NSW government to spend $50m on Moore Park project in Sydney’s east

The NSW government has issued a major update on the future of Moore Park golf course in Sydney, as it hands down the state budget.

The NSW government has given a major update on the Moore Park golf course in the NSW budget. Photo: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

The NSW government will lavish a whopping $50m on a controversial plan to knock down the back nine of a popular inner-city golf course to make way for a new public park.

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Treasurer Daniel Mookhey are delivering the Labor government’s third budget on Tuesday morning, including funding for Moore Park.

The NSW government pledged $2.6m in the 2024-25 budget for the preliminary planning and design phase of the project, which would see Moore Park golf course slashed in half.

The Moore Park golf course project has been highly controversial. Photo by: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

In its place, the state government plans on replacing the back nine holes with a new public park for the 690,000 people living within 5km of the Centennial Parklands in Sydney’s east.

On Tuesday, the state government revealed that as part of the budget it would be spending an additional $50m to “deliver new green open space and recreational use” at Moore Park.

The documents state the project is expected to get under way in 2025 and end in 2028 and will cost $50m, though only about $3.5m will be spent on Moore Park in the 2025-26 budget.

The Minns government will spend a whopping $50m on the project. Photo: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

Combined with the state government’s Asset Renewal Program, which will end in 2026, the state government will spend $6.79m on Moore Park in the 2025-26 state budget.

Plans to renovate Moore Park have proven controversial, in particular after members of the Australian Turf Club voted down a $5bn proposal to use Rosehill racecourse for housing.

In late-December, the state government said it would continue to engage with the local and golf communities on the future of the 20Ha site, including on the design process for the park.

A further $3.3m will be spent on “priority infrastructure and asset maintenance” across Callan Park and the Centennial Parklands, which includes Moore Park and Moore Park South.

The splurge represents a whopping $6.5m increase for the previous year in spending on Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust, rising to $14.2m in the 2025-26 state budget.

Originally published as NSW government to spend $50m on Moore Park project in Sydney’s east