Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated he was unaware of his honorary membership at the Marrickville Golf Club, which received a A$6m government grant for renovations. The club is located in his inner-west Sydney electorate of Grayndler.
Mr Albanese told ABC TV on Wednesday that the membership was issued by the club 15 years ago without his knowledge. He also accused the ABC, which first reported the story, of inappropriate reporting, claiming they chose not to publish information they were given.
The A$6m grant originated from an 'invitation-only' A$560m scheme designed to fund projects Labor promised during the 2025 election, with a focus on Labor-held seats. This has led to calls for greater transparency regarding the grant rules.
The Centre for Public Integrity (CPI) found that Mr Albanese's electorate received two additional grants for a women's health centre and a domestic violence shelter. Another Labor-held marginal electorate, Eden-Monaro, received eight grants totalling A$26.4m.
Infrastructure Minister Catherine King stated she approved applications after they were assessed for value for money. However, the justifications for the grants have not been made public, prompting thirteen crossbench MPs to demand reforms to make grant allocation more transparent.