Gina Rinehart lobbied Qld government to move Olympic events to Rockhampton

Gina Rinehart lobbied Queensland government to award Fitzroy River Olympic events

Thu 30 Jul 2026 at 5:35pm

In short:

Gina Rinehart wrote to Queensland's deputy premier advocating for Olympic rowing and canoeing to be held in Rockhampton.

The location was eventually awarded the event by the state government.

A spokesperson for the Hancock Prospecting said the letter was sent "for the reason of outlining the benefits hosting Olympic events would bring to a regional town like Rockhampton".

Billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart wrote to Queensland's deputy premier advocating for Olympic rowing and canoeing to be held in Rockhampton prior to the beef capital being awarded the event.

The state government has consistently dismissed criticism of the croc-infested Fitzoy River hosting the 2032 Games events.

A letter from Mrs Rinehart to Jarrod Bleijie, obtained under right to information laws, asked the government to consider Rockhampton before the LNP's Games Delivery Plan release in March 2025.

"As a supporter of Australian rowing for more than a decade, I am aware that the Australian team often trains on the Fitzroy River and that Rockhampton annually hosts the Queensland state school championships," the letter said.

"This rowing facility is world-class and is already close to major infrastructure, so it offers the potential to save taxpayer money."

A feasibility study analysing the Fitzroy River found it would need significant works to host the event, including widening and dredging.

The idea was first floated by a central Queensland advocacy group that included Queensland Nationals senator and party leader Matt Canavan.

'Hardly surprising'

The correspondence was sent under the letterhead of Ms Rinehart's mining company, Hancock Prospecting.

A spokesperson for the company said the letter was sent "for the reason of outlining the benefits hosting Olympic events would bring to a regional town like Rockhampton".

"Mrs Rinehart is also the Patron of Rowing Australia, has been involved in the sport for many years, and she knows Queensland well, so it's hardly surprising that she would offer insight on this matter, as other similar sporting representatives also did," the spokesperson said.

"To suggest she has done so for any ulterior motive or to gain any kind of personal benefit is completely false!"

In a statement, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie did not answer questions around what influence Mrs Rinehart's letter had on his decision-making, or why he had not disclosed the advocacy.

"We listened to the chorus of regional communities who felt they were being denied the investment and generational infrastructure of the Games by Labor, which is why we've got 2032 back on track and ensured it will be an event and a legacy for all Queenslanders, including in places like Cairns, Townsville, Maryborough, Mackay, Toowoomba and Rockhampton," Mr Bleijie's statement said.

Shadow Treasurer Shannon Fentiman described the reporting on the letter as "an interesting read".

"I think this raises a lot of questions for the deputy premier and what Gina Rinehart got in return for getting her way," she said.

Tom Sharp, the mayor of the Scenic Rim, which is home to the Queensland State Rowing Centre.

He believed the Wyaralong Dam facility had been overlooked.

"The Queensland government has listened to powerful lobby groups," Cr Sharp said.

"We've seen that in what's been reported overnight in relation to the Gina Rinehart advocacy piece."

He said Rockhampton had not hosted state-level events for five years and that he would like to see Wyaralong reconsidered.

An independent 100-day review of Games venues recommended rowing be held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith, which the government rejected.