Noni Hazlehurst Just Straight-Up Delivered The Best #Logies Speech Ever

Australian TV legend Noni Hazlehurst just won the Logies with an inspiring acceptance speech that called for a new kind of television that “counters bad news with good”.

As only the second women ever to be inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame in its 32-year history (the other was Ruth Cracknell in 2001), Hazlehurst described the honour as “the most wonderful Mother’s Day present”, calling out the “odious” critics of Gold Logie nominees Waleed Aly and Lee Lin Chin, as well as all forms of bigotry.

“The fact that I’m only the second woman to be given this honour is merely a reflection of the prevailing zeitgeist,” she told the crowd. “Things are clearly changing … but they’re changing glacially slowly.”

Hazlehurst – who has enjoyed a remarkable 40-year career, including a long-running stint on Play School from 1978 to 2002 – was feted by the likes of John Waters, Jack Thompson and Cate Blanchett, who called her “powerful and uncompromising”, before she took to the podium herself.

Here are the best bits of her acceptance speech:

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“Three- to four-year-olds have the best bullshit detectors, don’t they? They don’t just watch you because you’re there, they want connection and they want real engagement.”

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“I started to see the world through a pre-schooler’s eyes to see how free and unafraid they are to just be – they haven’t yet been conditioned – but also how frightened and overwhelmed they are, how easily abused, and particularly how empathetic they are. No child is born a bigot.”

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“The TV landscape when I started Play School in ’78 is very different: four channels, no 24/7 news, no 24/7 anything. It was much easier to protect children from images and information that they couldn’t assimilate. With the explosion of technology and the proliferation of screens, we can’t escape the exposure to bad news and violent images – they’re everywhere, at the dentist, on buses. And most of us – not just kids – find the bombardment overwhelming.”

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“I suspect that almost none of us here watching is immune from the growing incidence of depression, anxiety and suicide. We all know people who are struggling, we may be ourselves, and too many of our kids are. We are all living under a heavy and constant cloud of negativity. We are divided against each other and our fellow human beings, we find it hard to trust, and we are fearful of the future. I think it’s because we are surrounded by bad news and examples of our basest human behaviour. I fear that our hearts are growing cold.”

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“The fact that I’m only the second woman to be given this honour is merely a reflection of the prevailing zeitgeist, as is the odious suggestion in some quarters that the eligibility of our esteemed colleagues Waleed Aly and Lee Lin Chin to be considered for the Gold is questionable. But things are clearly changing – here we are – but they’re changing glacially slowly. The great things about glaciers though is if you’re not on them, you go under. I’ve been riding that glacier for 40 years and I’m staying on top of it.”

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“Shows featuring clips of dogs and cats works because dogs and cats are real and recognisable. They’re spontaneous and truly alive. There’s no fakery, no concocted animosity or competition, no tricky lighting, just lots of love.”

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“Here’s my pitch: I’d love a channel that features nothing but stories that inspire us and reassure us and our children that there are good things happening and good things in the world. I know it’s a lot to ask for, but at the very least a show that tries to address this overwhelming imbalance that counters bad news with good. That encourages optimism, not pessimism. That restores our empathy our love for our fellow human beings and the earth. That redefines reality. That heals our hearts. And, by the way, I’m available.”

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“There are plenty of vigorous advocates for the cause of division. I’m a vigorous advocate for the cause of unity.”

Check back into Junkee for more Logies coverage.