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.
According to an exclusive report by The Daily Telegraph’s Peter Jenkins, Moore Park Golf Club has been prohibited from openly promoting a petition aimed at stopping the controversial redevelopment. Posters and QR codes directing golfers to sign the petition have been banned from display anywhere on the course, at the driving range, and even at the car park entrance.
Club president John Janik revealed that repeated requests to GSP for permission to put up campaign materials had been flatly denied – every single time.
“We’ve asked a dozen times, and every time the answer is the same: ‘No, you’re not getting it’,” Janik told The Daily Telegraph.
Janik said that despite the on-course censorship, the Save Moore Park Golf Collective – comprising the club, Golf Australia, PGA of Australia, and Golf NSW – has already amassed nearly 30,000 signatures. But the club has had to rely on volunteers, word-of-mouth, and external promotions, rather than being able to spread the message where it matters most – on the golf course itself.
A spokesperson for GSP defended the decision, citing regulations that prohibit “political signage and/or campaign materials” on its managed lands.
‘End of Public Golf for the Working Class’
For Janik, the forced silence is not just frustrating – it’s an attack on a public facility that has been serving the community for over a century.
“It was created by the City of Sydney back in 1913 for the working class,” he told The Telegraph. “If you cut it off, that’s the end of public golf for the working class because no one can afford all the other courses around here. And it’s happening in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.”
Despite the roadblocks, Janik remains hopeful that an alternative plan from the collective – which keeps the course at 18 holes while delivering 15 hectares of new public space – will be accepted.
“Our proposal meets all the criteria you’d want,” he said. “We’re giving up a fair bit to try and get an outcome which benefits everybody in the community.”
With thousands of golfers, community members, and industry heavyweights rallying behind Moore Park Golf Club, one thing is clear: this fight is far from over.
