Marty Sheargold’s sexist comments about the Matildas breached decency rules, regulator finds

Four Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) radio stations breached decency rules when they broadcast Marty Sheargold’s “sexist” and “demeaning” comments about women’s sport and the Matildas, the broadcasting watchdog has found.

Seven months after Sheargold lost his job after saying the Australian women’s national football team was behaving like “Year 10 girls”, an investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) has ruled the “demeaning and sarcastic” comments demonstrated a “level of contempt and disdain for women’s sport, and more generally of women”.

“The offensive themes were then exacerbated by the host referring to his genitalia in a further degrading comment about women’s sport,” Acma said.

The broadcaster and comedian was stood down in February after he said on his Drive program he “would rather hammer a nail through the head of [his] penis” than watch Australia’s national women’s football team in next year’s Asian Cup. He also asked: “Got any men’s sport?”

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After the comments were circulated on social media the radio stations received thousands of complaints, Austereo told Acma.

However, the licensee disagreed Sheargold’s remarks breached decency provisions submitting “nothing in those comments was, in our view, offensive to generally acceptable standards of decency for a Triple M listener”

“When sports teams perform badly (and it is arguable the Matildas are not playing at their best) there are harsh comments made from time to time.”

The show’s core audience is men aged 40-54, SCA said.

Acma member Carolyn Lidgerwood said the insulting language used by Sheargold went beyond generally acceptable standards of decency.

“Sexist comments like this don’t belong in Australian broadcasting,” Lidgerwood said. “Even if the comments were an extremely ill-judged attempt at humour, a reasonable listener would have found them offensive and to have crossed the line.

The four licensees, Triple M Sydney, Triple M Brisbane, Gold Coast FM and Maryborough Broadcasting Company, contravened the Commercial Radio Code of Practice by allowing derogatory language and sexist themes to be broadcast on the program, Acma said.

The authority is still considering what enforcement action to take against the licensees for breaching the code. Enforcement action may include staff training, a formal warning or additional licence conditions.

“We acknowledge that an ordinary, reasonable listener may have perceived the comments regarding the Matildas as sexist and/or misogynistic, and the comments about the Asian Cup as graphic,” SCA told the investigation. “We understand the public’s reaction and recognise these comments were not ideal. However, when considered in the context of the segment and the show, we do not believe they breach the general standards of decency under the codes.”

Sheargold apologised to the Matildas in February, saying he fully understood the gravity of his comments: “I’d like to sincerely apologise to the Matildas and the broader organisation.”

A “deeply disappointed” Football Australia issued a statement at the time.

“Such remarks not only diminish the extraordinary achievements and contributions of our women’s national football team but also fail to recognise the profound impact they have had on Australian sport and society,” FA said.

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