UPDATE: In a stunning announcement, journalist Rick Morton and acclaimed author Michelle de Kretser have won Australia’s richest literary awards, each taking home a whopping $80,000 at the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, held on July 15, 2023, in Canberra.
Morton, recognized for his gripping non-fiction work Mean Streak, offers a blistering critique of Australia’s controversial robo-debt scheme. Meanwhile, De Kretser’s boundary-pushing novel Theory & Practice marks her second win in this category, cementing her status as a leading voice in contemporary literature.
The total prize pool for the event reached an astonishing $600,000, making these awards the most lucrative in Australia, with all winnings remaining tax-free. The literary world is abuzz with the implications of these awards, given their significant financial and cultural impact.
Morton, who is currently on a sabbatical in Paris, reflected on the irony of possibly receiving his award from former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, whose policies he critiques in his book. “I’d have been on the first plane home to look him in the whites of his eyes,” Morton quipped. His absence from the ceremony didn’t diminish the moment, as he highlighted the serious ramifications of the robo-debt scandal, which forced the government to repay $1.8 billion to over 450,000 victims.
Morton’s Mean Streak meticulously details the cover-ups and denial surrounding the scheme that unfairly targeted vulnerable Australians. He utilized a program called Aeon Timeline to navigate the complex relationships and evidence from the royal commission, stating, “It was literally maddening… to see the way people were lied to.” His personal connection to the issue, stemming from his mother’s struggles with Centrelink, adds an emotional depth to his narrative.
De Kretser’s Theory & Practice explores the difficult conversation surrounding separating an artist’s work from their personal flaws. The protagonist’s journey parallels De Kretser’s own realizations about feminist icon Virginia Woolf, whose problematic views she discovered later in her career. “Know everything, and then it’s up to people to decide what they want to do with that,” De Kretser urged, underscoring the importance of acknowledging an artist’s full complexity.
Both winners have sparked conversations about accountability in the literary and political landscapes, making their works essential reading for anyone concerned with social justice and cultural critique. As the literary awards highlight the importance of storytelling in shaping public discourse, readers are encouraged to dive into these impactful narratives.
With the awards now concluded, the literary community is left to ponder the broader implications of these wins. Both Morton and De Kretser have set the stage for future discussions around literature’s role in advocating for change and reflecting societal truths. What happens next could reshape the conversation around literature and ethics in Australia and beyond.
