Right: Shaquille O'Neal is popular with children and teenagers and he has been praised for his committment to child welfare projects.
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Arguments against using Shaq O'Neal to promote the Indigenous Voice to Parliament
1. O'Neal has no knowledge of Indigenous Australia or the Voice to Parliament
Critics of the Albanese government using former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal to promote the Indigenous Voice to Parliament argue that the celebrity has no knowledge of the issue and no genuine connection with it.
Commentators have noted O'Neal's lack of former involvement with the issue. On August 29, 2022, Osman Faruqi, the culture news editor for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, commented on Shaq's brief TV appearance and his failure to show any awareness of the issue he was supposedly promoting. Faruqi writes, 'The fact [O'Neal] didn't mention the Voice, a referendum, or anything specific in public left many wondering the extent to which he was committed to the cause.' Indigenous Greens senator Lidia Thorpe similarly noted of O'Neal, 'He's come in and commenting on our politics in our own country which he knows nothing about except for a meeting with the Labor Party.'
On the same day, The Courier Mail published an irate comment from one of its regular columnists, Mike O'Connor. O'Connor ironically observed, 'How fortunate are we as a nation to have been treated to the wisdom of an American basketball player as it relates to matters affecting our Constitution.' O'Connor then, with equal irony, asked, 'When in need of sage advice on one of the most far reaching and significant issues to be considered by this country, one with the potential to impact the lives of all Australians, who better to turn to but a man who was paid millions of dollars to run up and down a basketball court and throw a ball through a hoop in a country 12,000km away?' Stressing O'Neal's lack of connection and expertise, O'Connor further wrote, 'I would contend that Mr O'Neal, aka Shaq, knows as much about Australian current affairs and its body politic as my pet budgie.' In a piece published in The West Australian on August 29, 2022, Hamish Spence noted O'Neal's rapid departure from the press conference where he appeared with the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Spence writes, 'O'Neal quickly left the press conference at its conclusion and did not take questions from media.
O'Neal only gave brief and vague comments at the start of the press conference and did not explicitly address the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
"I'm here in your country, whatever you need from me, just let me know," he said.'
O'Neal's lack of knowledge or connection with Indigenous Australia has been stressed by Sky News host Chris Smith. On August 29, 2022, Smith stated, 'Shaq is not a First Nations Australian, he is not even a First Nations American. What would he know about the unique challenges facing Indigenous Australians, the failed history of well-funded Indigenous agencies and Commissions?' Smith further challenged, 'And what would he know about what's going on in rural and remote communities? Not much at all.'
Another Sky News contributor, James Macpherson, made a related point the day before, arguing that O'Neal's background was so dissimilar to that of Indigenous and most other Australians that he was an unsuitable advocate. Macpherson stated, 'A multi-millionaire African American celebrity from downtown LA - best known in Australia for peddling gambling apps - can't effectively communicate to ordinary Australians about oppression, equality, and the need to change the legal framework by which Australia is governed.' A columnist for the Australian, Janet Albrechtsen, has similarly condemned Anthony Albanese for 'wasting time by wheeling out Shaquille O'Neal. The American former basketball player won't have a clue about our governance rule book, otherwise known as our Constitution, let alone the extent of disadvantage in Indigenous communities.' 2. O'Neal is currently promoting gambling
Those who oppose O'Neal being used to promote the Indigenous Voice to Parliament argue that some of his public actions have been ill-judged and make him an unsuitable person to endorse the cause.
One of the principal reasons offered for O'Neal's unsuitability is that he has been a promoter of gambling. Indigenous Greens senator, Lidia Thorpe, has highlighted O'Neal's association with gambling and the harm that gambling addiction causes large numbers of Indigenous people. Thorpe has stated, 'He's here for a speaking tour, good on him, and he's also here for PointsBet which is about gambling, which is about destroying families.'
