The storm surrounding the 2025 Queensland Music Awards has another twist, with a petition gathering thousands of signatures in support of Kellee Green, the jazz artist and teacher who was blasted from some sides following her politically-charged comments on stage.
As previously reported, Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Shrinner went on the attack following Green’s win in the jazz category last Tuesday night, and her subsequent acceptance speech during which she called out human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank.
Green was on hand for the awards at Fortitude Music Hall, where she won for the instrumental piece “River to Sea”, a phrase that has reportedly upset members of the Jewish community.
Last Thursday, the News Corp-owned Courier Mail published a story which questioned Green’s moral compass and the ceremony that showcased her.
Shrinner promptly issued a strongly worded statement in which he insinuated the ceremony had been “hijacked by extremists.”
The “promotion of antisemitism at Tuesday night’s Queensland Music Awards was utterly shameful and divisive,” wrote Schrinner, a member of the Liberal National Party. Council, he confirmed, would punish the QMAs by removing funding for the QMAs, to the tune of $25,000 each year.
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Not everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.
“We categorically reject Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s gross mischaracterisation of Green’s work as ‘an offensively titled anti-Jewish song,'” reads a petition launched by Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra.
“We likewise reject his allegation that Green’s acceptance featured ‘vile hate speech,” or that her win represented a ‘promotion of antisemitism’ or that the QMAs have been ‘hijacked by extremists.'”
Since the eventful award presentation, one of more than 30 categories announced on the night, Green is said to have been been subject to “unacceptable” acts of intimidation – an “attempted silencing” that “reflects a broader pattern of cultural repression,” the petition continues.
At the time of writing, the campaign has captured more than 2,000 signatures.
A separate petition on Change.org, launched Friday, March 28th by Cath Mundy OAM, calls for protection of freedom of expression for artists, “a right which should be granted unconditionally to all of us, regardless of our occupation,” reads the backgrounder.
Mundy’s petition has accumulated more than 100 signatures.
The BCC’s decision to remove funding for the QMAs was something “we are deeply saddened by,” reads a statement issued last Thursday from Kris Stewart, CEO of QMusic, producers of annual ceremony.
In an update to QMA members, distributed on Sunday, March 30th, Stewart noted that Green had “received a lot of media attention in the days since the awards,” and that supporting the artist “is a priority.”
The message continues, “we have remained in regular contact with Kellee following the QMAs to ensure she is supported and has access to professional support services. The safety and wellbeing of our members and the wider music community is our shared responsibility — if this event has impacted you and you need support, we encourage you to contact the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline.”
