Senator Eric Abetz has asked if rapper Macklemore will be required to provide an authorisation statement after performing his song Same Love at the NRL Grand Final?
Macklemore is expected to perform his song about homophobia, that became an anthem for the marriage equality movement in the USA, on Sunday afternoon. Singer Mary Lambert, who penned the song’s chorus, is expected to join him for the performance.
The NRL decision to choose the chart-topping pop star as the performer for the Grand Final has been criticised by right wing politicians including Senatore Abetz, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.
Will @FreeTVAustralia require authorisation of Macklemore’ s song at half time in the NRL Grand Final?
— Eric Abetz (@SenatorAbetz) September 29, 2017
Abetz and Abbott argue that is unfair for a song that promotes marriage equality to be performed while the government’s postal survey on marriage is underway, while Dutton has called for a song that supports traditional marriage to be given equal air time.
Macklemore won’t have to give an official authorisation for his song. Setting aside it was written years before the government’s postal survey was rolled out, and is in the playlist of hundreds of thousands of Australian’s phones and iPods, it is not covered by the government’s safeguards for the postal survey campaign.
Among the exemptions, “communications engaged in solely for genuine satirical, academic or artistic purposes.”
Which is part of the government’s Marriage Law Survey (Additional Safeguards) Bill 2017, which was passed by the parliament on 13 September.
The parliament that Senator Abetz is a member of, it’s a bill put forward by his own party. Maybe he was away from school that day.
Since the politicians all got in a tizz about Macklemore’s song, it’s shot back up to the top of the carts, become the most downloaded song on iTunes. Macklemore has announced he’ll be donating his section of the songs’ profits to the ‘Yes’ campaign.
OIP Staff
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