Key Takeaways
- Apology Demanded: Willoughby MP Tim James is seeking a public apology from North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker over "fabricated" statements made in a recent Mayoral Minute.
- Setting the Record Straight: The MP strongly denied allegations of holding multiple meetings with Golf NSW, clarifying he only met with the Minister for Lands and Property once to advocate for community access.
- State Intervention: Defending the NSW Government's takeover of the site, James criticised the local council's dithering, which he claims threatened the future of the 120-year-old public course.
Tim James MP is demanding a public apology from North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker, accusing her of making “completely fabricated” claims regarding the Cammeray Golf Course at a recent Council meeting.
A Mayoral Minute alleged the MP met with the Minister for Lands and Property and Golf NSW at least five times. In a fierce rebuttal, the Member for Willoughby clarified they have never met with Golf NSW and actually first heard of the Government’s intentions to cancel the Council’s management through the media.
They confirmed meeting the Minister only once, in March 2026. During this brief meeting, the Member provided feedback on the proposal, reiterating the need for certainty and emphasizing the importance of maintaining existing community access to the public course.
Defending the State’s intervention, the Member criticised the Council’s “dithering” over the site’s lease, which threatened the 120-year-old institution. “The NSW Government has stepped in because Council could not be trusted to provide the certainty this community asset deserved,” they stated, noting some Councillors recently used language suggesting the course should be ripped up.
Following the transfer of management, the site will become a renewed 9-hole course with unchanged public access. The Council will retain control of the broader Cammeray Park precinct, including 4,000sqm of new public open parkland coming in 2028.
The Member, whose role as Club Patron is strictly honorary, has strongly urged Mayor Baker to correct the record.
