Inquiry hears Marrickville golf club’s federal grant was not for sewerage works

An Australian parliamentary inquiry has raised fresh questions about a $6.05 million federal grant promised to Marrickville Golf Club after its general manager said the funding was not intended to pay for sewerage works. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had told Parliament the money would help stop raw sewage flowing into the Cooks River during floods, but later acknowledged that claim was wrong.

The club says sewerage upgrades are covered by a separate New South Wales grant. Its manager told the inquiry the federal commitment was initially based on his own estimates, which he called an “educated guesstimate”, before professional costings were commissioned. Club officials also said Albanese’s honorary membership, granted in 2012, carried the same privileges as a full golfing membership, valued at about $1,100 a year, rather than the $5 social membership he cited.