Society/Culture Geoffrey Rush named Australian of the Year

[Dont be a lemon]

Academy Award-winning actor and producer Geoffrey Rush has been named the Australian of the Year for 2012 for his contribution to the arts.

[...]

He began a successful career on stage before appearing in his first feature film, Hoodwink, in 1981. He shot to global fame in 1996 with the film Shine for which he won an Oscar.

More recently, his film highlights include Munich, Pirates Of The Caribbean and The King's Speech, for which he earned a BAFTA.

Rush is an ambassador for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and UNICEF Australia, as well as patron of the Melbourne International Film Festival.

More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-25/australian-of-the-year/3793352

The best thing you could say about this is he isn't a sportsman. But otherwise it's a lazy and poor choice.

 

[Daytripper]

Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

Who advises Gillard??
Seriously, is she this out of touch with the public?

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/mo...in-australia-day/story-fn7x8me2-1226253751080

And while he did not believe the award gave him sudden "licence to pontificate on everything and anything", he said the arts should be used to shape public debate on matters of national significance.

"Climate change, gay marriage, there's a role for arts to play in that," he said.

No Geoffrey, these are not significant issues for the average person out there. They are for the elitist left of which you are a member of - but everybody else is too busy trying to make ends meet at the moment.

Every time this bloke speaks on national matters for the next 12 months will just be another nail in the coffin for Labor.

 

[Hodgepodge]

Re: Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

Poor selection. I thought we moved away from just giving it to celebrities.

 

[jwikked]

Re: Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

He didn't do anything last year aside from being in The Kings Speech. (or did that come out late 2010?)

 

[Hodgepodge]

Re: Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

Young Australian of the year was a poor selection too.

 

[Old Skool]

Re: Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

Arts (tick)
Indigenous (tick)
Migrant (tick)
Business (tick)
Lightweight libertarian (tick)
Young sportperson least likely to embarras anyone (tick)

This years formula is complete.

 

[DivideandMultiply]

Re: Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

Young Australian of the year was a poor selection too.

Really, and why is that?

 

[placebo]

Re: Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

"the arts should be used to shape public debate on matters of national significance."


Yuck. Awful quote.

 

[Hodgepodge]

Re: Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

Really, and why is that?

Sends the wrong message when the much bigger educational problems are with boys/men. i.e. Boys are dropping out of high school in increasing rates, to the point where there are now 5000 fewer boys finishing Year 12. This will not do, yet it's almost being accepted as the status quo.

 

[Thrawn]

Meanwhile, Dr <insert name here> makes breakthroughs in medical treatments that save countless lives.

What a complete load of bullshit.

 

[DivideandMultiply]

Re: Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

Sends the wrong message when the much bigger educational problems are with boys/men. i.e. Boys are dropping out of high school in increasing rates, to the point where there are now 5000 fewer boys finishing Year 12. This will not do, yet it's almost being accepted as the status quo.

I am not sure if the award is about balancing or prioritising issues.

If you have a better candidate who has excelled to Chengs degree in addressing the issues you have described then by all means, maybe your point is valid.

I can tell you from first hand experience, woman are woefully under-represented in the engineering fields both in the professional sphere and at undergraduate level.

I am no expert on the criteria for assessing the merits of candidates for these awards but she seems to be far from a poor choice.

 

[Blessed]

 

[RisingPhoenix]

Apologies to any of Rush's like minded luvvies on here, but what a nauseating win.

When I heard his speech I was immediately reminded of this bit of vomit from his luvvy mate, our Cate.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/socie...than-just-another-industry-20100223-os6w.html

You could of walked into any public hospital and found any nurse, into any public school and found any teacher, into any city mission....anyone at random would of been infinitely more entitled to say they have made a larger impact on the social wealth of this nation then an inner city elite, latte sipping like Rush.

Amazed he didnt start trying to shove gay marriage down our throats.

 

[skilts]

You could of walked into any public hospital and found any nurse, into any public school and found any teacher, into any city mission....anyone at random would of been infinitely more entitled to say they have made a larger impact on the social wealth of this nation then an inner city elite, latte sipping like Rush.

You are perfectly qualified to judge who should be acknowledged as an important Australian. You're a gormless cretin.

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

I am not sure if the award is about balancing or prioritising issues.

If you have a better candidate who has excelled to Chengs degree in addressing the issues you have described then by all means, maybe your point is valid.

I can tell you from first hand experience, woman are woefully under-represented in the engineering fields both in the professional sphere and at undergraduate level.

I am no expert on the criteria for assessing the merits of candidates for these awards but she seems to be far from a poor choice.

Is that even a problem? Do we need a 50-50 split in every job/field?

 

[raskolnikov]

I like Rush as an actor but he's a poor choice as Australian of the year. What has he done that's been beneficial to Australian society.

It should have been Bruce Morcombe.

 

[Admiral Byng]

Should have been Michael Clarke. As new test captain, Australian of the Year should be an automatic selection, especially if you're from NSW.

 

[Chief]

Re: Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

No Geoffrey, these are not significant issues for the average person out there. They are for the elitist left of which you are a member of - but everybody else is too busy trying to make ends meet at the moment.

Every time this bloke speaks on national matters for the next 12 months will just be another nail in the coffin for Labor.

Wow!

Of course the arts should be a part of the national discourse. It is a very human means of communication of values and ideas. It has been since people were painting pictures on cave walls.

 

[Chief]

Meanwhile, Dr <insert name here> makes breakthroughs in medical treatments that save countless lives.

What a complete load of bullshit.

Dr... Who?

 

[Blessed]

Australian of the year should have been Merranda Kerr if they just wanted to give it to the IT person.

 

[Daytripper]

Re: Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

Wow!

Of course the arts should be a part of the national discourse. It is a very human means of communication of values and ideas. It has been since people were painting pictures on cave walls.

Wasn't referring to the arts Chief.

And to be truthful, art as a means of communication disappeared 100 years ago.

 

[Bombers_Forever]

Re: Australian of The Year - Geoffrey Rush

It smacks of 'we havent had a celebrity win for a few years and no one remebers the last 3 or 4 that won it'. But what has Rush actually done to deserve it? If it goes to celebrity, give it to Cadel Evans for his achievements.

But yes, the Morcombes or Chris Riley should have been awarded it ahead of Rush. At least didn't nominate himself and he does look surprised he won.

 

[Chief]

And to be truthful, art as a means of communication disappeared 100 years ago.

That's a pretty definite point in time.

What do you think was the last piece of art ever to be used as a communication device?

 

[Daytripper]

That's a pretty definite point in time.

What do you think was the last piece of art ever to be used as a communication device?

No idea. Enlighten me.

 

[Chief]

You gave the "100 years ago", I was just trying to determine where you drew the line between art as communication and art not as communication.

If not a specific work, there must have been a particular school or style that you believe represents the last use of art as communication. What would you say that was?