Why Sam Newman is defending Daniel Andrews over golf
Sam Newman has been an outspoken critic of Daniel Andrews, particularly when it comes to golf, but he has rushed to the Premier's defence on one issue that’s dividing the golfing community.
Confidential
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Premier Daniel Andrews has driven many fellow golfers into the bunker with his stubborn stance on the sport during lockdown.
Despite being an avid player himself, Andrews has stood firm on banning golf which has been to the dismay of many.
And word on the street is that members of his own golf club Kingston Heath have launched a petition to have him ousted as a member.
Well known figures at the Cheltenham club have admitted to Confidential there was scuttlebutt about a petition among members.
But they say it’s not something they believe the committee would act upon.
Andrews has earned support from an unlikely source and one of his most vehement critics in Sam Newman, who said it would be unconstitutional to oust Andrews.
“There may well be a petition going around signed by some of the members, or a lot of the members, and it will be presented to the committee of the Kingston Heath Golf Club and it’ll be rejected summarily out of hand,’’ Newman told his You Cannot Be Serious podcast.
“You cannot dismiss someone because you don’t agree with their politics or you think they’re incompetent.
“It’s only if they have done something to break rules of the golf club or have acted in an indiscriminate way.”
Newman famously protested on the steps of Parliament House in April when golf was banned. He said: “It would be unconstitutional to debar someone from a golf course just because you didn’t like them.”
Andrews has been described as a serious golfer and sources claim it would be spiteful to throw him out.
On his 3AW radio show former golf pro Mark Allen, who is a member of Kingston Heath, was asked by co-host David Schwarz if he would play a round with Andrews.
Allen replied: “Probably not at the moment.”
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