Marrickville Golf Club received multiple closed grants before PM pledged $6 million
The Marrickville Golf Club was awarded five non-competitive federal grants totaling $57,860 before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a $6 million redevelopment package.
Marrickville Golf Club received five closed, non-competitive federal grants between 2019 and 2022, amounting to $57,860, after local members of parliament nominated the projects. The grants funded modest upgrades such as toilets, computer systems, energy-saving lights, tree planting and benches. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese later pledged $6 million for a major redevelopment of the club’s facilities, stormwater system and grounds at the 2025 election.
Constitutional law expert Anne Twomey, citing a submission to a Senate inquiry, called the earlier grants “gifts of political largesse” lacking any merit-based assessment. The inquiry, scheduled for later this month, will scrutinise the Major Local Community Infrastructure (MLCI) scheme and possible conflicts of interest. State grants of $35,000 for solar panels and $8,000 for irrigation maintenance were also identified, with MP Jo Haylen publicly celebrating the funding. The Infrastructure Department confirmed it had no role in selecting projects for the MLCI program.
Why it matters
It reveals how taxpayer money may be allocated without competitive review, raising concerns about political favoritism.
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