Australian diplomats spend $20,000 to fly didgeridoo player to India for brief performance
Written by admin on September 1, 2024
Australian diplomats spent nearly $20,000 of taxpayer money to fly a didgeridoo performer to India for a brief performance earlier this year.
The event was hosted by the Australian consulate in Chennai in partnership with the Centre for Australia-India Relations (CAIR), which is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), to celebrate the upcoming ‘Summer of Cricket’.
Australian didgeridoo player Ronald Murray was brought to India for the event to give the audience “a taste of Australia’s Indigenous culture”, according to a DFAT official.
The CAIR had a budget of $40,000 for the event, nearly half of which was spent on Mr Murray’s performance at the start.
Documents released under freedom-of-information laws reveal CAIR spent $8840 on Mr Murray’s flights and accommodation, and a further $11,086 in performance fees.
Opposition waste spokesman James Stevens said in a statement that “$20,000 is an extreme amount of money to spend on a brief musical performance”.
“There are many ways to showcase Australian culture, but flying someone to India to play the didgeridoo is extravagant and excessive,” Mr Stevens said.
“Whilst it is important to showcase Australia’s proud heritage, it can certainly be done in a more affordable way.”
It’s not the first time Mr Murray has performed in Chennai.
Footage uploaded to social media by the Chennai Times showed Mr Murray performing at Madras University in 2019.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the 2019 performance was also sponsored by DFAT.
DFAT has been contacted for comment.
Mr Murray is a well known didgeridoo performer who has showcased his skills at the MCG and the AFL Grand Final.
“Ron is a much loved and highly respected Victorian Indigenous educator, storyteller and musician,” his booking agency profile states. “He is in demand as a speaker, sharing his knowledge of Indigenous culture with passion, honesty and humour.”
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He lists some of his career highlights as “performing for the Queen, Muhammad Ali, Yusam Islam and Sir Bob Geldof”.
“Indigenous perspectives on the environment, history and justice, are important themes in my work,” he says. “As a didgeridoo performer, it is natural for me to interweave music and storytelling.”
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