WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A video shows Anthony Albanese being booed at the 2026 Australian Open.
OUR VERDICT
False. The video is from 2024.
AAP FACTCHECK - A clip showing the Australian Open crowd booing Anthony Albanese is not from this year's event, despite claims on social media.
The clip is from 2024, when the prime minister appeared at the men's singles final.
AAP FactCheck found no evidence that Mr Albanese was widely booed at the 2026 event.
The video has been shared widely on social media after the PM attended this year's men's semi-finals at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on January 30.
"BREAKING Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced at the Australian Open Championship presentation, and then proceeds to get boo'ed by 15,000 people," an Instagram post reads.
"30th Jan 2026. Would you vote for Albo?"
One Facebook post doesn't specify the date, but implies the clip shows the 2026 event.
"National embarrassment woke Albo booed at Aus Open," it reads.
Other social media users posted the clip, but later edited their posts to clarify it was from 2024.
The video shows the prime minister being introduced during the 2024 men's final trophy presentation.
This year's presentation did not take place until February 1, after many of the clips had already been published.
The booing clip was originally posted by Nine News on January 29, 2024.
"Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was booed by the crowd during the closing ceremony of the Australian Open following Jannik Sinner's epic first Grand Slam victory," the post reads.
In some posts passing off the clip as depicting this year's event, the Nine News logo is visible along with the text "PARIS 2024", promoting the then-upcoming coverage of the Summer Olympics.
The 2024 booing incident was widely covered by the ABC, Seven News, The Guardian, Sky News, The Sydney Morning Herald, News.com.au and The Project.
At the time, some news commentary linked the crowd's response to the Albanese government's then-recent decision to reduce planned tax cuts for high-income earners.
While Mr Albanese's attendance at this year's event was covered, AAP FactCheck found no evidence that he was widely booed.
The Herald Sun covered the PM's more than nine-hour presence at the event and didn't mention any such controversy.
The Daily Mail did criticise the potential cost of the PM's front-row tickets, however, and a website called WalesOnline reported the 2024 incident in a rehashed article published on January 31, 2026.
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