Culture

NSW Parliament Has Officially Passed A Motion Condemning Eddie McGuire As “A Continual Boofhead”

What a time to be alive.

by Meg Watson  3 June 2015

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Most days in NSW State Parliament are pretty dull. Usually, someone will propose doing something to a park. Occasionally, an MP will yell about a road. Things may get spiced up with a mention of the police force. On the whole, it’s a predictable sequence of crucial yet mind-numbing formalities accompanied by the persistent white noise of Reverend Fred Nile as he sits in the corner maniacally catapulting motions to condemn gay marriage or abortion or that kid who gave him a funny look on the train.

Actual footage of Nile in the Council chambers.

Not today.

While this morning’s meeting of the upper house did have elements of all these things, they were all soon absolutely eclipsed by the incredible actions of Greens Member of the Legislative Council Jeremy Buckingham. Towards the end of proceedings, following on from the unholy shitstorm that followed Adam Goodes doing a celebratory Indigenous dance last week, Buckingham put forward a motion that recognised and supported the actions of the AFL star and Australian of the Year.

Buckingham’s motion, a timely move for Mabo Day, suggested the House “[support] the actions of Mr Goodes in celebrating his goal and Aboriginal culture [and] the important role sport and cultural expressions such as Aboriginal war dance … can play in building understanding between cultures and fighting discrimination”.

Though the all-important final portion was not included in yesterday’s first reading, it also asked the House “condemn Mr Eddie Macguire [sic], the President of the Collingwood Football Club for his comments [and for] being a continual boofhead”.

Because — for this brief moment — all was right and good in this world, it fucking passed. It’s done.

Eddie McGuire is now recognised by the representatives of the great state of NSW as “a continual boofhead”. So you know this is, in fact, not just a satisfying article from The Backburner, here’s some truly exquisite proof:

Screen Shot 2015-06-03 at 3.03.41 pmBOOFHEAD

In case you’ve rightfully stayed out of this nonsense until now, this is a title that McGuire well and truly deserves. In 2013 the Collingwood Football Club President awkwardly apologised after continuing a strain of racist remarks directed at Mr Goodes by likening him to King Kong.

More recently, asked for his opinion on Goodes’ controversial goal celebration this week, McGuire made a total asshat out of himself on Today. 

“[It’s a] made-up dance, this is not something that has been going on for years,” McGuire said, wilfully ignorant of Goodes’ open explanation of it being precisely the opposite of that.

“Had we known before the game that Adam or the Indigenous players were planning to do some sort of war cry, we could have been able to educate and understand the situation,” he went on, seemingly oblivious of the fact the celebration took place in the Indigenous round of the competition, in the middle of National Reconciliation Week.

“It’s almost like what the government has to do as far as the equal rights marriage situation is concerned. There are people out there who are frightened, people don’t understand, you have to put it into context and take people along for the ride,” he continued inexorably, forever, until we were all demoralised, then crying, then dead.

Obviously, there’s still a sizeable contingent of right old drongos who share McGuire’s views. The fact that this has even been a controversy is in itself a sad indictment of our nation.

There’s a long road ahead of us towards true acceptance and respect for Indigenous communities, and progress seems slower now than ever. And yet, today we can rest content with the knowledge that some small justice has been done.

Eddie McGuire may have a successful career in the media and a sizeable paycheque from his position in the AFL, but when “boofhead” is officially submitted to the Hansard, it’s a label that sticks for life.