Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has admitted he got it wrong after telling parliament a $6m grant to the Marrickville Golf Club golf in his electorate was for fixing sewerage issues.
It comes after the Infrastructure Department rejected the claim under questioning at Senate estimates on Monday, confirming the project did not include any sewerage works (ABC).
The majority of the grant will go towards a major redevelopment of the clubhouse, including a new bar, new furnishings and a redesigned pro shop (ABC).
It came after Opposition frontbencher Dan Tehan attempted to suspend the usual parliamentary proceedings on Tuesday morning to force the prime minister to apologise. The motion was defeated in the House of Representatives (The Canberra Times).
The Marrickville grant is under scrutiny as part of a larger $560m invitation-only grants scheme, which transparency advocates say largely funded projects promised at the 2025 election in Labor-held seats (The Guardian).
Read more: Karen Middleton on accusations of Labor’s pork-barrelling (The Saturday Paper)