Shaquille O’Neal, a former NBA player who now works as an ambassador for a gambling firm, was met by Anthony Albanese, who was denounced by a talkback radio host as being patronizing and cringeworthy.
The former NBA great, who is in Australia for a series of casino speaking engagements as a result of his lucrative position as the brand ambassador for sports betting business PointsBet, was wheeled out to a news conference on Saturday to endorse the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
He murmured a few lines about loving Australia and God instead of endorsing the Voice.
Aboriginal MPs have criticized the action as “divisive” and weird, saying it was intended to increase support for the Voice among young Australians.
Station 2GB On Monday morning, Sydney resident Ben Fordham joined his critique, saying: “It was cringeworthy.” It was overdone.
O’Neal sought the meeting in Sydney on Saturday, according to Mr. Albanese, in an effort to learn more about the planned Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
And I believe that everyone was asking what Shaquille O’Neal had to do with having a voice in the Australian Parliament.
This is a really significant problem. It is also a delicate subject. Australians also wish to give the proposition due consideration. However, the Prime Minister did not adequately convey it.
“At first he refused to provide any information on how the voice to Parliament would operate, and now he comes out the Shaq assault,” he said.
Bringing in an American star to attempt to appeal to an Australian audience is so insulting.
“And I believe that’s how most people felt, that it was condescending,” the speaker said.
Pictured with Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney (left) and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is NBA great Shaquille O’Neal (center) (right)
Mr. Albanese intends to create the Voice, an elected body of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who will advise the Parliament.
He wants to include the body in the Constitution, which would need a vote from Australians.
Senators Lidia Thorpe of the Green Party and Jacinta Price of the Coalition, both of whom are Aboriginal, were among those who criticized the meeting with O’Neal.
As the argument became more heated, Senator Thorpe criticized O’Neal for interjecting himself.
She said on Twitter that she believed a Black guy entering our nation would be more respectful to First Nations people than becoming involved in a contentious issue and separating our people.
I hope you take the time to make things right. Ill advised. We don’t visit your nation and meddle in your affairs.
Lidia Thorpe, a Victoria-based senator for the Australian Greens, raises her arm as she takes her oath of office in the Senate chamber of Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on August 1, 2022.
Despite firmly endorsing the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, Senator Thorpe seemed to believe that the basketball great done more damage than good.
Prior to the meeting, Senator Price attempted to derail it by claiming that “desperate circumstances call for desperate methods.”
The recently elected Country Liberal senator was very critical of the prime minister, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney, and the person known as Shaq. She opposes an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
“It reveals how stupid and out of touch they both are,” she added, “if the PM and the Minister for Indigenous Australians believe Shaq’s expertise with “raising people up who are marginalized” is the key to obtaining Yes votes for the Voice.”
I have no doubt that Shaq is a great guy, but it seems a little condescending to ask a black American to assist with black Australians as if skin color were the only factor.
Indigenous Australians, according to Ms. Price, are more like Native Americans than African Americans.
When confronted with such severe challenges, she said Mr. Albanese and Ms. Burney, an indigenous woman, should feel embarrassed for their “such shallowness with no substance.”
Ms. Burney made things considerably lighter-hearted by sharing a photo of herself on social media with Mr. Albanese and O’Neal.
You don’t get to shake hands with NBA superstar Shaq every day, she remarked.
The four-time NBA champion spoke about basketball, philanthropy, and his interest in the First Nations Voice.
“I hope he appreciates the South Sydney NRL club shirt, the killer boomerang crafted by 25-year-old Wiradjuri artist Josh Evans, and both of these gifts,” she said.
According to Mr. Albanese, O’Neal asked for a meeting in Sydney to hear more about the planned Voice to Parliament plebiscite.
At the brief picture session, the 2.11m monster overshadowed both Mr. Albanese and the little Ms. Burney.
On this occasion, Shaq showed himself to be a man of few words, although he did make an intriguing gesture by allowing Ms. Burney’s hand to lightly brush his forehead.
The meeting, according to Mr. Albanese, was successful. He said: “It was a really pleasant chat,
He is curious about this nation since this is his second trip to Australia.
He is aware of our warmth and generosity and sought to learn more about the topic of the Voice discussion by speaking with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Indigenous Affairs personally.
It is a very nice conversation about how the world perceives Australia.
Though many of the Facebook commentators on Ms. Burney’s page backed him, several questioned why they were exploiting O’Neal to promote Australian politics.
Anthony Albanese and Shaquille O’Neal at a press conference in Sydney