"Australia (Whore of the World)" is a

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

written by singer-songwriter John Gordon and released in late 2010. The song laments Australia's mining culture – especially

coal mining in Australia Coal is mined in every state of Australia. The largest black coal resources occur in Queensland and New South Wales. About 70% of coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia, and of the balance most is used in electricity gener ...

and coal exports – likening the country to a 'mining whore'. It has featured in a wide variety of Australian press and online media, including mining forums, and continues to garner attention due to its controversial and provocative message. Music press have hailed the song as one of the great contemporary Australian protest songs. The Melbourne Age went as far as to say that

Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by ...

's '

Blue Sky Mine "Blue Sky Mine" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, released in February 1990 as the first single from their seventh studio album, '' Blue Sky Mining'' (1990). The song was inspired by the experiences of workers at the Wittenoom asb ...

' has nothing on 'Australia (Whore of the World)'. The song was banned by ABC Local Radio Southern Queensland (

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

) as being too provocative for a conservative audience. ABC Southern Queensland encompasses the

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

and

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generall ...

region which is the region where Gordon hails from originally and where he has performed the song at a number of anti-mining rallies. The song received airplay in other parts of Australia from the ABC, and has been showcased on the national flagship ABC Environment website. In May 2011, Gordon contested the Toowoomba ruling, the case currently going before the independent ABC Consumer and Audience review board, to no avail. "Australia (Whore of the World)" was recorded using only

pump organ The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

(harmonium) and guitar as vocal accompaniment. The song was written in the

Ngaanyatjarra The Ngaanyatjarra, also known (along with the Pini) as the Nana, are an Indigenous Australian cultural group of Western Australia. They are located in the Goldfields-Esperance region, as well as Northern Territory. Language Ngaanyatjarra is ...

lands of Western Australia where Gordon worked in music production and development.

References

External links

Mining Australia – Website

Mining Policy Institute – Website

SBS World Service – Website

Down To Earth Magazine, India – Website

Music NT Link
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australia 2010 songs Songs about Australia Protest songs