The Australian Tax Office has commenced legal proceedings against Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club, in Sydney’s southwest claiming it owes the ATO $2.5 million. The former general manager of the club, Grant Martin, has also filed Federal Court proceedings against the owners alleging he was unfairly sacked and is owed more than $300,000.
According to reports, the club was originally purchased by Chinese interests in 2015, with new directors appointed including businessman and media entrepreneur “Tommy” Zhao Qing Jiang whose media and business empire collapsed last week.
Twin Creeks has been promoted as “an expansive 850-acre golf and residential estate, comprising over 200 architecturally designed homes”. The Graham Marsh-designed layout has ranked as high as No.73 in the Australian Golf Digest’s Top 100 Courses.
The company that owns the private golf club in Luddenham, which last hosted the NSW Open in 2018, is now accused of owing more than $1.5m in GST, fringe benefits tax and income tax, plus almost $1m in super guarantee charges, penalties and interest for late payment of worker retirement contributions which date back as long as 2017.
The golf club faces a Federal Court hearing in February after the ATO filed an application claiming that it should be placed in liquidation while stating that the company that runs the club should be wound up and ATO costs be paid out of the sale of any assets.
The golf club was unavailable for comment. A spokeswoman for Twin Creeks Residential told Club Management it operates as a separate entity.