OPINION: Is Clover Moore’s anti-golf crusade REALLY about “green space”? – Australian Golf Digest

by Admin
September 13, 2024

For years, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has been adamant about closing down half of Moore Park Golf Course, the prime 18-hole course in the heart of Sydney. But as reported by News Ltd, there are growing concerns that her crusade isn’t about public space but personal benefit, considering the proximity of her properties to the golf course.

Personal benefit to a politician in Australia? Surprise me! Poor decisions with no ramifications down the track? Sounds about right.

Clover Moore, who is gunning for a record sixth term in office this weekend, has been pushing to turn 20 hectares of the 40-hectare site into public parklands. And she got her way late last year when New South Wales Premier Chris Minns – as told to News Ltd – surprisingly announced that half the course would indeed be converted into a so-called “world-class public space.”

This is a warning to every golf course out there. The Minns government wants to take your course away from you (or at least half of it). If Chris Minns can ruin the busiest golf course in Australia, then what chance does yours have?

Think about it. Where does it stop?

Every golfer needs to consider this when voting in their local council elections and the upcoming state election. The NSW Labor government is clearly not a friend of golf.

The announcement initially raised eyebrows across the city, especially after it came to light that Ms Moore met with Premier Minns just months before he made the announcement. The Premier initially denied discussing the plan with Moore but later backtracked, admitting the pair had met and that Moore’s push for parkland was a significant topic of conversation.

Documents obtained under freedom of information legislation revealed that Ms Moore had written to Minns, lobbying for the closure of half the course.

So, was this just a coincidence, or something more sinister? Then again do we expect anything less from our politicians?

The Clover Moore Conflict?
Clover Moore’s terrace house on Kepos Street in Redfern sits a short 500-metre stroll from where the proposed park will be. Her move to an apartment just 400 meters away on Bourke Street has further fuelled claims of a conflict of interest.

Yvonne Weldon, Sydney’s first Aboriginal councillor now running for mayor, expressed concerns about Ms Moore’s personal interests in the park, suggesting that the public deserves to know the truth. “I think it needs to be acknowledged and people need to be made aware of the truth that is happening here,” Cr Weldon told News Ltd.

A spokesperson for Moore’s campaign shrugged off these concerns, stating that disclosing her property ownership was “not required by the City of Sydney’s Code of Conduct.” Yet, for many, the optics are hard to ignore. It’s a scenario that looks increasingly like a case of ‘Do as I say, not as I do,’ from Sydney’s longest-serving Lord Mayor.

It’s a bit like choking a city with bike lanes and forging a war on the car, all while having a 3^rd rate public transport system and having a chauffeur-driven, ratepayer-funder car. Just like our favourite Lord Mayor Clover.

I think this story has been written before. Self interest wins yet again.

The Minns-Moore Mystery Meeting

Initially, Premier Minns denied any discussions with Moore about the plan, but the truth quickly surfaced. The meeting occurred three months before his shock announcement, and it appears that Moore’s lobbying for parklands took centre stage.

Documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph (and reported in said paper) show Moore had urged Minns to “reconfigure” the golf course from 18 holes to 9, citing a need for “more equitable access” to Moore Park. In what seems to be a case of selective transparency, Minns later admitted to the meeting, but his office still rejected the characterisation of the mayor’s communications as lobbying.

A Quid Pro Quo Deal?

Ray Hadley, the popular talkback radio host, has alleged that Minns’ acceptance of Moore’s proposal was a calculated move to secure the backing of independent state MP Alex Greenwich, a close ally of Moore.

“He’s going to close it down so that Alex…is going to come on board and say: ‘I’m with you, Chris,’” Hadley claimed. As reported by News Ltd, both Greenwich and Moore’s offices have refused to comment on this allegation, which has only added fuel to the fire.

Moore’s Playground for the ‘Elite’?

Moore has long painted Moore Park Golf Course as “a playground for the rich, filled with flashy cars and out-of-town elites”

But local residents and regular users of the course vehemently disagree. Jared Kendler, leader of the Save Moore Park Golf Course campaign, called Moore’s claim “bizarre and untrue.” Kendler highlighted that more than half a million people visited Moore Park Golf Course last year, with 100,000 rounds played, mostly by locals. “This isn’t some private club for elites,”

Kendler said. “It’s the busiest public golf course in Australia.”

Get that Clover and Chris? This is a public course – anyone can play for around $48! Less if you tee off at twilight. Take a look at your own expense accounts before you start with those simple minded statements.

Clover Moore’s argument for “green space” looks ridiculously flimsy when considering the sprawling 189-hectare Centennial Park right next door to the golf course. Critics, quite rightly argue that Moore’s push for more open space ignores the already abundant parklands available to Sydney residents.

Conclusion: An Agenda Exposed?

The proposed parkland plan is clearly more about personal interests than public benefit (and dumb politics from the Minns Government).

With the controversy swirling, it’s clear that many Sydneysiders see through the smokescreen. Whether this plan proceeds or not, it’s evident that Clover Moore’s motivations are far from transparent, and Premier Minns’ involvement raises more questions than answers.

With 3.5 million of us across the country, politicians need to take golfers seriously as a group.

It’s time for a rethink before one of Australia’s most beloved public golf courses is sacrificed on the altar of political manoeuvring.

The golf community deserves better. The city of Sydney and state of NSW deserve better.