Minns Government used ‘inflated’ figures to justify golf course cull

A claim Centennial Parklands has more than 30 million visitors a year, repeated multiple times by the Premier, includes people attending the SCG, Allianz Stadium, Entertainment Quarter and Hordern Pavilion.

Massive visitor numbers at Centennial Parklands – used to justify carving up half of Sydney’s most popular public golf course for more parks in the city’s CBD – have been “inflated” by the NSW Government.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal patronage numbers cited by Premier Chris Minns and senior bureaucrats when reclaiming large swathes of Moore Park Golf Course for more public open space in the heart of Sydney relied on crowd figures for major sporting events at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Allianz Stadium, as well as concerts at Hordern Pavilion and the Entertainment Quarter.

The NSW Government has stood by the figures, despite a confession they include numbers from sporting fixtures and concerts, on the assumption people would “walk through” Centennial Parklands on their way to major events.

Representatives of Centennial Parklands were also unable to explain how they can claim to welcome 30 million annual visitors, which is roughly 82,000 per day.

This figure would be the equivalent of an NRL Grand Final every day using the public space, or one of the most popular days at Sydney’s Royal Easter Show.

Centennial Parklands claims it welcomes more than 30 million visitors per year. Picture: Supplied

An estimated 4 million patrons visit the Entertainment Quarter each year, alongside 500,000 Sydney Swans fans who attended home games, a further 323,000 people who went to rugby league games at Allianz Stadium and hundreds of thousands of attendees at the A-League, Big Bash and Test cricket.

Shadow Planning Minister Scott Farlow accused the Minns Government of using “inflated” figures to “diminish the usage of the Moore Park golf course.”

“Centennial Parklands will lose millions of dollars a year as a consequence of this decision. We also see reports that it’s going to cost up to $200 million to convert the golf course from its present state into public open space,” Mr Farlow said. “It makes absolutely no financial sense.”

A government spokesperson confirmed the last modelling on visitor numbers at Centennial Parklands was conducted five years ago.

“In 2020, the Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands Trust commissioned research to estimate visitation numbers for Centennial Parklands,” a spokesman told The Daily Telegraph.

Drone photo of Centennial Parklands, which offers 360 hectares of open space across Centennial Park, Queens Park and Moore Park. Picture: Supplied

“It is correct that the figure includes people transiting through Moore Park to visit nearby venues such as the EQ, Hordern Pavilion, and sporting stadia.”

When announcing the decision in October 2023, Mr Minns said while Moore Park was a “heavily used golf course… it doesn’t compare to the 33 million people who use Centennial Park.”

In a separate radio interview on 2GB, Mr Minns told Ben Fordham the new green space would be “added to the Centennial Park Trust, which has about 35 million visitors per year.”

Mr Minns has been determined to take 20 hectares of land at Moore Park Golf Course, creating additional public space, and complimenting the 360 hectares that already exist across Centennial Park, Queens Park, and Moore Park.

The NSW government has stood by the figures. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

Operators of the golf course have warned the move risks ruining their business operation, which returned a profit to the state government of $7 million last financial year. Ironically, those funds are used for maintenance and upkeep at Centennial Parklands.

A spokesperson for the Premier did not answer questions relating to the inflated figure, instead telling the Telegraph “the Green Square area next to Moore Park presently has 33,000 people living within it and this is expected to increase to 80,000 residents by 2040, the most densely populated area in Australia.

“With tens of thousands of people set to move into the area, we’re focused on making sure they have access to this much needed green space” the spokesperson for Mr Minns said.

NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has doubled down on the “inflated” figures used to justify the carve up of Moore Park Golf Course, claiming the same calculations would be applied to any other parkland across the state.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning, Mr Mookhey defended the decision to include the number of people “walking through” Centennial Park for nearby sporting and entertainment events in total patronage numbers.

Mr Mookhey claimed “walk through” figures were always included to calculate park visitation.

“The methodology that’s been applied to those forecasts is the same methodology we apply when it comes to the greater parkland authorities, it’s the same methodology we apply when it comes to forecasting use of the Western Sydney parklands as well,” he said.

“There’s been no variation in methodology for this project alone from any other, and so the best advice that I have is that the methodology is exactly the same we use when we cost all types of these (facilities).”

When asked how the seized half of the golf course would be maintained and whether the bill would fall on taxpayers, Mr Mookhey played for time.

“Well of course a lot of those decisions are coming up, and we will have a bit more to say about that in the near term,” he said.

“But I would simply say, what’s driving the government is to ensure that particularly in that part of the world which has accommodated a lot of population growth and new housing, that there are various good parks nearby, as well as an integrated precinct at Centennial Park covers the sporting arenas and also covers the Moore Park entertainment arena.

“So we look forward to being able to deal with that….it will change some of the way in which the Centennial Parkland is (managed), but that’s anticipated because we expect more people to be using the area.”

Originally published as Minns Government used ‘inflated’ figures to justify golf course cull