30 June 2026
Willoughby MP Tim James has accused North Sydney mayor Zoë Baker of making “completely fabricated and false” claims about his involvement in the NSW Government’s decision to remove council as Crown land manager of Cammeray Golf Course.
In a statement issued the day after Monday night’s council meeting, James said Baker “must correct the record” over a mayoral minute which claimed Lands and Property Minister Steve Kamper had met with him “on at least five separate occasions with Golf NSW”.
“I have met with the Minister for Lands and Property on this matter once only,” James said.
“It was a short meeting, alone, on a parliamentary sitting day in March 2026. The meeting was to brief me on the Government’s already announced intention, made public on 6 February, to revoke North Sydney Council’s status as Crown Land Manager over the Crown land that makes up Cammeray Golf Course.”
James, who is patron of Cammeray Golf Club, said he had “never met with Golf NSW” and first heard of the government’s intention to remove council as Crown land manager through the media.
“My role as Patron of Cammeray Golf Club is also entirely honorary. It carries no management nor decision-making responsibilities,” he said.
“North Sydney Council should be dealing with the facts, not making false claims to distract from its own handling of this issue.”
The comments escalate the dispute over the NSW Government’s decision to appoint Golf NSW as Crown land manager of Cammeray Golf Course, part of the 12.7 hectare Cammeray and Green Park Reserve.
Baker used Monday night’s mayoral minute to foreshadow possible legal action against Kamper’s decision, calling for senior counsel advice on whether the removal of council as Crown land manager was legally valid and whether there were grounds to challenge or restrain the decision.
The motion, which was carried, authorises council to commence proceedings if legal grounds exist.
Baker said the decision set a “troubling precedent” by placing public Crown land under the control of what she described as “a single purpose interest group with less than transparent governance arrangements”.
She said the minister had met with Golf NSW and James while declining to meet with council despite repeated requests.
“Records demonstrate that the minister met with the patron of Cammeray Golf Club, State Member for the seat of Willoughby Tim James, MP on at least five separate occasions with Golf NSW,” Baker said in the mayoral minute.
“Yet, the minister did not meet with me or council following at least eight written requests to do so.”
James rejected that account, saying the government’s February announcement had already been made before his single meeting with Kamper.
“At that meeting, I gave feedback on the Government’s proposal, reiterated the need for certainty over the future of the golf course, and emphasised the importance of maintaining existing community access to this public course,” he said.
James said the future of the 120-year-old course was now secure because the state government had intervened after “years of uncertainty caused by North Sydney Council dithering over the lease and putting the future of the course in question”.
“I make no apology for standing up for our community, seeking the certainty that was needed, and supporting the continuation of this 120-year-old Cammeray institution,” he said.
He also accused council of attempting to deny that it had contemplated the future closure of the golf course.
“After the Minister’s February announcement, Council attempted to pretend it had never contemplated the future closure of the golf course,” James said.
“Yet at last night’s meeting, Councilors again used language suggesting the course should be ripped up. The NSW Government has stepped in because Council could not be trusted to provide the certainty this community asset deserved.”
The mayoral minute argued the decision had to be seen against the backdrop of North Sydney’s shortage of open space, high population density and future pressure from state housing targets and low and mid-rise housing reforms.
“Every square metre of public open space is precious and even more critical to liveability,” Baker said.
She said Transport for NSW had already permanently resumed more than 1.5 hectares of the reserve for the Warringah Freeway Upgrade, with the final loss of public land from Western Harbour Tunnel works still unclear.
James said public access to the course would not change and residents “should not notice any day-to-day change on the ground”.
He said the broader Cammeray Park precinct would continue to be managed by North Sydney Council, including surrounding sporting and community facilities, while 4,000 square metres of new public open parkland due in 2028 would also be managed by council.
“Following the State-led reconfiguration into a renewed 9-hole course, Cammeray Golf Club is now well placed to continue serving the wider community for generations to come,” James said.
“I look forward to the Mayor correcting the record and apologising.”
The Mayor has been contacted for comment.