We couldn’t crown a Crikey Arsehat of the Year without crowning their more likeable counterpart the 2022 Person of the Year.
Crikey dedicates much of its energy to those who actively make the world a worse place, who wound public debate, destroy trust in institutions and enact terrible and harmful policy. So it’s a relief to take some time to focus on those who pushed back this year.
Read the 2022 Person of the Year nominees below, and then cast your vote here!
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
There are many reasons why international support for Ukraine has been so strong since Russia invaded the country, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a big one. The former comedian, his life literally imitating his art, has been a tireless advocate for his country on the international stage, and a galvanising figure at home.
As Kishor Napier-Raman put it when Zelenskyy addressed Australia’s Parliament earlier this year: “With the whole world watching, and his country at stake, a career performer has given the performance of his life.”
The independents
Individually and collectively, independents Kylea Tink, Kate Chaney, Monique Ryan, Sophie Scamps, Allegra Spender, Zoe Daniel and (in a different way) Dai Le changed politics in Australia. The possibility that a local independent could outmanoeuvre a major party candidate first became clear with the success of Kerryn Phelps and Zali Steggall in 2018 and 2019 respectively. But in 2022 the movement went up a notch, shattering the Liberal Party’s core voter base like a baseball bat through a Jenga tower.
Whatever happens in the next three years, and whatever delusions of the commentariat arguing that people voted for greater integrity and action on climate change because the current crop of Liberals aren’t far enough to the right, this has changed the make-up of politics in this country, and with it, what we thought possible.
The lettuce that outlasted Liz Truss
This one is self-explanatory, surely?
Mahsa Amini
Mahsa Amini was five days short of her 23rd birthday when she died in a hospital in Tehran. She had been arrested by Iran’s Guidance Patrol for allegedly not wearing her hijab in accordance with government-mandated standards, and although authorities claimed she died of various medical issues, witnesses said she had been severely beaten.
Her death led to protests that became “nationwide, spread across social classes, universities, the streets, schools” — they represent the biggest challenge to an Iranian government in a decade, protests of a kind the country has never seen before and may end up leading to the end of the Guidance Patrols.
Deanna Coco
The plight of Deanna “Violet” Coco has brought into relief the way that Australia, for all its stated commitment to free speech, treats dissent and protest. She was incarcerated, initially denied bail and sentenced to 15 months imprisonment with a non-parole period of eight months for (fairly briefly) blocking traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, possessing an orange flare in a public place, and non-violently resisting police as part of a protest to raise climate change awareness.
Eventually the patent absurdity became apparent to even the NSW authorities and bail was granted, but her fight against the sentence continues.
The Hawthorn whistleblowers
The allegations from a review into racism at the Hawthorn Football Club are truly horrifying: an Indigenous player’s partner was allegedly ordered to terminate a pregnancy and forced under supervision to break up with a partner, players’ phone numbers changed, and communication with family monitored.
An independent investigation is ongoing, and if any part of the allegations is substantiated it will hopefully lead to sweeping changes at Hawthorn in particular and across the AFL in general. We only know about the allegations because of the bravery of those who came forward.
Brittany Higgins
We nominated Higgins last year for her bravery and principles in going public with her alleged rape in Parliament House. Having sparked a long-overdue debate about gender-based violence in Australia, she maintained truly remarkable fortitude as her case dragged on, while her former boss Linda Reynolds texted tips to the defence lawyers of Higgins’ alleged rapist, and the AFP allegedly interfered in her case for more than a year.
The trial collapsed after a juror “did their own research” and the charges were eventually dropped, when prosecutor Shane Drumgold announced it would not be in the interests of Higgins’ health to continue.
This week Higgins settled a personal injury compensation claim with the Commonwealth. Regardless of your views on the case, it is undeniable the impacts of this case, both tangible and intangible, will linger long in Australian life.
Who do you think is the 2022 Person of the Year? Cast your vote now!
I would like an investigation into what happened with this jurer that ended the trial. Were they put up to it by someone? Were there inducements involved? Alarm bells are going off here. Its just too convenient that powerful forces didnt want this trial to proceed and then it stopped for a very unusual reason. Most people doing this wouldnt get caught unless they admitted it. They certainly wouldnt take documentary evidence into the jurers room. This one got caught out by a court officer. Was that deliberate? Were they tipped off? This needs investigation.
Indeed.
I’ve been thinking the same, especially after the release of the ACT DPP letter. Something here is very off!
For sure.
Very uneven list here. From a UK tabloid joke to a murdered country girl visiting relatives to a wartime leader – I realise this is meant to be a bit of fun but maybe keep it parochial.
I have to agree – what a silly selection … neither serious nor humorous and meaningless to compare.
What about the lettuce?
At least it was honest.
And a Green.
To look at it differently – this highlights rays of brightness in the world that we have found uplifting. While reflecting on the awful arsehats it is comforting to know that there are good guys, too.
It’s not about the “winner”. I take heart from each story and am glad to see a recap of those who push back.
Why wasn’t the venue where Brittany Higgins was able to drink enough alcohol to become obviously very inebriated not subjected to investigated regarding Responsible Service of Alcohol laws? Because it was the regular watering hole of so many Liberal & government staffers & hangers on?
Gee, Liz Truss – had forgotten about her already. I thought she was a tomato grower.
Beyond anything else, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shown the world what it means to be a leader. While the war went on and the liberal democracies danced a tightrope between wanting to help Ukraine and not wanting to anger Russia too much, he showed a moral courage that other leaders lack.
Not bad for an actor whose political credentials is writing a show satirising Ukrainian politics. Maybe Great Britain could take a page from this and see what it’s like to have Armando Iannucci run the show (though he’s not anywhere near enough of a clown compared to leaders of the recent past).
If you believe that then you’ll believe that your cheque from GraftInc is in the mail.
What part of what I wrote is unbelievable?
To paraphrase Mary McCarthy on Lillian Hellman, almost every word, including ‘the’ & ‘a’.