O'Neal became an ambassador for the Australian gambling company Pointsbet in January 2021, taking a stake in the businesses as part of this arrangement. He has featured in several Pointsbet TV advertisements in Australia, including one where he bets online while having a massage, fixing a car, and playing golf. He also represents US betting firm WynnBet. PointsBet's chief marketing officer and co-founder Andrew Fahey has stated, 'Shaq is an iconic figure in the worlds of sports and entertainment and was our clear number one pick to represent the PointsBet brand in Australia... US sports, particularly professional basketball, continue to be the fastest-growing betting sport in Australia, and we are very excited to align with such a transcendent athlete.'
In 2021, O'Neal boasted of betting $1 million on a mixed martial arts fight and winning. He did not disclose how much he won through the wager and denied tampering with the fight by speaking to the man he had bet on. The admission to making a million dollar bet was made while O'Neal was a guest on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'
O'Neal also claims to have spent and lost over $200,000 in just one night at the casino tables. When subsequently interviewed about his losses, O'Neal claimed that he does not worry about his losses and that gambling is fun. Opponents of O'Neal's involvement as an advocate for The Voice have stressed the harm that gambling causes Indigenous Australians and have been critical of the mixed messages being sent if O'Neal is used to promote Indigenous agency while at the same time promoting gambling. The lobby group Advance Australia has stated, 'Shaq is the face of an Australian gambling company. Clearly, Albo [Prime Minister Anthony Albanese] didn't consider the fact that an estimated 20 per cent of Indigenous Australians are problem gamblers compared to only 2 per cent in the wider population.'
In November 2014, The Australian Institute of Family Studies released a paper which noted that problem gambling and gambling-related harms are much more common among Indigenous Australians than in the wider Australian population. The study noted that severe negative consequences may spread from problem and at-risk gambling, rippling through relationships, families and communities. It was found that of those designated as problem gamblers, one-half did not pay or put off urgent bills and argued about gambling within their household. Smaller groups reported incidents of violence, separation, divorce, job losses, or eviction because of gambling.
Critics have cited the apparent alliance between Australian state and federal governments and the gambling industry as an explanation of Prime Minister Albanese's inappropriate use of O'Neal. On September 19, 2022, Tanveer Ahmed, writing for the Financial Review, stated, 'Shaquille O'Neal...with our prime minister, while being sponsored by one of the world's biggest online betting companies, PointsBet, is a sad indictment of our political defeat.'
3. O'Neal's involvement is an insult to Indigenous Australians
Several Indigenous Australians have complained that conferring with an American celebrity and using him to promote advances for Indigenous Australians insults the Indigenous community.
Critics have claimed that Indigenous representatives are likely to feel displaced by external spokespeople. In a comment published in The Conversation on August 29, 2022, Keith Rathbone and Averill Gordon, senior lecturers at the Auckland University of Technology, stated, 'The government must...take care that any Voice spokespeople, including O'Neal, do not replace the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander people.... Indigenous politicians from across the political spectrum have illustrated the complexity of this issue in Australia and the unsuitability of O'Neal as a commentator on it.'
Those who object to Mr O'Neal's involvement argue that using him to promote this cause demeans Indigenous Australians who are directly involved in this issue. Indigenous Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe has stated, 'It's an insult to blackfellas in this country...he's come in and commenting on our politics in our own country which he knows nothing about.'
Ms Thorpe has also complained directly to Mr O'Neal, stating, 'Thought a black man coming to our country would be more respectful to First Nations people than interfering in what is a controversial topic, dividing our people...Ill advised, hope you take the time to set it right. We don't come to your country and interfere in your business.'
According to this argument, the government has consulted with someone outside the issue rather than dealing with all the relevant stakeholders in Australia. Indigenous Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe has further claimed that the Labor government had avoided conversations about the Voice with her and other Indigenous Australians. Ms. Thorpe has stated, 'Labor met with an American celebrity before speaking with First Nations politicians from this Country. Not once has Labor reached out to me to discuss the Voice. Still waiting, Labor.'
