The 2024 J C Bannon Oration recently given at St Mark’s by Professor Anne Pender delved into the price to be paid for comedy and the cultural influence of the arts in Australia.

Professor Pender is the Kidman Professor of Australian Studies and the Director of the J M Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice at the University of Adelaide. Nobel Laureate J M Coetzee was among the audience in Downer House who greatly enjoyed her Oration.

The J C Bannon Oration is given each year at St Mark’s in honour of the Hon Dr John Bannon AO. Dr Bannon was a resident student at St Mark’s from 1962-63 who later rose to prominence in politics, becoming the second-longest serving Premier of South Australia from 1982-92. He returned to St Mark’s as its Master from 2000-2007, where he left an indelible mark on the College.

As an avid supporter of the arts, Dr Bannon would have greatly appreciated this year’s address. In introducing the Oration, the Head of College, Professor Don Markwell AM, detailed John Bannon’s extensive and life-long participation in and support for the arts. You can read Professor Markwell’s welcome and introduction here.

In her engaging and insightful Oration, Professor Pender used a compelling blend of anecdotes and empirical data to paint a picture of the arts industry and the people who work within it, as well as the macro-contexts in which they exist.

Presenting a number of vignettes, Professor Pender reflected on the power of comedy in shaping social dialogue. She first shared the story of He Huang, a Chinese comedian who, in 2021, at a show in Melbourne, made a tongue-in-cheek apology to the audience for COVID. Her self-deprecating remarks, made with good humour, warmed her to the audience and went some way towards defrosting the icy tension between Australia and China in the wake of the pandemic. By unflinchingly confronting nationalism in a series of jokes, the comedian took a risk – and in doing so, sparked national dialogue about the engagement between citizens and the relationship between the two countries.

Another vignette detailed the 1974 feature film debut of then-Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in Barry McKenzie Holds his Own, a film written by Barry Humphries and Bruce Beresford. Through its satirical portrayals of Australian and British culture, Barry McKenzie Holds his Own represented the “new nationalism” found in the political context at the time, and Whitlam’s appearance (where he bestowed Edna Everage with the title of Dame) served to strengthen the effort to reimagine Australia in its post-imperial age.

Professor Pender said it was “a moment when the politics of Australian theatre and the theatre of Australian politics directly coincided.”

By sharing these vignettes, Professor Pender made the argument that comedy carries a cost to the performer, but also that it adds immense value to societal evolution and shifting paradigms of national identity. The personal cost of being a performer is huge, sometimes overwhelming, as the audience takes on the role of judge and jury. The vitriolic response to the Bazza productions came at price for the writer director and actor who suffered financially and in their personal wellbeing. This is the risk comedians take as a consequence of presenting comic content that hits home.

To further explore the costs of participation in the arts, the Oration went on to address the treatment of the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, when eligible Australian workers received JobKeeper payments from the government – a notable exclusion from this policy, however, was workers in the performing arts (and those in public universities). Compounding this was the very nature of the industry: freelance and gig-economy workers, casual workers, and those who had not been in their roles for long enough were ineligible for payments.

Beyond the workforce, the pandemic hit businesses hard, too. Theatres, venues, and festivals could not operate. Of course, insolvency rates rose amongst arts companies, with 53% halting operations by April of 2020.

Somewhat ironically, though, the arts provided an escape for many, if not all, Australians during the pandemic. However, with lockdowns the audience turned to online entertainment which is experienced at a digital distance and the effect of collective laughter which is so cathartic was lost. A long-term consequence is getting audiences back to live theatre.

Referencing last year’s J C Bannon Oration, delivered by Professor Frank Bongiorno AM, Professor Pender echoed the argument made by Professor Bongiorno that we are living in a utilitarian democracy; the harsh treatment of vulnerable artists during the pandemic is key evidence for this.

Reflecting on the governmental, social, and health contexts of the arts industry, Professor Pender argued that, despite appearances, comedy is a serious business that comes with a cost.

Professor Pender’s Oration was a call to action: she urged people of all persuasions, from consumers to investors to policymakers, to support the arts and those who create within that space. The arts have the power to change attitudes, to shape dialogues, and to bring people together, and it is now more important than ever to bolster the industry to secure its future.

As Professor Pender put it, “To continue to make comedy is important because of the known capacity for comedy to generate social change, enhance sociality and harness a free exchange of ideas.” While we cannot change the nature of the profession, we can support it to alleviate the threats to its future.

You can watch the full 2024 J C Bannon Oration below.

The text of Professor Pender’s Oration is here. The text will be published in booklet form in coming months, and details of this publication will be provided here.

The introduction to the Oration, delivered by the Head of College, Professor Don Markwell AM, can be found here.

The 2025 J C Bannon Oration will be given jointly in November 2025 by the College’s Centenary historians, Associate Professor Paul Sendziuk and Dr Carolyn Collins, on “St Mark’s and law, politics, and history”, and will follow the launch of the Centenary history of St Mark’s College.

The J C Bannon Oration is made possible by generous donors. If you would like to assist in endowing the J C Bannon Oration, your contribution would be much appreciated. Donations can be made here, marking your gift for “Bannon Oration”.

Photo: Mrs Angela Bannon, Nobel Laureate J M Coetzee, Professor Anne Pender.