High visitor numbers at Sydney’s Centennial Parklands – used to justify carving up half of Moore Park Golf Course for more parks in the city’s CBD – have been “inflated” by the New South Wales Government, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
The battle to save Sydney’s historic Moore Park Golf Course has taken a sinister turn, with government agency Greater Sydney Parklands (GSP) accused of using Big Brother-style tactics to silence campaigners rallying against plans to slash the course in half.
In just nine months since ‘winning’ office, the Minns Labor Government has attacked golf courses, bowling clubs and now racecourses. It appears any green space in Sydney’s metropolitan area is ripe for the picking.
City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore allegedly lobbied Premier Chris Minns just three months before the government’s announcement to seize up to 20 hectares of Moore Park Golf Course for a new public park, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph.
New Golf Australia boss James Sutherland has wasted little time getting on the front foot in his new role, questioning the City of Sydney’s plans to downsize Moore Park Golf Course so it can make way for more community greenspace.
Councils and other landlords are targeting golf courses in Sydney and Melbourne for alternative community use. With an ever-growing demand for sporting facilities and recreational areas, Australian golf faces a huge battle to retain all of its existing courses. It signals the war on golf has begun.