Okay, before I say anything, I am very sorry that Steve Irwin has died.  The death of any person particularly leaving a wife and young children is tragic.  But I have been frankly amazed at the tenor of the response to his death.  And I think that it seems to say something about the nature and substance of celebrity in the Australian culture.  Because the outflowing of affection and eulogies for the Crocodile Hunter has dwarfed the reactions on the recent deaths of what I would consider to be key Australian public figures. 

My email yesterday afternoon contained a media release from the PM following the sudden death of Steve Irwin.  And a glowing tribute it was also (all emphasis mine):

I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the sudden death of Steve Irwin today.

Steve Irwin captured the imagination of Australia and the world through his television appearances as The Crocodile Hunter.

He entertained millions of people with an unconventional style that helped him become a household name around the world.

Steve was also a passionate environmentalist who used his television programmes and his award-winning Australia Zoo to promote a serious conservation message.

He made an extraordinary contribution to creating a widespread appreciation of the value and uniqueness of Australian wildlife.

Steve was a dynamic personality who will be greatly missed by his legion of fans in Australia and around the world. He will also be missed by the many charities and community groups he supported.

On behalf of myself and my wife and the Government, I extend to Steve’s wife Terri and their two children Bindi and Robert our deepest sympathy.

And I couldn’t help comparing it to another Howard media release on the occasion of the death of a prominent Australian, which came out just last week

The death of Don Chipp at the age of 81 has taken from the Australian political scene a colourful, compassionate figure.

He was elected to the House of Representatives in a by-election in 1960, succeeding Mr Thomas (Frank) Timson, as the Member for Higinbotham. For many years a Liberal minister, serving in the Holt, Gorton, McMahon Governments and the caretaker Fraser Government, Don Chipp will be best remembered as the founder of the Australian Democrats.

Don Chipp could not be readily typecast on issues except perhaps his very strong commitment to the environment. He believed that there was an important place for a third force in Australian politics. The validity or otherwise of that proposition will quite naturally be subject to continuing debate.

To me Don Chipp’s most enduring quality was his relentless passion and commitment to issues. Until the very end he had strong beliefs and strong opinions concerning issues of public policy.

Don Chipp made a significant contribution to public life in Australia. I know that his many friends and colleagues in the Australian Democrats will miss him greatly.

To his wife Idun and Mr Chipp’s six children, Debbie, John, Greg, Melissa, Juliet and Laura, I extend for myself, my wife and the Government as a whole our deepest sympathy for their great loss.

Don Chipp’s family has accepted the Government’s offer of a state funeral.

Is it just me?  I can’t help but think that if you were just going from these press releases, you would think (but for the mention of the state funeral - though that has subsequently been offered) that Steve Irwin was a more important public figure than Don Chipp.  He certainly seems to warrant more affection and sadness from John than the fella who is getting a state funeral.  Don’s release even includes a half-hearted dig at the value of his contribution to politics.

The papers today have contained pages of tributes, stories and analysis.  And, try as I might, I am finding it difficult to understand what it is about such a character which provokes national mourning of the kind which appears to have been in evidence.  At best you can describe Irwin as an environmental campaigner, but mostly he was a zoo operator and media identity.

I don’t have any easy answers to this, but I wonder whether he was feted more than Don Chipp and others simply because it is easier to distill as a symbol of Australia someone who was largely uncontroversial.  Sure, he supported John Howard, but he was never really in conflict with anyone (unless you were planning to make a false customs declaration).  And yet, it would be hard to honestly describe him as a “hero”, a “leader” or a “visionary”.  A lot of the papers and comments have resorted to calling him “uniquely Australian” or similar.  This is curious because, while being a crocodile hunter lends itself to living in Australia, there is no doubt that it is hardly representative of the life experience of typical Australians.

I don’t think that we always do well at recognising and embracing our flawed heroes and true leaders.  Perhaps it is easier to pin our patriotism on the death of a larrakin wildlife documentary maker who at least some people thought a bit of a tool.  Would our culture ever provide the same sort of recognition for someone who was working tirelessly with the poor, or do we require celebrity and fame first and foremost?

I have a sinking feeling that the coming days will see more “Aussie” endorsements of Steve Irwin until he becomes the epitome of Mother Theresa wrapped in an Australian flag.  Again, none of this is anti-Steve - just an expression of my own surprise at the type and depth of reaction to the death of a documentary maker.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 5th, 2006 at 2:00 pm by dan and is filed under oz politics and society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.