Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson caused a stir in parliament on Wednesday with his satirical version of Billy Joel’s classic ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’, joining a long line of Australian politicians who have burst into song.
Former Labor minister Craig Emerson once muttered “no Whyalla wipeout” to the tune of Skyhooks’ ‘Horror Movie’ in response to Tony Abbott’s comment that the carbon tax would wipe the South Australian city off the map.
Bob Katter performed a laconic rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Bad Moon Rising’ in a 2018 Facebook video, changing the chorus to “There’s a crossbench on the rise”. Bill Shorten rapped to 50 Cent’s ‘In Da Club’ on a radio show in 2017, and Scott Morrison’s ukulele version of ‘April Sun in Cuba’ on 60 Minutes in 2022 was out of tune and met with criticism from the band Dragon.
Other notable performances include Linda Hurley leading a singalong of ‘You Are My Sunshine’, David Templeman’s parliamentary musical numbers, and Clare Scriven’s rendition of ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ with South Australian towns. Former Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett also looms large in this tradition.
