QLD Fights Back as Melbourne Eyes 2032 Olympic Tennis

A simmering interstate dispute over the 2032 Brisbane Olympics has boiled over, with Queensland leaders delivering a blunt message to Melbourne: hands off our tennis.

The stoush was sparked by Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece, who argued that the Olympic tennis should be relocated to Melbourne Park to showcase what he described as Australia's premier courts. The suggestion drew an immediate and pointed response from Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who flatly rejected any such move.

Senator James McGrath, the Shadow Minister for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, went further, labelling the proposal a brazen grab and calling on Victoria to back down. Appearing on 4BC Breakfast, McGrath was direct: "Victorian Labor should go and get stuffed."

Critics were quick to point to Victoria's track record. The state spent more than $589 million bidding for, planning, and ultimately abandoning the 2026 Commonwealth Games — walking away without hosting a single event. That eye-watering bill, handed to Victorian taxpayers, has become the centrepiece of Queensland's argument against giving Melbourne any role in the 2032 program.

"You look up incompetent in the dictionary, there is a photo of the Victorian Labor Party," McGrath said, adding that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had himself previously floated the idea of sending tennis to Melbourne and rowing to Sydney — a suggestion that further inflamed Queensland sentiment.

The timing of the Olympics — late July to early August — has also been raised as a practical argument against Melbourne, with Queensland boosters noting that the southern city's notoriously cold and unpredictable winter weather is hardly ideal for outdoor tennis.

Meanwhile, Queensland is pressing ahead with substantial investment in its own facilities. The state and federal governments have committed $113 million to the Queensland Tennis Centre at Tennyson, which will receive 12 additional courts and a new 3,500-seat stadium — infrastructure that McGrath argued would benefit not just elite athletes but young Queenslanders for decades to come.

"There will be kids in high school right now who will be participating in the Olympics in 2032," he said. "This is for Queensland. This is brilliant."

The broader message from Queensland's political class is one of unity and resolve. With the games locked in and contracts signed, leaders are urging residents to stop publicly questioning the decision and instead protect what Queensland won. The fear is that without a more assertive stance, other states will continue picking off marquee events — leaving Brisbane and Queensland holding the costs while sharing the glory.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games remain firmly scheduled for Brisbane and South East Queensland in 2032.