Try as you might to ignore the mess that is Australian politics, you’ve no doubt seen the headlines about the “sports rorts” and Scott Morrison’s inability to sack the minister at the centre of it.
tl;dr the Nationals’ Deputy Leader Bridget McKenzie is accused of using her position as Minister for Sport to over-rule Sport Australia’s grading system for $100 million dollars in government grants in order to favour Coalition seats ahead of the 2019 Federal Election.
To make matters worse, it was later revealed that McKenzie is a member of a shooting club that received one of the grants.
The prime minister ended up assigning Philip Gaetjens to investigate if McKenzie broke the rules. But it’s going to take a lot for her to resign, let’s be honest.
Keep in mind that a lot of community sporting clubs are run by volunteers, so naturally they’re pissed at this situation, and rightly so.
But what if this whole mess happened in the arts community? A sector that also relies heavily on government grants. Would we even care?
Apart from being synonymous with the Aussie spirit, sport has very strict rules and standards. Sure there are a handful of subjective sports like figure skating or boxing, but most sporting competitions have a clear winner.
But when it comes to the arts, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It’s so open to interpretation that for many it just becomes overwhelming and “elitist”.
Fine art or experiment plays may not be your thing, but the broad arts sector turns the lens on ourselves and society and encourages us to do better. Just like sport motivates us.
We need both to truly succeed as a society. And this idea that people are either sports mad or arty farties can get in the bin.
Growing up, I was lucky enough to participate in a range of sports and study dance and learn to play musical instruments. They all taught me vital life skills.
At the heart of this “rort” is fairness. Community groups poured out their heart and souls to pretty much beg the government for money. And sadly for many, their efforts were for nothing, all because of an unfair judging system.
Perhaps this scandal will sharpen our focus onto the goings on in Parliament and government agencies. We should all question where our hard-earned money is going, and whether it’s fair. Especially when we have a Prime Minister spruiking a “fair go for those who have a go”. Ultimately, I hope the sports rorts also unites Australians in the fairness and equal respect for athletes and artists. Then we all win.
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