
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