Merlin Luck in the News
Reality rebel with a cause
Since 24 year old Merlin Luck made his 'free the refugees' protest on reality tv show Big Brother in June, he has travelled the country addressing diverse audiences and speaking on panels with human rights lawyers and politicians. In scores of media interviews he has sought to increase the public's awareness of Australia's policy of mandatory detention.
Somehow, we need to make politics cool again
You can have a good time with your mates and still care about the suffering of others, writes Merlin Luck.
TV contestant breaks his silence on Baxter
The former TV contestant and Senator Natasha Stott Despoja visited Baxter Detention Centre last Monday to meet some of the detainees and protest the government's policy of mandatory detention in Australia. It was Senator Stott Despoja's first visit to Baxter, previously visiting Woomera Detention Centre before it closed its doors in April 2003. 'Many South Australians will join me today in calling for all children, including teenagers, to be released from detention,' Ms Stott Despoja said. Dismissing the Ellis Close residential housing project as a ‘mini- Baxter', Ms Stott Despoja said that separating families and putting people in detention was treating human beings ‘without compassion and without humanity.'
$11,627 a day for 86 days' work
The fourth season of Big Brother will also be remembered for a silent political protest by Sydney contestant Merlin Luck The 24-year-old threw a nationally televised live eviction show into turmoil in June when he refused to speak and delivered a political message calling for the freeing of refugees.
Heaven forbid we let reality into politics
What about the argument that VFM [Vote For Me] trivialises politics and turns it into showbiz and entertainment? Again, this is hardly a shocking new development: it's a safe bet the spin doctors had showbiz and entertainment on their minds when Mark Latham visited the Big Brother house and Peter Costello tangoed with a python and Kerri-Anne Kennerley.
But while professional politicians see virtue in acting the fool or showing their Average Joe side, look out when Average Joe steps into the professional politicians' domain. When Big Brother detainee Merlin protested against detention centres, Amanda Vanstone questioned his facts and his right to enter into the debate. Big Brother's host, Gretel Killeen, was outraged because he deviated from the scripted questions and the show's running order.
Mouth tape protest boosts detainees
Big Brother evictee Merlin Luck says his silent protest about Australia's mandatory refugee detention policy has given new hope to detainees. [...] In Brisbane on Sunday, Luck said he was surprised by the ongoing response to his action. [...] "I know that when I visit a detention centre there's refugees who have been locked away for four or five years who embrace me with tears in their eyes.
Luck was at a Brisbane suburban sports club with Democrat senators Andrew Bartlett and John Cherry for the presentation of a community sports award to Tigers 11, a soccer team comprised of teenage Afghan refugees. [...] "They've been through hardship that most people that have grown up in Australia can't even fathom or comprehend and they've come out the other side as really strong and beautiful people, so courageous and determined," Luck said.
[...] "His brief and simple protest caused such a furore well beyond the realm of Big Brother watchers it shows how much it is an issue that still touches people," Senator Bartlett [of the Democrats] said.
An unexpected dose of reality
Admittedly [the ratings have] been helped in the past few weeks by a couple of electrifying and unpredictable dramas the producers would have been likely to see, at least at the time, as mishaps. First there was the eviction of Merlin, the young man of German background, who departed the house with gaffer tape across his lips and holding a sign saying "Free th(e) refugees". It was one of those charismatic moments in the history of TV when the mind reeled because the rule book was being burned before the audience's (and the producers') eyes and there was nothing anyone could do about it. This was live TV, reality TV – this was Big Brother, the nearly universal irritant of adults who considered it mindless fodder for their offspring. It wasn't supposed to be sending left-liberal and anti-government messages (with great simplicity and eloquence) to an audience that might well be swayed by the directness of the message. [...] No doubt it helped if you agreed with him but, whether you did or not, it was one of those Network moments in the development of TV where the unspeakable is said (or, in this case, shown). And whatever you think of the efforts of the Robert Mannes and Julian Burnsides on behalf of the asylum-seekers, Merlin's gesture, second for second, was worth immeasurably more.
BB's Merlin meets detainees
"The spirit of these people just shines through. "It's hard seeing this compound, seeing just how barbaric it is, but that's not impressioned on your mind nearly as strongly as the spirit of these people - they are not broken men, they are not broken women." Luck said he was struck by the isolation of the detention centre, on the outskirts of Port Augusta. "It's in the middle of nowhere and what is worse is the detainees, they can't look at a horizon without seeing barbed wire," he said. "A lot of the detainees, they can't see any landscape outside. They can't even have a free view of the countryside around them.
Senator & Merlin Luck Call For End To Detention
Senator Stott Despoja is today visiting Baxter with Merlin Luck, refugee advocate and one time Big Brother housemate. "Many families are still separated by the Governments heartless detention policies. I am meeting with detained people, assessing the conditions they face and hearing their concerns," Senator Stott Despoja said. "The Governments policy of locking up children and their families is reprehensible. The prolonged detention of children amounts to 'Government-sanctioned child abuse'.
