The post-truth world is a strange place:
This week, a strange little coterie calling themselves the ‘Australia Day Foundation UK’ dusted off an old Word template and created a nice certificate for Rupert Murdoch in time for today’s Australia/#InvasionDay controversies.
But what is the Aust Day UK Foundation you ask? pic.twitter.com/DOUlrMQeIL
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
Established by John Howard in 2003, the award giving section of the Australia Day Foundation UK is a murky half-entity.
It seems to occasionally promote itself as part of the Australian govt, with the Aust High Commisioner bestowing the annual awards at a gala dinner held at… pic.twitter.com/8SzcCGN3WL
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
Strangely, there is nothing in the trust’s financials to indicate they are involved in an annual Australia Day UK Awards ceremony.
Which means the Australian government/High Commission side of the foundation must help fund the slap-up, invitation only evening.
And the awards. pic.twitter.com/qSaOizqpJX
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
The 2021 board/committee/award-gifters has now shrunk to 4.
The committee that bestowed this year’s invented award upon Rupert Murdoch, partly paid for with your Australian tax dollars are:
– well known Australian tourism-travel advocate, Richard Porter (appointed by Abbott) pic.twitter.com/kk6PEFxB0w
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
And past award recipients from the illustrious Australia Day Foundation UK award bestowers?
They include such leading Australian lights as:
Elizabeth Truss – Tory MP and UK Minister for Trade who created an advisory position for Tony Abbott on the UK Board of Trade, pic.twitter.com/9Ik75xfs4K
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
On the https://t.co/FAmmIjMYuQ website, a small scant form asks who you’d like to nominate.
No additional information is provided.
There is no published judging criteria for these awards partly supported by the Australian govt.
No mention of a panel.
No mention of judging. pic.twitter.com/88UVSjEDm8
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
Apart from gifting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr de Rohan in 2007, the award appears (according to the Australia Day Foundation website) to have been largely forgotten for 14 years.
Until, that is, a concerted push against Rupert Murdoch started recently in Australia. pic.twitter.com/qNIjGyqdE7
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
The Australia Day “Lifetime Achievement Award” invented for Rupert Murdoch was financed by money provided by:
the fossil fuel multi-national, Woodside Petroleum pic.twitter.com/ZcDgYdmX1s
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
and the mining multi-national, Anglo American pic.twitter.com/j84XblviLA
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
as well as Sir Michael Hintze’s own asset management fund, CQS.
Previous sponsors of the unknown judging criteria Australia Day Foundation UK awards have also included BHP Billiton – which I’m sure you’ll agree helps round out a cosy little group. pic.twitter.com/LZwM4DKuFc
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
Which brings us back to inbreeding – and hybrid vigour.
These awards are a selective boy’s club, gifted to insiders by insiders.
Nobody from outside the club is allowed in.
Largely conservative in nature, these farcical awards exist to prop up existing power structures.
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
Murdoch’s fossil fuel sponsored Australia Day “award” is a fabricated piece of performance frippery.
It’s that long forgotten party hat left under the stairs given to that extra birthday party guest at the last minute
It was dug out purely to help Rupert Murdoch feel supported.
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
Just to be clear:
Rupert Murdoch’s side-show award was not given by some odd “UK based” organisation.
It was bestowed by a group founded & funded by the Australian govt, with board members appointed in conjunction with the Aust govt at a function hosted by the Australian HC.
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) January 26, 2021
More at Crikey:
There’s no faulting the Australia Day awards for throwing up some real doozies but lost in the Margaret Court drama this year has been a so-called lifetime achievement award for Rupert Murdoch from the Australia Day Foundation.
On the face of it it looks to be an extraordinary decision: a prestigious honour bestowed on the media mogul whose recent hits in the United States include helping fan an insurrection against democracy via Fox News and in Australia leading the way on climate change denialism in cahoots with the Morrison government it supports.
The Australia Day Foundation, though, is not as it seems. It is a not-for-profit organisation in the UK, set up as a networking base for Australian business and high achievers. Losers need not apply.
The foundation and its awards are backed by a group of international conglomerates including mining giants BHP, Rio Tinto, Woodside and Anglo-American. Australia’s big banks, the National Australia Bank and Westpac, are also in on the act. Another leading name is CQS, the wealthy London hedge fund founded by Australian business figure Sir Michael Hintze.
Hintze is not well known in Australia, but he is at the centre of a powerful network of business and conservative UK and Australian politicians. As we reported last year he has been a force behind the climate-sceptic Global Warming Policy Foundation which has given voice to the views of Tony Abbott and Cardinal George Pell.
Nominally a business outfit, the foundation also blurs the lines with government. It is sponsored by Austrade and uses Australia House, home to the Australian High Commission, in London to hand out its “Australia Day” awards to UK and Australian figures of its choosing.
This year it gave its honorary Australian of the Year in the UK award to Conservative British MP Liz Truss who promoted the cause of Abbott as a trade adviser to the UK government. Past recipients have included Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Crikey has put a series of questions to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade questioning Austrade’s support for the foundation, the use of Australia House as a venue, and the apparent appropriation of the Australia Day name by sectional interests. DFAT referred questions to Austrade which has not responded.
The game of mates now has its own awards