This point has also been made by Michael Mansell, the head of the Aboriginal Land Council, who has stated, 'We're getting no opportunity from the government to become involved, no one's telling us how or what the process is. Shaq's got greater access to the Prime Minister than the Aboriginal people on an Aboriginal issue. It just goes to show that Albanese has got more interest in the glitz and glamour rather than sitting down with Aboriginal people.'
Country Liberal Party Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, a Warlpiri/Celtic woman, has similarly stated, 'If the PM and the Minister for Indigenous Australians thinks Shaq's experience with "lifting people up who are marginalized" is the answer to winning "yes" votes for the Voice, then it demonstrates just how clueless and out-of-touch they both are with what the needs of Aboriginal Australians are.'
Senator Price has further stated, 'I've no doubt Shaq's a top bloke, but it's a bit insulting to call on a black American to help with black Australians as if this is all about the colour of one's skin.'
4. O'Neal's involvement trivialises the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament
There have been numerous commentators, politicians and Indigenous spokespeople who have argued that using O'Neal to promote the Indigenous Voice to Parliament will discourage the Australian electorate from taking the issue seriously and wastes an opportunity to genuinely inform voters and provoke discussion. It has also been argued that those Australians who already recognise the issue's importance will be irritated and disappointed by the government's trivialising approach.
It has been claimed that O'Neal's obvious lack of involvement with the issue will lead some Australians to see it as unimportant. Former National Party leader Barnaby Joyce presented this view, asking, 'Are you selling McDonald's or changing the Constitution?' He then asked, 'Why are we having a multi-millionaire American basketball star over here to talk about how we run our Constitution ... how could (Labor) possibly think that would do anything but inspire cynicism?'
An editorial published in The West Australian on August 30, 2022, similarly argued, 'The critics are right. What people want is details and a mature debate. The O'Neal play was the kind of stunt that the public came to expect from the "Scotty from Marketing" era of politics.' Numerous commentators have additionally argued that using an uniformed US sports celebrity to promote the Indigenous Voice to Parliament denies Australians the opportunity to be genuinely informed by a knowledgeable local spokesperson. On August 29, 2022, the ABC's political reporter Dana Morse wrote, 'Those undecided in the broader Australian population are looking to First Nations leaders to guide them on this, and in a sport-obsessed country you can see why securing an ambassador is an attractive option. However, it seems like a missed opportunity not to approach one of the many homegrown First Nations sporting superstars to lend their support to the campaign.'
This same point was made in a Sydney Morning Herald editorial published on August 29, 2022. The editorial states, 'It is inevitable that the views of celebrities get public attention. But O'Neal's intervention, endorsed by the federal government, risks trivialising a crucial national debate. Famous people routinely feature in political campaigns - the push to legalise same-sex marriage is a recent case in point. However, some of the most powerful and moving influences on the same-sex marriage vote came from the grassroots, such as testimonies of support from the fathers of gay men...Well-known individuals might help promote arguments for the Voice among segments of the electorate not usually engaged much with politics. But this vital national discussion must not become a celebrity-athon.'
Other commentators have argued that Australians will react negatively to this treatment of the issue, seeing it as patronizing. Concern has been expressed that the electorate will be alienated by the government's use of O'Neal's endorsement and will condemn the government for a lack of seriousness. Radio 2GB Sydney's commentator Ben Fordham has stated, 'everyone was wondering, what on earth does Shaquille O'Neal have to do with a voice to Parliament in Australia?
This is a serious issue. It is also a sensitive issue. And Australians want to consider the proposal properly. But the Prime Minister has failed to present it properly... How patronizing wheeling out an American celebrity to try to win over an Aussie audience.'
A similar point was made by Gemma Tognini writing for Sky News in a piece published on August 30, 2022. Tognini writes, 'Most of us, including some very senior Indigenous leaders have asked for more detail. But instead of engaging and delivering that detail, we got told: Hey everyone, Shaq thinks it's a great idea, oh and by the way, the world is watching...This is an issue for Australians to wrestle with and ultimately decide. We don't need to be warned that the "world is watching us". We don't need to be guilted into a decision.