Stott Despoja, Merlin tour detention centre
Senator Stott Despoja says some of the people she met have been in detention for six years. "Merlin Luck and I today renew the call for all children to be immediately released from all detention facilities around Australia, but beyond that it's time we ended mandatory detention of asylum seekers in this country," she said. "It is a soul-destroying experience even to spend a day in that detention facility, let alone six years as some people I met with today have done."
Merlin, Natasha slam detentions
"The government justifies its abuse of children by saying it deters people smugglers, but no policy that causes suffering to children is justified," [Stott Despoja] said. "Children and their mothers, even in residential housing detention, suffer trauma and live under stress."
[...] "It was very moving to go into the compound ... and see how empowering it was for detained people to feel they have a voice, that they had the opportunity to share their stories," Mr Luck said.
Forced transfers stopped — for now
At very short notice, 20 refugee supporters, including Merlin Luck from Channel Ten's Big Brother program, rallied on July 14 to protest the forced transfers of asylum seekers from Sydney's Villawood detention centre to the Baxter centre in the South Australian desert.
Mothers in roof protest at Villawood
The two mothers, one Malaysian and one Tongan, held a banner which read "No, forget Baxter, we refuse to go, release the children." [...] Merlin Luck, the 24-year-old former Big Brother contestant, who staged his protest about confinement of children at the time of his expulsion from the show, said: "They are supposed to be moving voluntarily. But the administrators have found it necessary to bring in more security guards." Three reporters were escorted out of the Villawood complex by security guards.
The real corrupters of democracy? The media
It's hard to create the sort of meaningful political dialogue desired by some commentators when the media are addicted to celebrity: the recent overblown coverage of Big Brother evictee Merlin Luck's silent "free the refugees" protest shows that the media are often interested in an issue only when it provides entertaining copy.
Merlin's protest continues without the gag
Big Brother contestant Merlin Luck got his pro-asylum seeker message across to a massive national audience last month when he turned his eviction interview into a silent protest. He's now broken his silence and is travelling Australia meeting detainees and refugee activist groups.
Merlin Luck speaks up, again
After speaking alongside former prime minister Malcolm Fraser on asylum seekers yesterday, Big Brother evictee Merlin Luck said he now felt recognised as "a valid voice" on the issue. He spoke at a breakfast function for the AM Club, a regular speakers' forum organised by businesses including the Hilton Hotel and 3AW held at Hilton on the Park in East Melbourne. [...] Luck told the audience that Australia's detention policy was inhumane and in years to come Australians would look back, as they do now over the Stolen Generations, "and think, how did we ever justify this?"
Reality check
With a bit of political awareness, some cunning and a DIY sewing job, this 24-year-old brought the first bit of "reality" to peeping Tom TV and become the first fame-hungry member of the worldwide show to actually display a damn about current affairs. In an interview following the staged protest, Merlin said: "I hope I am remembered as someone who brought something very real to reality television. But more importantly, I hope that the issue itself is reignited in the mass media".
In that respect, at least, Merlin's action achieved its aim. Ten Networks Holdings Ltd revealed that its Big Brother show, on the day following the protest, won the 7pm timeslot with more than 1.36 million people, or 41.5 per cent of viewers, tuning in to watch the repercussions of his rebellion. Cynics may argue – and many have – that Merlin's actions were neither appropriate nor effective. But you cannot argue with those figures, or the fact that Merlin became a leading news story on most Australian TV channels that night and earned immediate public responses from senior politicians.
Lives Being Saved by the Internet Downunder
With the help of Australia's most influencial broadcaster John Laws, Honey the cat has left Manus Island and her journey towards being reunited with Aladdin. And those who refused to support Aladdin Sisalem and thought a cat was unimportant or frivolous should read through the news items which have appeared recently all over the world. And Merlin Luck an evictee the Australian Big Brother caused a far greater commotion. left the house and with his mouth covered by a strip of black gaffer-tape, carrying a banner which read 'Free th(e) Refugees' walked silently into a storm of publicity and changed the course of 'reality' television.
We're here, get used to it: students give refugees younger voice
Merlin Luck, the contestant on television's Big Brother program, took his protest yesterday to the World Refugee Day rally in Hyde Park - where many people thought he could not compete with schoolchildren from Holroyd High.
Merlin finds his voice at rally
Big Brother's now infamous evictee Merlin Luck addressed the crowd and said a more realistic TV program would allow the media into Australia's detention centres.
"Or maybe that's just a little bit too real," he told the rally.
Luck proud of Big Brother protest
Controversial Big Brother evictee Merlin Luck says he's felt lonely and cut off since his gaffer-taped refugee protest on national television last weekend. But in a message to coincide with World Refugee Day, the 24-year-old said the protest was the most "incredible and powerful experience" of his life so far.
Luck apologises to Killeen
"The reason I did it was because I feel so passionately for the cause," he said.
"Children who are in detention centres now and who have lived in detention centres all their life ... the pain and suffering that those children are going through, and I hope that justifies the actions I took last night."
Cartoon with kind permission of Bill Leak, The Australian.
