House debates Questions without Notice
Community Grants
Simon Kennedy Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition
2:01 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday, the Prime Minister claimed sewerage works were originally part of his $6 million invite-only taxpayer funded grant to the Marrickville Golf Club. Can the Prime Minister explain with a straight face—
Milton Dick Speaker
Order! The member for Perth will leave the chamber under 94(a).
The member for Perth then left the chamber.
Interjecting, no matter where you sit or who you are, is unacceptable. Whoever's laughing as well—the member for Reid is warned. We're not having the first question with interruptions. The member for Cook deserves respect, as every member does in this chamber. I'll ask him to begin his question again, and I would like it heard in silence.
Simon Kennedy Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition
My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday, the Prime Minister claimed the sewerage works were originally part of the $6 million invite-only taxpayer funded grant to Marrickville Golf Club. Can the Prime Minister explain with a straight face why there's no mention of the sewerage works in the Prime Minister's own announcement of March 2025, no mention in the Inner West Council documents, no mention of sewerage works on the GrantConnect website, no mention of sewerage works on the golf club's website and no mention of sewerage works in the infrastructure department's decision brief?
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
2:03 pm
On 27 April 2025, we made an election commitment to building and securing the Marrickville Golf Club precinct that went to a range of activities, including:
Today's election commitment will go towards delivering an upgrade of the entire precinct that everyone can share in and ensure this Inner West institution can be enjoyed for decades to come.
It included, as well, stormwater being harvested, the irrigating of the golf course, the upgrade of better indoor amenities with clubhouse renovations and the provision of community meeting and function rooms and went into boosting the health of the nearby Cooks River, and that was a part of the—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Milton Dick Speaker
Order! The members on my left will cease interjecting.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
The mayor of the Inner West Council confirmed that that was a part of the project when he gave evidence before the Senate committee last week. This is a grant to the Inner West Council, an election commitment, just like the member for Cook's four election commitments during the campaign. During election campaigns—
Simon Kennedy Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition
I wish I got the funding you got.
Milton Dick Speaker
Order! The member for Cook asked his question and was shown respect. I'm asking him to show the same respect to the Prime Minister.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
If only the former member for Cook was in a position! Can I make this point: during election campaigns, people make election commitments. We made an election commitment. We will deliver on the election commitment. And after we made that commitment the state government, because it was well known that this had been an issue for a long period of time, stepped in, in September 2025, and made the commitment.