In that one day, the Prime Minister cheapened and diminished the conversation. It diminishes the hundreds of people who have and continue to invest their time, heart and skill into this important process and conversation.'
5. O'Neal's contentious public profile makes him a problematic advocate for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament
Those who oppose Shaquille O'Neal's involvement in promoting the Indigenous Voice to Parliament argue that various aspects of his past public conduct make him unsuitable for this role. In addition to his highly publicized promotion of gambling, O'Neal has been accused of racism and homophobia. Further, some argue that his politically conservative attitudes also make him unsuitable to support the Voice.
Several social commentators have remarked on O'Neal's contentious public profile. In a comment published in The Conversation on August 29, 2022, Keith Rathbone and Averill Gordon, senior lecturers at the Auckland University of Technology, stated,'[O'Neal] has made some foolish decisions...over the years: his feud with Kobe Bryant filled the tabloids for years...and he has made and apologised for a range of racist or possibly homophobic comments.'
Regarding O'Neal's supposed racism, he was involved in accusations of racism in 2003 and asked to make a public apology. The Organisation of Chinese Americans (OCA) called on O'Neal to apologise after he had verbally abused Houston Rockets rival Yao Ming who is Chinese. O'Neal admitted to having taunted Yao with 'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.' The OCA claimed that this taunt 'was racially offensive and particularly hurtful to the millions of Asian Americans' in the United States. Subsequently, the OCA considered O'Neal's initial apology inadequate releasing a public statement and calling on the NBA to take a pro-active approach toward racism. The statement claimed, 'Rather than sincerely apologise for being insensitive and unaware of the hurtful impact of what he claims was a joke, Mr O'Neal issued a statement blaming those who accuse him of making inappropriate remarks and of misunderstanding his humour.' Charlene Tsang-Kao, the president of Houston's OCA chapter, added that O'Neal 'also attempted to excuse his behaviour by claiming he is not the first and only one to use these words.'
Ten years later, on January 2, 2013, O'Neal posted a cartoon about proper conduct in a urinal on Facebook. In the drawing, one man uses the urinal directly next to another man, even though many others are available. O'Neal commented on the image, 'This is an automatic fight in my book.......LMFAO.' The posting prompted more than 1,015 comments in one day, most of them homophobic. Some comments condemned O'Neal for having posted the original image. One stated, 'Glad to know you like to start hate dialogue against gay people, Shaq. Just lost a fan here.'
Towleroad, a leading LGBT news and content site, observed, 'Though [O'Neal] may have not intended it, the post, which points out a common men's room faux pas avoided by straight and gay men alike, has encouraged and produced hateful dialogue against the latter.' The post caused significant confusion among O'Neal's fan base. O'Neal had previously taken a public stand against discrimination and harassment of homosexuals. In October 2011, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), America's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, revealed a new public service announcement (PSA) featuring NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal speaking out against anti-LGBT bullying. As part of the announcement, O'Neal stated, 'Millions of gay and transgender youth are made to feel like they don't fit in every day.'
O'Neal's apparently anti-gay Facebook post two years later left supporters and others uncertain of his real attitude toward homosexuality.Finally, it has been noted that O'Neal is not a supporter of racially progressive positions in the United States. O'Neal does not support former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's refusal to stand for the United States national anthem as a protest against the mistreatment of African Americans. O'Neal has noted that he was raised by a stepfather in the military and that he has police officers in his immediate family and would not be comfortable taking a position against constituted authorities.
In a comment published in The Conversation on August 29, 2022, Keith Rathbone and Averill Gordon, senior lecturers at the Auckland University of Technology, stated, 'O'Neal has previously been tied to more conservative causes. He is a strong supporter of police and sheriff's departments across the United States, including in Los Angeles, Miami and, controversially, Maricopa Country, Arizona... O'Neal's strong support for law enforcement, despite the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States, might make activists working in the Stop First Nations Deaths in Custody uncomfortable, as it has for many African Americans too.'