Secure the Future of the Fairbairn Golf Course

The issue

The Fairbairn Golf Club is up for divestment by the Government. The club has been around since 1953 providing sporting facilities in Canberra initially for the benefit of Defence personal and since the late 1990s to the public. There is no cost to Defence of running this facility and the community health and social benefits are important. There are insufficient golf courses in the ACT now for the demand and closing the Fairbairn golf course will have a significant impact on community access to golf courses. The course is an important part of the ACT sporting, social and recreational infrastructure. In the last year over 40,000 rounds of golf were completed by members and visitors.

The golf club supports charity events, social clubs, corporate days, kids golf, women’s beginners golf, members comps, and significant numbers of social players. In the past the club has welcomed the Australian Masters Games, the ADF national champs, the PGA Legends tour, US Kids Golf, the Jack Newton Foundation, the Emerge & See and Pegasus Riding for the Disabled charities to name some of the outside organisations using this facility. The ACT region benefits from all of these, and your help is requested to ensure that this facility remains available for all members and visitors.

Fairbairn Golf Club is a not-for-profit community-based organisation, contributing more than $110,000 annually to the Commonwealth in fees and taxes, meaning the site is not a drain on the Defence budget. It also contributes more than $1.9 million annually into the local economy through its purchase of goods and services from local suppliers and employment of staff.

The Club has been particularly active in developing the site and has spent some $1.6 million over the last five years. The loss of this site would further reduce access to golf courses in the ACT and environs where waiting lists are common. The regional population has grown significantly and is out stripping the supply of recreational sporting facilities like golf courses. The region needs to retain Fairbairn to help meet the demand for this recreational activity.

Fairbairn is proud of its heritage, links to service, volunteer engagement and its high-quality, low-cost facilities. Fairbairn offers the lowest cost 18-hole golf course in the ACT and environs. The Club has been recognised for its commitment to improvement and particularly for its encouragement of golf amongst women and was selected as the 2025 Golf NSW Country Golf Club of the Year.

This is not just about the ACT but about the wider issue of retaining sport facilities and offering the health and community benefits they provide. Keeping this valuable community asset available to the public is important to us and should be so for the wider community.

Please join us in securing the future of the Fairbairn Golf Course by signing this petition. Let’s work together to protect this vital asset for generations to come. Sign now to show your support!

Petition starter

Brian Depree

“As President of the Fairbairn Golf Club I’m looking for your support to protect the club for the future. The club’s loss would be significant for the community. Thanks.” Brian.

The Decision Makers

Senator Katy Gallagher,
Minister for Finance / Minister for Women

Supporter voices

Featured comments:

“The Fairbairn Golf Club is a valuable community facility, a low cost and high quality public access golf course. Any sale of the land should be back to the golf club at a peppercorn rate, with significant planning constraints and caveats placed on the land. There is huge amounts of vacant space in the surrounding areas that could be, and have been developed. Once lost, a grass roots facility will NEVER be replaced – we have discovered that time and time again. Save Fairbairn GC.”

“This land is asbestos and PFAS affected and right next to a live firing range. Any development will require extensive remediation works, be very expensive and very high risk. Golf courses in the ACT and surrounds are full. There are two low cost options available and only Fairbairn is a quality experience. The membership is committed to its continual improvement, engaging women and junior golfers and was recently recognized as the best country course in Australia. DO NOT SELL THIS ASSET TO OUR NATIONS CAPITAL.”

“As a past member of the club I cannot see any reason for its intended closure as a means of fund raising for the entire ADF budget. Time the government took notice of the “small people”!!!”