Anthony Albanese continues to fire back by slamming ABC claims of honourary Marrickville Golf Club membership

Anthony Albanese has told the ABC to “do better” as he dismissed a story outlining his failure to declare an honorary membership to a golf club which received a Federal grant ahead of the last election.

The national broadcaster had reported that the PM had failed to disclose his link to the Marrickville Golf Club in his Sydney electorate of Grayndler which received $6 million on his registry of interest.

Mr Albanese insisted he hadn’t been in the club for years, didn’t have a membership card and made “no apology” for that funding which had been a 2025 election promise.

The PM was scathing about the reporting during an interview on ABC News Breakfast on Wednesday morning.

He claimed that he had no knowledge that he was an honorary member.

“Apparently that happened 15 years ago or something. I haven’t been into the clubhouse for many, many years. The ABC chose to do this. That is up to them,” Mr Albanese said.

“The ABC should do better.

“The ABC were told information they chose not to publish appropriately.

“I don’t have a membership. I don’t have a card, I don’t go in there, I haven’t been in there for years. I don’t play golf. I’m a tennis player.

“I make no apologies for my electorate being serviced by me as a good local member. These three grants are all appropriate.”

He later doubled down during a press conference near Newcastle.

“It was an election commitment, an election commitment that we’re delivering, because we’re a good government. I make no apologies,” he said.

“The ABC have been told this, they’ve chosen not to report it in the way in which the facts are there.”

It came on the same day that ABC chair Kim Williams was in Parliament House in Canberra.

The shadow transport minister, Bridget McKenzie – who was at the centre of the Morrison government’s sports rorts saga and was forced to resign from her position – has also weighed in on Labor’s invite-only grants program.

Senator McKenzie told RN Breakfast that she had to resign from her ministerial portfolio over a perceived conflict of interest after it was revealed she had an honorary membership to a gun club that she didn’t know about.

“I had an honorary membership that I didn’t know I had from a gun club that I decided under the guidelines to award funding to so women and disabled members could actually go to the toilet on site, a $36,000 grant,” she said.

“I resigned my ministerial portfolio because of a perceived conflict of interest.”

“So I have been very surprised by the story today.”

During last week’s Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, the Prime Minister also had a heated exchange with 7NEWS political reporter Josh Martin who he accused of asking questions that were “disrespectful” to other regional leaders.

Martin had questioned Mr Albanese about whether Australian taxpayers were getting value for the millions being spent on pre-COP climate events in Fiji and Tuvalu, given “only” five non-Pacific world leaders had confirmed their attendance.

The journalist had asked whether the absence of a response from major global powers such as the US, UK, and China meant that the Australian funded meeting was a “dud”.

The PM snapped back, rejecting the assertion of Martin’s question and told off the press gallery reporter for his attitude.

“That’s not true. With respect, you are being so disrespectful to the Pacific leaders who are here,” Albanese told the 7NEWS journalist.

As Martin tried to interject, Mr Albanese continued, “We have to have some respect for the process, and for our Pacific leaders. Did they count Fiji? Did they count Australia?”