I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the following occurring immediately:

The Prime Minister immediately attending the Chamber to make a statement of not more than 10 minutes to correct the record as to the purpose of the $6.05 million grant concerning the Marrickville Golf Club Precinct.

I draw the chamber's attention to a matter that has recently become public. To act in good faith, we are seeking that the Prime Minister attend the chamber and provide a statement of explanation on the matter. We hope that this can de-escalate the issue and clarify the chamber's understanding.

On 27 April 2025, the Prime Minister published a media release titled 'Building and Securing the Marrickville Golf Club Precinct'. This media release detailed a $6.05 million election commitment towards the golf club's upgrade. The media release stated:

Work will include expanding outdoor areas for greater social and community enjoyment as well as providing pedestrian and bike access so people can more easily get to and enjoy the precinct.

Patrons and guests will enjoy better indoor amenities with clubhouse renovations and the provision of community meeting and function rooms.

Sustainability will also be a focus with stormwater to be harvested, irrigating the golf course and the local sporting fields like Mahoney Reserve and Beaman Park, while boosting the health of the nearby Cooks River.

On 17 September 2025 the New South Wales government published a media release titled 'Putt-ing an end to sewer woes: Marrickville golf course to get a hole lot better'. The media release detailed a $269,500 grant from the New South Wales government to connect the Marrickville Golf Club clubhouse to the main sewers. The media release stated:

The clubhouse is not currently connected to the public sewer system and relies on two old septic tanks, one of which failed and discharged wastewater onto the course impacting golfers, recreational walkers and presenting an environmental risk to the nearby Cooks River.

…   …   …

The NSW Government funding to connect the clubhouse will pave the way for further upgrades to the golf course precinct funded by the Federal Government.

A year later, on 9 and 10 September 2026, during question time, the Prime Minister answered three questions relating to the Marrickville Golf Club grant. On 9 September 2026, the member for Barker asked a question to the Prime Minister:

Seventy-three per cent of funding from Labor's $560 million secret, invite-only grant scheme went to projects in Labor electorates, including a $6 million grant to the Marrickville Golf Club, of which the Prime Minister has not declared his own honorary membership. When the Prime Minister said, 'Shameless pork barrelling must stop, and it will, under a Labor government,' was that just another broken promise?

In response, the Prime Minister defended the merit and integrity of the grant. The Prime Minister said:

There were three grants in my electorate. One was for Leichhardt Women's Community Health Centre …

The second was to St Vincent de Paul for fixing up the refuge where women and children escaping domestic violence—

…   …   …

The third project is for the Inner West Council, which owns the public golf course at Marrickville. It has existed for a long time, almost a 100 years, and they have a septic tank. Because it is on the floodplain, when it floods in Marrickville raw sewage flows into the Cooks River—that is what the funding is for.

Later the same day in question time, the member for Kooyong asked again about the merits of grants. She asked the Prime Minister:

Don't you agree that government spending should be based on merit and need and should be transparent, rather than being based on retaining and winning marginal seats?

The Prime Minister responded by saying:

As to the three projects that are referred to in my electorate, I hesitate to find anyone who would regard them as not being worthwhile: fixing a women's health centre that literally needed repair after more than 50 years of providing services; a project dealing with women and children having a safe place to go when escaping domestic violence; and an environmental project stopping raw sewage going into the Cooks River during flooding.

That is twice now that the Prime Minister referred to an environmental project.

The next day, on 10 September 2026, the Prime Minister was again asked by Mr Pasin about the matter explicitly. He asked, 'Did the Prime Minister mislead this House about the purpose of the grant?' The Prime Minister responded:

The answer to that is no. We had election commitments, which we gave upfront. We gave less than one-third of the election commitments of those opposite. That is just a fact.

He said there were three commitments in his electorate—one for a refuge, one for a St Vincent de Paul facility and one for the upgrade of the Inner West Council owned Marrickville Golf Club. Included in that was funding to fix the sewerage because it goes into the river and causes a problem when it floods—three times.

A month later, on 22 October 2026, officials from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts attended a Senate inquiry. When the officials were asked about the Marrickville Golf Club grant, they responded—and this is important, and I hope everyone is listening:

The sewerage works are not in the scope …

Last night at Senate estimates, officials from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts again confirmed sewage is not a component of this grant.

With all this information now in the public arena, I'm asking the Prime Minister to attend the chamber and explain to the House why he stated three times—not once, not twice, but three times—during question time that the Commonwealth grant included sewage works when his own media release a year earlier did not, why a NSW government grant dealt with sewerage and mentioned the Commonwealth would deal with other matters, and now why the Commonwealth department said sewerage works are not in the scope.

This is an opportunity for the Prime Minister to clear the air. This is an opportunity for the Prime Minister to be frank with this House. This is an opportunity for the Prime Minister—for once, just admit you got it wrong and tell the truth. The cock has crowed three times on the Prime Minister on this now, and we've got to hear from the Prime Minister that the truth does mean something to him, because Australians are sick of the consequences of the Prime Minister not being honest with them. They're hurting. Every time he misleads and every time he's not upfront and honest with them, they are paying the price. They're at home. They're sitting there looking at their bills, wondering whether they're going to add up with the income that's coming to the household budget, and they're looking to the Prime Minister to show real leadership, to be upfront, to be honest with them, to come clean and to just admit—when you get it wrong, say you've got it wrong. It's not that hard. You just say, 'I'm sorry. We all make mistakes,' and, if the Prime Minister did that, this would be the end of it, but, at the moment, the Prime Minister won't. He needs to come into this House and explain himself.