After a record-breaking number of Australians have signed a Change.org petition petition to protest a plan to use the Sydney Opera House sails to advertise the Everest horse race, radio personality and outrage specialist Alan Jones has apologised for his belligerent tactics that put the whole thing in motion.
Well, it’s almost an apology. It’s just about the kind of apology you would expect.
Alan Jones was copping a lot of backlash after his heated on-air discussion with Opera House chief Louise Herron on Friday, in which he called for Herron to be sacked if she could not “come to the party” and get on board with projecting an ad for the Everest horse race.
“I used some words in these programs about the Everest, and the Opera House, and Louise, which in hindsight I now most regret hearing, having heard the impact they’ve clearly had on some people,” he said on air this morning.
“In relation to Louise [Herron], I was tough regarding an issue I and others felt is very important.”
That last part is literally just a statement of excuse, so I’m not sure if that really counts as an apology!
In spite of Herron and the public’s objection to commercialising the Opera House, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, and PM Scott Morrison agreed to move it forward.
The sails are set to rep the Everest Race advertising today, and the petition was delivered to NSW State Parliament this morning, so we’ll see what happens.
Right now the only thing we’re OK with seeing on the Opera House is this bootleg projection by The Chasers that reads, “ADVERTISE HERE. Call Alan”.
See… it really is a great billboard. Jorn Utzon would be so proud. pic.twitter.com/pXxFarHd9u
— The Chaser (@chaser) October 8, 2018
Whatever happens today but it’s become very clear that some of our politicians are not representing the public’s wants so much as sitting in someone else’s deep pockets.