Prime Minister Tony Abbott celebrated Australia Day on Monday with two unusual decisions. First, he made Queen Elizabeth II's husband an Australian knight, then he referred to social media as "digital graffiti."
The announcement that the Duke of Edinburgh would be awarded Australia's highest honor on Australia's national holiday prompted some observers to question the wisdom of knighting a British royal on a day intended to commemorate their fellow countrymen.
"It's a time warp where we're giving knighthoods to English royalty," Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told Fairfax Radio. "On Australia Day, we're talking about Australia, Australian identity. The government's managed to find a British royal to give a medal to, a knighthood to."
Adam Giles, government head of the Northern Territory, questioned whether he'd confused his holidays.
"I woke up this morning and read the wires and I thought it was April Fool's Day," he said. "I think it takes away from the legitimacy of the knighthood role. I think it makes a bit of a joke in a range of areas."
And Terri Butler, lawmaker with the opposition Labor party, tweeted her own puzzlement: "He didn't really knight a prince, did he?"
The rest of Australia was just as puzzled, venting their confusion on Twitter.
Prince Philip in his budgie smuggling days #noneedtothankme pic.twitter.com/Qz9PWNTRTV— James Jeffrey (@James_Jeffrey) January 26, 2015
Prince Philip is like "Frankly I am not amused by all this fuss. I've never been fond of Austria."— Paul Webster (@p_webs) January 25, 2015
Congratulations Prince Philip on your knighthood, and congratulations the Middle Ages on becoming a thing again!— Jesse Thompson (@jethom17) January 25, 2015
I want to be angry about Prince Philip being made a Knight of Australia, but I'm too busy laughing to be honest! :) pic.twitter.com/9lesqwOUWt— John Anthony James (@JohnJamesOZ) January 25, 2015
Arise, Sir Prince Philip! Honestly, you couldn't make this stuff up! Well played, Tones. Keeping political satire alive and well.— Rohan Connolly (@rohan_connolly) January 25, 2015
What next? Will Abbott make his horse a Senator? #auspol— Dave Noonan (@DaveNoonanCFMEU) January 25, 2015
So now Tony Abbott has made Prince Philip a knight, we're finally all convinced he's a piece of horrifying immersive performance art, right?— Jodi McAlister (@JodiMcA) January 25, 2015
Despite the criticism, Abbott insisted the prince was a good friend of Australia and has a long history of service Down Under.
"The monarchy has been an important part of Australia's life since 1788," Abbott said. "And Prince Philip has been a great servant of Australia. He's been a great servant of all the countries of the Commonwealth. Here in this country, he's the patron of hundreds of organizations."
The Order of Australia — the nation's official honor system — first introduced the titles of knight and dame in 1976, and awarded 14 people those honors until the categories were abolished a decade later. Abbott reinstated them last year.
Following the online backlash over the Prince Philip decision, Abbott described social media as "electronic graffiti," much to the amusement of digital-savvy Australians.
"I'll leave social media to its own devices. Social media is kind of like electronic graffiti and I think that in the media, you make a big mistake to pay too much attention to social media," Abbott said at a press conference on Australia Day. "You wouldn't report what's sprayed up on the walls of buildings."
This, naturally, set off another Twitter eruption of mockery.
(with apologies to #banksy) #electronicgraffiti #zerolikes pic.twitter.com/pdK8tETKk6— Scott Ludlam (@SenatorLudlam) January 26, 2015
today we are all #electronicgraffiti— Scott Ludlam (@SenatorLudlam) January 26, 2015
*changes Twitter bio* Electronic graffiti artist.— Michelle Rowland (@MRowlandMP) January 26, 2015
"Social media is like electronic graffiti" pic.twitter.com/1TOJsQWKQZ— Rob Stott (@Rob_Stott) January 26, 2015
Unfortunately for Abbott, this kind of "graffiti" is rather more widely seen -- and harder to remove -- than the kind found on the back of a toilet door.
-- with The Associated Press