Panel with Clint Stanaway and Scott Emerson, Weekend Today
6 May 2023
CLINT STANAWAY: Welcome back to Weekend Today on this Saturday morning, the crowns they have been shined, the military prepped, the gold state cup roll. All that's left now is for King Charles the third and Queen Camilla to be crowned at Westminster Abbey today while the world watches and with the event now just hours away excitement is certainly building here at home as well to discuss let's bring in today's talkers. Victoria and Senator Jane Hume and commentator Scott Emerson. Good morning to you both. Jane, it's a special day, I want to start with you in a chilly yet beautiful Melbourne. King Charles has been waiting more than 70 years for this very moment. No doubt it'll be one of the most significant events of the century. Are you excited?
JANE HUME: I'm terribly excited. I'm having a one woman tiara party this evening. I'm going to be making Coronation chicken; dicing the dried apricot, pulling out the Keen’s mustard, mixing it with the mayonnaise. I'm actually very excited about this and so should all Australians be because it is a once in a lifetime event and if you're under the age of 70, you have never lived through this before. So we should be celebrating and this is a new head of state and it's his coronation and I think we should be excited.
CLINT STANAWAY: Excited. It's very important Scott as well. No doubt several dress rehearsals have gone into this. Months of preparations must be said no one does pomp and pageantry quite like the Brits. How are you feeling ahead of tonight?
SCOTT EMERSON: Look, I'm fascinated by it. I'm a Republican but I appreciate the history of this. As I was talking to my 95 year old dad the other day about this and of course he was alive at the last coronation in 1953, heard it on the radio. He's going to be watching tonight. I might have a chat to him about it all but we'll get together and watch it. So much history, you know going back hundreds of thousands for 1000 years, and that's what I'll be looking forward to.
CLINT STANAWAY: So as a Republican, you still happy to embrace the occasion then?
SCOTT EMERSON: Oh look, I understand the significance. I hope that at some stage we are a republic here in Australia, minimalist Republican that I am. But looking can't deny. What we're going to see tonight. As Jane said it is an event of a century you know 70, more than 70 years since the last one. Who knows what we'll see another one is something I will watch. If you go into the history of this. There's so much that's fascinating by it, whether you're a constitutional monarchist or republican.
CLINT STANAWAY: I want to get your opinion on this New South Wales Government has decided not to light up the sails of the Sydney Opera House in honor of the King's Coronation. So apparently it's a cost saving measure. Jane, I want to get your thoughts on this. What do you think?
JANE HUME: Yeah, look, I'm a little bit disappointed. I have to say we light up the Sydney Opera House for all sorts of events and it’s sort of got to the stage where we light it up if somebody wins 30 bucks on a scratchy. So I think that this would have been a respectful gesture. I understand though, that energy prices are soaring, particularly in New South Wales at the moment and there does need to be a cost saving measure taken of some sort. I would have hoped that you know, potentially they would have done something about power prices, getting power prices down would have been a better solution rather than not respecting this really important event.
CLINT STANAWAY: Scott to you now, is there more to this do you think? I mean, these images please those images would have been beamed around the world.
SCOTT EMERSON: Of course there is more than that. You know we've seen horse races on the sails of the Opera House there.
CLINT STANAWAY: What’s going on?
SCOTT EMERSON: A lot more, look I mean this is Chris Minns and probably you know, people who are anti the monarchy and in didn't want him to. It sets an extraordinarily high bar. It'd be fascinating to see over the next couple of years with Minns’ premiership. What else he puts up on the Opera House puts up there and then anyway, you point back to so you couldn't put it up for the coronation of the king of Australia. But you're happy to put it up for this and that over the next three or so more years. Let's see what he does. But I'll look it's it's much more than I think it is a snub. These images would have been as you say beamed across the world. A great promotion for Australia, a great promotion for Sydney. And I think it's just a bit petty to be honest.
CLINT STANAWAY: Hey Jane you’re in AFL Heartland this morning in Melbourne. The AFL is banned nine fans for life this season after this crackdown on racial abuse of players from the stance that comes up the code adopted this zero tolerance approach towards racism saying enough is enough. Was it the right move?
JANE HUME: Well, I look at footy time as family time. I think more and more we tend to expect better behavior not just from the players but also from the crowds. And look, the AFL wouldn't make this decision if it didn't have good reason to do so if these people weren't repeat offenders and we're offending those around them ruining their day, their footy experience.
CLINT STANAWAY: You're a Saints fan aren’t you Jane?
JANE HUME: I am.
CLINT STANAWAY: Have you been to any footy matches and seen any unruly behavior?
JANE HUME: I guess I have but it's got less and less over the years and I think that there is a much greater expectation on the behavior of fans than ever has been before. And rightly so. These people are athletes. It doesn't matter what race they are. They are athletes and we should admire them for their skill and their dexterity and their commitment to the game. We don't need to be talking about their race.
CLINT STANAWAY: Hey Scott, in other news, the producers of children's cartoon series Bluey they've removed a controversial scene from an episode over criticisms of fat shaming. In that episode the characters could be seen weighing themselves before expressing their disappointment. The team has since released an edited episode. Do you think that was the right decision on their part?
SCOTT EMERSON: I must admit I'm old enough to remember when they say ‘Bluey’ I thought about lucky grills and the old comedy show, but I know that and I have seen a few episodes of bluey of course produced here in Brisbane. Oh look, I'm a big believer in being healthy and fit. And it seems to be the issue here is that they showed a scene of someone weighing themselves and saying "Oh, maybe I've got to do some exercise". I can't see the real dramas with that. But that's just the world we live in nowadays. Everything is fat-shaming or somebody else is being shame and let's just edit it all out. There's all a lot of political correctness out there at the moment. I think sometimes we go too far.
CLINT STANAWAY: Jane, Do you object?
JANE HUME: Oh look, I'm not psychologically scarred from all of those hours sitting in front of Scooby Doo back in the 1970s. I think that this is going a little bit too far. The thought police is really having a field day here. 'Bluey' is a great show. Kids love it. There are great messages in there. And looking after yourself physically should be one of them.
CLINT STANAWAY: Well said. Thank you so much. Enjoy your Coronation chicken or your tart or your quiche.