‘I am a musician, not a politician’: Guy Sebastian defends appearance at Scott Morrison funding announcement

Guy Sebastian has broken his silence after backlash following his appearance with PM Scott Morrison during a controversial funding announcement for the arts sector.

Pop star Guy Sebastian has defended his appearance at the Prime Minister’s press conference in Rooty Hill this morning, arguing he was there to “provide perspective” and “support his colleagues”.

The Voice coach, who rose to fame as the winner of the first season of Australian Idol and now serves as a coach on prominent talent show The Voice, stood behind the PM as he announced a $250 million package to boost the struggling arts sector on Thursday.

The singer was slammed online as a “scab” after he was seen nodding throughout the press conference before praising Scott Morrison for the funding.

“Firstly, I would like to thank you guys, especially you Prime Minister, for listening … you really were, and that was evident the other day when we jumped on that Zoom call,” Mr Sebastian said.

“You really did hear us out, you heard all the challenges we were facing.”

Mr Sebastian said the funding would help many get back to work, and showed the industry had not been forgotten.

While his presence was clearly welcomed by the Prime Minister, others took to social media to register their disgust, labelling the reality star a “the Scott Cam of the music world” and claiming they would be removing his songs off their devices.

Today was going fine, but now I have to break it to my 9 year old that Guy Sebastian is a scab, as we delete all his songs from her Apple music.

— Maxine Beneba Clarke (@slamup) June 25, 2020

#NowPlaying Being A Scab Brought Me Here - Guy Sebastian

— egnocchi 👁👄👁 (@enochmailangi) June 25, 2020

Guy Sebastian is the now the Scott Cam of the music world.

— David Caldicott (@ACTINOSProject) June 25, 2020

Mr Sebastian defended his appearance in a statement to NCA Newswire, declaring: “I am a musician, not a politician.”

“My attendance today at the press conference was to provide perspective of the deep-seated economic hardship that has crippled the entertainment industry due to the COVID pandemic,” he said.

“The whole industry from tech crew to musicians and all those that consult to the entertainment community are in serious need of stimulus. The objective of my involvement today is to support my colleagues and industry at large.”

Guy Sebastian has been widely criticised for his appearance at the event, with the funding plan derided as too little too late by many in the arts sector.

Under the new funding plan, artists and entertainers will be able to apply for $90 million worth of concessional loans to fund new productions, provided through commercial banks with a 100 per cent Commonwealth guarantee.

Another $75 million will be made available in grants from the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund to produce new concerts, tours, festivals and events. The grants range from $75,000 to $2 million.

Commonwealth-funded arts organisations across music, circus, dance and arts will be eligible for a slice of $35 million in direct grants, and $50 million will go towards helping film and television projects secure funding and resume production.

While the government believes the funding will help kickstart Australia’s struggling entertainment industry, the package has been slammed by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance as “a slap in the face” that would benefit organisations more than workers.

The Voice was affected by the global pandemic, with international coaches Kelly Rowland and Boy George choosing to head home as borders began to close.

The coaches dialled into the shows via video link, with local talent The Veronicas and Marcia Hines stepping in to help mentor the contestants in their place.

Live audiences were also cut, with fans encouraged to send in videos of themselves cheering instead.

Mr Sebastian hit back at claims he was a “scab”, declaring: “I am a musician, not a politician” and noting he attended the press conference to support his colleagues and the wider industry

Guy Sebastian was cancelled way back when he stole the crown from Shannon Noll. Jus’sayin..

— thaterinchick (@sackameat) June 25, 2020