Brisbane City Council Axes Queensland Music Awards Funding Following Winner's Speech

The Brisbane City Council has announced they have pulled funding from the Queensland Music Awards following a controversial acceptance speech from jazz award winner Kellee Green.

The 2025 edition of the awards were handed out on Tuesday, March 25th, with the Jazz Award going to Green for her instrumental composition River To Sea. The phrase “from the river to the sea,” is labeled by critics as antisemitic and has has risen in prominence during the ongoing Gaza war which began in October 2023. Pro-palestinian campaigners deny the phrase is antisemitic and is a call for peaceful coexistence.

A statement released by Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner on Thursday, March 27th criticised the event and its selection, noting that ”the promotion of antisemitism at the Queensland Music Awards was utterly shameful and divisive.”

“The decision to hand a major prize to an offensively titled anti-Jewish song raises serious questions about whether the awards have been hijacked by extremists,” Schrinner added.

Green’s acceptance speech on the night featured strong pro-Palestinian sentiments, though her comments have been criticised by Schrinner for their alleged promotion of antisemitism.

“Allowing such vile hate speech to occur shows the awards seem to be no longer capable of achieving their own stated goal to ‘promote diversity and inclusion,” Mr Schrinner stated. “As a result, we will be immediately withdrawing our funding and support for these awards.

“I want Brisbane to be a safe and inclusive destination for everyone and the kind of divisive and offensive actions on display at last night's awards have no place in our city.”

The amount of funding provided by the Brisbane City Council to the Queensland Music Awards has been reported as totalling $25,000.

In a statement issued in response, QMusic CEO Kris Stewart noted the organisation is “deeply saddened” by the council’s decision, explaining that the awards “exist to celebrate the extraordinary talent, creativity and contribution of Queensland’s contemporary music community.”

“As the state’s peak music awards program, the QMAs are judged by more than 100 respected music industry professionals from across the country,” Mr Stewart explained. “Judges are independently assigned to genre categories aligned with their area of interest and assess each submission based solely on its musical and artistic merit.”

Stewart gave further explanation in regard to the judging process, explaining that the 2025 awards featured more than 500 entries submitted across various genres, and that judges are provided with no information beyond the song title, artist name, and audio recording. As such, the presence of an instrumental song titled River To Sea did not outwardly present itself as controversial.

“While we recognise that this phrase carries political connotations, the title did not stand out as divisive within the volume of songs received,” Stewart explained. “We recognise there are learnings from this year’s event and commit to providing our members with an update on any changes ahead of next year's awards.

“We acknowledge the sensitive nature of this moment and the impact it has had on some members of our community,” Stewart added. “We do not wish for the Queensland Music Awards to be a platform for political debate. The intention of the event is, and always has been, to celebrate the work of our state’s artists and industry.”

Though QMusic note they’re disappointed by the recent decision regarding the revocation of funds, Stewart added that the organisation hopes to find a resolution in the near future.

“We welcome the opportunity to meet with Council to discuss the matter and explore a constructive and positive path forward – one that continues to uphold the value of the arts and the importance of supporting Queensland artists,” Stewart added.

“We have heard and acknowledge the feedback shared by members of the community in recent days. As custodians of the QMAs, we remain committed to learning from this experience and ensuring the integrity and purpose of the awards are upheld. 

“Our focus now returns to what the QMAs have always stood for: celebrating the depth, diversity and brilliance of Queensland music and the artists who help shape the cultural identity of our state,” Stewart concluded.