Magic Merlin a winner for Ten
Ten Networks Holdings Ltd drew most eyes on Monday night as viewers tuned in to watch the aftermath of a protest about Australia's refugee policy by Big Brother evictee, Merlin Luck.
The dark side of Australians
Merlin Luck said it all with a poster. In the few seconds the evicted housemate was shown, mouth taped, holding his "Free th(e) refugees" sign on Sunday night's episode of Big Brother, the studio audience did all the talking. What they had to say wasn't pretty.
Merlin protest sparks debate
Merlin rips off his tape and has his say
Luck's political protest - he brandished a sign reading "Free th. refugees" as he left the Big Brother house and refused to answer questions - caused a stir yesterday. Big Brother producers admitted they momentarily lost control of their show (which nevertheless proved a ratings hit for Network Ten, attracting a peak of 1.8 million viewers); refugee action groups were quick to praise Luck's views; and even Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone jumped in, declaring Luck was "not very well informed" about refugees in detention.
Party pooper but a principled one
Luck's act was the bravest individual act of protest we have seen on Australian "reality" television. In fact, it is the only such act ever seen on "reality" TV.
Plenty of passion in protest
Luck said he had no other regrets about his action.
But one of the people whose attention Luck was trying to grab Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone did not seem overly impressed. "He's obviously not very well informed. There are no refugees in Australian detention centres," she told Ten News.
Merlin lifts the gag to deny it was a joke
Merlin said he drew strength and inspiration during the chaos and growing dissent from the crowd by focusing his attention on the children in Australia's detention centres. "I put that image in my head and I don't care if thousands of people are screaming loser in to my face, I don't care if they're booing, I don't care if Gretel Killeen and the executive producer of Big Brother are telling me 'Merlin talk, Merlin you've made your point, talk', this is more important to me," he said.
Merlin breaks his silence
This morning Merlin spoke with BB online about his controversial eviction night. In case you haven't heard, Merlin taped his mouth shut on the eviction stage, to represent the way asylum seekers in Australian detention centres do not have a voice. He also held up a sign which said "Free th[e] refugees".
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"I believe very passionately that mandatory detention of asylum seekers coming to this country is just inhumane. It goes against the basic principle of 'innocent until proven guilty'. You look at the fact that there's kids who have never seen anything except for the detention centre they live in - it's just sad and unjustifiable.
- I'm not going to sit here and say that I know the answers and that I have the solutions but I know that the current system is not one that we can sustain with a clear conscience, and something has to be done about it. And that's my point - let's start a debate, let's get talking and let's start working out some real solutions." Merlin Luck.
Read viewer responses...
Merlin defends Big Brother stunt
Luck defends Big Brother protest
Merlin breaks silence on Big Brother protest
Reality TV gets dose of reality in Australia
There have for years been protests in Australia against the conservative government's policy of locking up all asylum seekers caught trying to sneak into the country, but rarely has one been so high profile. Sunday night's show had an estimated 1.5 million viewers.
Big Brother evictee stages prime-time protest
Big Brother Eviction Protest
Big Brother: Silence speaks volumes
'Big Brother' cast member stages sit-in
Brother, what an outcry after mute message
Merlin's stand caught the attention of refugee advocacy groups, with one labelling him "courageous". Refugee Action Collective spokesman Damian Eckersley said it was good to see someone with a profile using their prominence to promote the refugees' cause. "I think it's pretty courageous in some respects. He'll probably miss out on some opportunities that other housemates may have but he'll find different opportunities now," Mr Eckersley said.
Lobby group ChilOut's Alanna Sherry threw her support behind Merlin. "Good on him for making a stand," she said. "I don't know Merlin but I don't think anyone needs to have special qualities to see human rights abuse." Ms Sherry said people should not dismiss Merlin's stand as "a cheap stunt".
Merlin praised for refugee stand
"A Just Australia congratulates the young man on his courage and on bringing to the Australian public's attention the fact that there are still a number of refugees in detention centres both on Nauru and in Australia, particularly children," Mr Barns said.
Merlin's silent protest
It will go down as the most controversial and talked about event ever on Big Brother. Last night’s evictee, Merlin Luck, caught the show’s producers by surprise with a silent protest in support of refugees being held in detention.
BB evictee keeps it real for refugees
Evictee's refugee protest
Live eviction show hijacked
BIG Brother evictee Merlin Luck used his 15 minutes of fame tonight to send a blunt and mute political message calling for the freeing of refugees.
Brother evictee tapes mouth shut
Protest halts Big Brother
Live eviction show hijacked
'Big Brother' evictee stages silent refugee protest
Big Brother evictee makes asylum protest
Merlin has been evicted from the BB house - and he's gone out with a bang!
As Merlin walked down the plank, he was fumbling with something in his hands. Soon it became clear that he was about to make a political statement on one of the country's biggest platforms. Merlin taped his mouth closed with some black tape, and held up a sign which said "FREE TH REFUGEES". (Apparently the 'E' in 'THE' had fallen off). He sat down next to Gretel and held the sign up, and refused to speak.