UPDATE: Darren Hayes has responded to Tony Abbott’s comments.
https://twitter.com/darrenhayes/status/914675393260535808
PREVIOUSLY: Former prime minister and current shit-stirrer Tony Abbott has given his take on which artist should have performed at yesterday’s NRL Grand Final instead of Macklemore, telling 2GB someone like John Farnham could have taken the gig.
That’s a pretty conservative take on the issue, which is to be expected. What followed was an even more quintessentially ‘Tony Abbott’ statement: he told host Ray Hadley he’s a big ol’ fan of Savage Garden.
The same Savage Garden whose former singer Darren Hayes is vocal proponent of same-sex marriage, and is in one himself.
Speaking to Hadley this morning, Abbott said the Grand Final could have done away with an American performer (and by extension, Macklemore’s performance of pro-equality track Same Love), and could have instead chosen someone “who was A. Australian and, B. not going to be contentious on this current issue.”
Shortly after, he name-dropped Savage Garden as one of the few post-1975 acts he bumps.
There are three potential inferences we can draw here: Abbott is totally unaware of Hayes’ status as a high-profile queer Australian in spite of his bloody lyrics; he does know and is able to square away / mentally backflip that ideological chasm; or he knows and simply doesn’t give a shit.
None of those outcomes are a good look, and people have wasted zero time saying as much.
Tony likes savage garden Affirmation: “I believe you can’t control or choose your sexuality”; “Karma what you give is what you get returned”
— Lᴏʀᴅ CopOut26 💙 (@LordofWentworth) October 2, 2017
I saw Savage Garden was trending and got excited thinking they were reuniting but it’s just Tony Abbot being a dickhead
— SimieSimieLaLa (@SimieSimieLaLa) October 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/AmyElizabeth_C/status/914674969132412928
John Howard being a fan of Bob Dylan, Abbott being a Savage Garden fan. Curious areas – do they just not listen to the lyrics?
— Preston Towers (@prestontowers) October 2, 2017
Um, Tone? Abbott says he loves Savage Garden https://t.co/feMPuwYUCU pic.twitter.com/Us95yvXDA9
— Kaitlyn Offer (@KaitlynOffer) October 2, 2017
Darren Hayes upon learning homophobe Tony Abbott loves Savage Garden: pic.twitter.com/mauavYFNes
— Somebody needs to save pop music (@jaykay287) October 2, 2017
For what it’s worth, this isn’t the first time Abbott has publicly professed his love for the act. Last year, he told the Brisbane Times “I owe the Savage Garden selection to my daughters, who would choose that album to play on long car trips 15 years back, but as soon as I said I like it, they decided it wasn’t cool!”
Frances Abbott, Tony’s daughter, has recently appeared in videos supporting the ‘Yes’ campaign for the ongoing postal survey on marriage equality. Funny, that.
To recap: the insanely unpopular former prime minister, still turgid with rage after being ousted from office, criticised a straight performer for daring to advocate for equality, and praised Savage fucking Garden moments later.
God. While we wait to see if Hayes responds, now seems as good a time as ever to wheel this one back out:
