Ash Barty weighs in on Margaret Court Australia Day honour outrage

Ash Barty has rebuked Margaret Court’s personal views but respects her career amid outrage over the controversial tennis great’s Australia Day honour. Court’s inclusion in the Australia Day Honours list has sparked outrage with Barty reiterating her stance against Court’s outspoken views on gay people and same-sex marriage. “The people who make those decisions sit on a panel or a board and make those decisions for a reason,” Barty said. “You cannot take away all of the results and all of what Margaret achieved on the tennis court, it was absolutely remarkable. “But from the point of her personal views, I don’t agree with them. “That is really all I have to say about it, there are people who make those decisions and it’s not my decision.” Barty also distanced herself from the Australia Day controversy which was sparked by Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s criticism of Cricket Australia for dropping the name in favour of simply January 26. “I’m an extremely proud Indigenous woman. I’m a proud Australian. I celebrate that every day. For me, it doesn’t really matter what day it is,” she said. “I’m staying true to my values. Every single day I want to be kind, I want to be honest, I want to be humble. I want to give the best that I can. That’s all that matters for me.” ‘I’VE BEEN BULLIED’: COURT CALLS FOR HONOURS FURY TO END Margaret Court has called for a stop to the bullying she says she has received over her views on same-sex marriage, as the tennis great was embroiled in a fresh furore over a decision to award her the highest possible Australia Day honour. The eve of Australia Day has once again been mired in controversy with Court’s appointment as a Companion of the Order of Australia, which was leaked five days early on Twitter, causing a furious backlash. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said Mrs Court’s “disgraceful and hurtful” views, which she shares as a reverend of her Victory Life church, meant she should not have received the honour, while WA Premier Mark McGowan said the Order of Australia awards should go to “unsung heroes across the country.” Mrs Court said she was “very disappointed” by both the backlash, and the leaking of the news, but insisted she would continue to voice her beliefs, and said she had the backing of many in the community. Mrs Court has previously spoken out against same-sex marriage, and said during a church sermon that LGBTI school lessons were “of the devil.” “All I know is over the last few years, I’ve never had anybody out in community come to me and say ‘we don’t like you’, or ‘we don’t like your beliefs’. I’ve had thousands come to me and tap me on the shoulder and say ‘thank you, we really appreciate you,’” she told The West Australian on Friday. In Tuesday’s honours Mrs Court will be recognised for her eminent service to tennis as an internationally acclaimed player and record-holding grand slam champion, and as mentor of young sportspersons. “This is about my tennis … I loved representing my nation and playing for it, nobody will ever take that away from me,” she said. Mrs Court said while she was an advocate of freedom of speech, she felt she was being bullied. “Over the years, I’ve taken a lot, and I think I’ve been bullied in one way, and I think, you know, it’s time to stop,” she said. “Always remember I’m a minister of the gospel and have been for the last 30 years, I always say what the Bible says. I love people, people come in from all backgrounds, I’m there to help, I’m not there to put people down in that way but I’ll always say what the Bible says.” Mrs Court described the appointment as a “wonderful honour” which was as significant to her as her singles Grand Slam in 1970. “I think this one goes right next to the grand slam. To win all four in the one year, that was difficult, as I’d gone two other years winning three, to win it in that 1970, somehow I knew I was going to win it that year, and I think this honour has come many many years later and I think it goes right next to that.” Opposition leader Anthony Albanese said Mrs Court had already been honoured for her tennis prowess, with an Officer of the Order of Australia award in 2007. “I think it’s clear for everyone to see that making her a Companion of the Order of Australia has nothing to do with tennis,” he said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was unable to comment prior to the official announcement on Australia Day. “It is a system that recognises Australians from right across the full spectrum of achievement in this country. So I can’t really offer a comment on something that is speculative.” The 24-time Grand Slam singles champion has previously faced calls for her name to be removed from the tennis arena in Melbourne named in her honour. The Australia Day honours are overseen by the Council for the Order of Australia, an independent body made up of 19 men and women, including former politicians and community representatives. Their recommendations are made to the Governor-General, who considers them before approving them for appointment or award. The council is chaired by former Northern Territory Minister Shane Stone, and includes WA Treasury Corporation chief executive Kaylene Gulich and former WA Attorney-General Cheryl Edwardes. Last year the council faced calls for the cancellation of appointments to the Order of Australia of controversial commentators Bettina Arndt and Mike Carlton. It refused, releasing a rare public statement in September explaining its decision. It said terminations or cancellations were considered when someone had been convicted of a crime or subject to an adverse legal finding — with a decision only made once the judicial process had been exhausted — or if the nomination had been based on false or misleading material. The council can also terminate an honour where “an individual has behaved or acted in a manner that has brought disrepute on the Order,” but this must have involved a “conviction, penalty or adverse finding.” In reference to Mr Carlton and Ms Arndt, the council stressed that it used the law as the threshold for cancellation, and acknowledged it was “inevitable that each list will include some people who others believe should not be recognised.” “Similarly, individuals are neither qualified nor disqualified on the basis of their political leanings, social views or religious convictions,” it said. “The Council’s recommendations are not an endorsement of the political, religious or social views of recipients, nor is conferral of an honour an endorsement of the personally held beliefs of recipients. Nor are they directed by governments or influenced by lobbying or public campaigning.” In 2015, Rolf Harris was stripped of his Order of Australia honours after being jailed for child sex offences. COURT SAYS PREMIER ANDREWS IS ‘BLESSED’ Australian tennis champion Margaret Court says Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is “blessed” after he slammed the decision to honour her, saying it was “disgraceful and hurtful”. Mr Andrews led the charge against the call to hand Court a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), saying that her views had “cost lives.” Describing her views as “hateful”, Mr Andrew’s said he was “sick of talking about that person every summer”. “Do we really have to do this every single summer? Others have saw fit to honour her, they’re not decisions I make,” Mr Andrews said. “I do not support that. I do not believe that she has views that accord with the vast majority of people across our nation, that see people particularly from the LGBTIQ community as equal and deserving as dignity, respect and safety,” Mr Andrews said. “But I don’t give out those gongs. That’s not a matter for me, that’s for others. You might want to speak to them about why they think those views, which are disgraceful, hurtful and cost lives, should be honoured.” When asked about her reaction to Mr Andrew’s comments Court said “well, I’ll call him blessed”. The list was set to go public next week, but Court’s name was leaked by Melbourne writer and broadcaster Justin Smith, who shared the news via social media on Friday morning. Smith claimed to have received the list from a contact and has defended his decision to leak the announcement, saying, “Margaret Court is going to be honoured on Australia Day. With our highest honour. She shouldn’t, and we need to have the debate before it happens.” Acting Greens leader Nick McKim demanded Mr Morrison “stop one of Australia’s worst bigots from getting our highest honour”, continuing, “This is like awarding Pauline Hanson for her work in the fish and chip industry. Australia’s top award shouldn’t go to a racist, homophobe, or transphobe just because they were good at their day job,” Mr McKim said. “Scott Morrison and Margaret Court need to understand that the rally is long over - and unlike in tennis, love always wins.” During the 2020 Australian Open, fellow tennis champions John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova joined calls to have Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena renamed, and US Vogue’s editor in chief Anna Wintour criticised Court’s public statements relating to LGBTQI issues. Ms Court previously told News Corp she had been “bullied” for her views on same sex marriage and on social progression, saying, ”a lot of it was taken out of context but I still always believe what I say from the Bible, and I should be allowed to say that, being a pastor.” The honour recognises Ms Court’s performances on the tennis court between 1960 and 1977, where she smashed her way into the history books with an unbeaten 24 Grand Slam singles titles, and a total of 64 Grand Slam titles, inclusive of doubles and mixed doubles. Both world records still stand today.