Another blow to the Australian honours system. Sarah Hanson-Young’s creative editing. And Jeff Kennett gets himself “Taylored”. Plus other tips and murmurs from the Crikey bunker.
Disorder of Australia Another curly one for the Council of the Order of Australia. Dyson Heydon — accused by a High Court inquiry of sexual harassment — received his Commander of the Order of Australia back in 2004. The AC is Australia’s highest honour and the Order of Australia is classified as an (ahem) “order of chivalry”.
The calls have already begun. Given the recent furore over some of the other recipients, what’s to be done?
Not being SHY about it Last week, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young shared a damning video of Prime Minister Scott Morrison seemingly dismissing the importance of home grown Aussie content.
Following footage of Hanson-Young giving notice of a motion that Netflix, Stan and other streaming giants should fund more Australian content, we cut to Morrison at a press conference “a short time later”. He does that squint-smirk of annoyance he does when he thinks a question is dumb, and says “I’m not interested in what they’re showing on streaming services. I’m interested in getting Australians back in to work”. What an absolute philistine, right?
Well, it turns out old SHY was being extremely sneaky with her cutting. Check out the question the PM was actually answering:
On a modern extension of this issue we’re seeing of cancel culture with Gone with the Wind, Chris Lilley’s projects for example being pulled from streaming services. Is that something you’re worried about?
Fantastic. Great move. Well done Given his role in our history, we in the bunker like to think of former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett as an estranged-grandfather-who-hates-us-figure.
So it brings us no joy to report he’s been caught in the act of commenting approvingly on his own post, clearly believing he was logged in as someone else — an act that will henceforth be known as “getting Taylored”.
Incidentally, this is basically how the whole Kennett government worked before the ’99 election handed Victoria to Labor for a generation…
Corporate compassion Over the weekend Rode Microphones founder Peter Freedman coughed up $9 million for the guitar Kurt Cobain played on Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged. But don’t think that was simply an indulgence:
I did it to highlight the massive crisis in the arts. I would have paid $40 million if I had to — I have a house, clothes and food, so what do I need the money for?
He goes on to talk about his friends in the industry “sleeping on floors” and unable to feed their family — we’re sure they’re deeply moved at Freedman’s willingness (and ability) to spend tens of millions on one guitar. And while he says he plans to tour the guitar around Australia he’s pretty vague about what happens to any money the tour makes:
… I’m going to make sure I get rid of the money and do something good with it.
Former justice Dyson Heydon is (still) a Companion of the Order of Australia, not a Commander. And that, he seems to be arguing, is all he was trying to be to those women misguided enough to complain about his friendly behaviour. A good companion…
Jeff “Beyond Blew” Kennett.
Jeff is more your beyond the pale, than beyond blue..I always thought it was rather a depressing state of affairs, that he got that gig..
His government did a lot to produce depression in the electorate – to be charitable, he may have just been trying to make up for it.
They ‘blew it’ when they made him figure-head – he and his government did just about as much as anyone to deepen despair among those most exposed to depression through their hard-hearted attitudes toward the vulnerable. And joked about it.
Good to see GG Hurley is keen to restore the reputation of the Orders system – on Q&A last night he was named and shamed as the top defence brass who failed to act on a genuine whistleblower report of SAS atrocities, thus ensuring that whistleblower now faces life in prison for doing the right thing.
Should Hurley be stripped of his own honours?
Kennett was never going to win a beauty contest but he’s really copped it from the ugly stick in recent years.
Looks like he’s still got a full hairline so could someone please tell him to grow some head hair and a beard and cover up a bit. Then pop on an apron and help out at the local cafe and back up that cheap talk.
A bit harsh on Sarah Hanson Young his reply is consistent with Morrison’s dismissal of the Arts industry providing a meaningful contribution to our society
Note his deliberate exclusion from Job Keeper and subsequent false statements re assistance given to them during pandemic compared to religious institutions
No, she didn’t need to misconstrue that quote, when there is so much other evidence of this government’s lack of support for all of the entertainment and arts industry.