When it comes to sinking the career of Anthony Albanese, the scandalous ‘Golfgate’ should be a hole-in-one for the opposition. The Prime Minister’s involvement is as murky as it gets when it comes to a $6.05 million federal government grant given to a golf club in his electorate. There is the peculiar timing: the fact that he personally announced the grant some five months before the program was actually opened. There is the fact that he owns a multimillion dollar home only a couple of hundred metres from thc course. Indeed, a decent golfer could probably land a ball or two in the PM’s backyard. There is the fact that Mr Albanese went to great lengths to suggest he had little involvement with the club itself in order to explain why he did not declare it in his register of interests, claiming that he barely even knew that he was an honorary member, and mocked those who alleged a conflict of interest.

There is also the fact that the grants scheme was by invitation only, rather than open to any golf club. Not to mention the ongoing speculation, largely thanks to the excellent work by Peta Credlin on News24, about the degree to which Mr Albanese’s properties (at one stage he apparently had two in the vicinity of the course) may have benefited from the massive injection of funds into the club. There is the stench surrounding the claims by the PM that the grant was for a sewerage upgrade, whereas it appears the state government already had that covered. The official scope of the grant is rumoured to have included a full clubhouse renovation, community function rooms, outdoor areas, plus improved pedestrian and bike access, all of which was clearly a direct benefit to many residents of the Prime Minister’s electorate.

This whole affair reeks to high heavens, far worse than the stench from any dodgy Marrickville sewerage infrastructure. Politicians, especially from the conservative side of politics, have been forced into standing down or resigning over far, far less. Who can forget Barry O’Farrell’s bottle of wine, Bronwyn Bishop’s $5,000 helicopter ride or Bridget McKenzie’s $35k Clay Target shooting affair? Or Nick Greiner resigning simply because the Independent Commission Against Corruption decided that a ‘notional jury’ would see his conduct as being contrary to recognised standards of honesty and integrity?

How would this notional jury apply those standards to the Prime Minister’s behaviour, one wonders.

We are now at the stage of decay where this government is rotting like the proverbial fish from the top down. We have had lie after lie from this government; from the $275 non-existent lowering of electricity bills to the disgraceful ‘we changed our position’ decimation of capital gains and negative gearing rules, to not falling off a stage. We have had the obscenity of cabinet members abusing their perks to the dismay of the average punter.

No wonder Australians are so teed off.

We have an economy and a housing market in free fall. We have a Climate Change and Energy Minister splurging $20 million on a luxury retreat for world leaders, hardly any of whom can be bothered to turn up. We have the same minister this week admitting that he’d never really bought into the ‘green hydrogen hype’, despite spending billions of taxpayers dollars on it. In the real world, a CEO who treated his or her shareholders’ money in such a cavalier way would be looking at a lengthy spell in jail. Chris Bowen should be sacked immediately.

Perhaps the Coalition might consider focussing its firepower on attacking this truly disgraceful government and its arrogant, hubristic prime minister. Or would they rather just spend hours trawling though Ms Hanson’s ancient podcasts for titillating soundbites? (Newsflash: Pauline Hanson has from time to time been known to make inflammatory and non-politically correct comments. Wow.)

It’s time to send the member for Grayndler to an early retirement. With or without a lifetime membership of Marrickville Golf Club.