Queensland Tourism Industry Council boss Melanie Anderson steps down after shocking Donald Trump joke at business lunch

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 14:10, 22 May 2026 | Updated: 14:18, 22 May 2026 A top tourism executive who was stood down after she jokingly suggested hiring a sharpshooter to assassinate US President Donald Trump to resolve accommodation shortages ahead of the 2032 Olympics has resigned. Queensland Tourism Industry Council executive Melanie Anderson shocked 150 business leaders at a Property Council lunch in Brisbane on Wednesday. The event coincided with the launch of new research released by the Property Council of Australia, which warned that Queensland will have a massive shortage of hotel rooms when it hosts the Brisbane Olympics unless one new hotel is opened each month for the next six years. Just one new hotel has opened in south-east Queensland in the last 12 months - the Mondrian at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast. Sitting on an expert panel, Ms Anderson was asked how she planned to address the accommodation shortage. 'I would say, get a sharpshooter for Donald Trump,' she told the crowd. 'That would fix the problems right now and let us get on with business.' Queensland Tourism Industry executive Melanie Anderson has stepped down from her role after making a shocking joke about US President Donald Trump The tourism boss suggested hiring a 'sharpshooter' for Donald Trump (pictured after an assassination attempt in 2024) Trump has survived several assassination attempts in recent years and narrowly escaped death when he was shot in the ear at a rally in Pennsylvania during the 2024 election campaign. The Property Council Queensland quickly distanced itself from Ms Anderson's comments at the lunch, the Courier Mail reported. 'The Property Council does not support or endorse the assassination of heads of state,' executive director Jess Claire told the crowd. Ms Anderson later issued an apology as QTIC condemned her comments and launched a formal investigation. 'I apologise for causing offence and distracting from the event,' she said. 'I have worked in the Queensland tourism industry for more than 20 years and I have seen first-hand how much the current Middle East crisis is hurting Queensland tourism operators, businesses, and communities.' QTIC confirmed late Friday that Ms Anderson had resigned and has since removed her profile from its website. She has also taken down her LinkedIn profile. Queensland Tourism Industry executive Melanie Anderson quit on Friday after the board launched a formal investigation Should public figures lose their jobs over jokes made in poor taste at industry events? What's your view?'We thank Mel for her contribution to QTIC and the tourism industry during her time with the organisation and wish her well for the future,' a statement said. 'As this matter is now finalised from an employment perspective, QTIC will not be making any further comment. 'QTIC remains committed to supporting and advocating for Queensland's tourism industry in a professional, respectful and responsible manner.' The former head of Noosa Tourism, Ms Anderson was on the board for three years. 'Melanie is an established leader within Queensland tourism and is well-acquainted with the challenges and opportunities presented to our tourism sector,' QTIC said at the time of her appointment. 'Under Melanie's decisive leadership, Noosa's visitor economy was guided through the tumultuous impacts of the global pandemic, natural disasters, and skills shortages.  She delivered innovative projects and award-winning marketing campaigns to redefine sustainability and visitor offerings in the region.  'Melanie's experience working with government and industry and her extensive knowledge of destination marketing will be invaluable to QTIC, our members and Queensland's tourism sector moving forward.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.