Australia's milkshake man Go-Jo out of Eurovision
Rachael is a survivor of the Hamas-led attack at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. Israel invaded Gaza in retaliation for the attack on southern Israeli communities, in which about 1200 people were killed and 251 were taken as hostages to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
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Israel's campaign has killed more than 52,900 Palestinians, according to local health officials. It has left Gaza on the brink of famine, aid groups and international agencies say.
Ahead of this year's competition, more than 70 former Eurovision contestants – including former winners Irish singer Charlie McGettigan, and Portuguese singers Salvador Sobral and Fernando Tordo - signed an open letter to the contest's organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), calling for Israel to be removed.
Compared to higher profile political tensions, the minor imbroglio over Maltese singer Miriana Conte's homophonic song title - Kant - seems mild. After initially approving the song title, the EBU changed its mind, forcing Malta to introduce changes to both the lyrics and title. (It was changed to Serving.)
Malta's national broadcaster PBS described the ruling as an 'abuse of power and an unjust application of the rules.'
This is Australia's 10th year in competition. Our best result was in 2016 when Dami Im performed Sound of Silence, and dazzled the professional juries and television viewers voting from home into a score that put her in second place, behind Ukraine's Jamala, who performed 1944.
Australia's defeat shocked the Eurovision fans on the ground; Go-Jo had mounted an aggressive media campaign across Europe, and many felt he was an easy contender for a slot in the final.
It is the third time we have failed to qualify since joining the competition a decade ago; the two previous times were Montaigne in 2021 and Electric Fields in 2024.
The 2025 Eurovision competition features artists and songs from 37 countries performing in 20 languages. It is being staged at the St Jakobshalle stadium in Basel, Switzerland.
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