BRISBANE: The ceremony announcing the winner of The Bug‘s Australian of the Year Award for 2025 (AOTY) was thrown into chaos last night when the winners of the prestigious honour announced plans to split and give away the award.

Chair of the award’s judging panel, The Bug‘s finance and investment columnist, Morrie Bezzle, (below) said he was seeking urgent legal advice to determine if the AOTY honour could be divided and transferred.

Mr Bezzle last night presided over the glittering ceremony at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre where the Australian of the Year was, for the first time in its history, shared by more than one individual.

The Righting team of News Crap Australia was named as the award winner (main picture) for its contribution throughout 2025 to making Australia a better place.

In announcing their win, Mr Bezzle read from the judging panel’s citation and declared that the judges had unanimously agreed that “the News Crap team of Righters – individually and together – have vastly improved Australia by having their strategic and tactical political advice absorbed and implemented unquestioned by the Liberal and National parties”.

“This blind acceptance of far-right ideas and tactics led to the near wipe-out of the modern Liberal Party and the defeat of its leader in his own seat at the May 2025 federal election,” Mr Bezzle told the audience.

“By doing so then, and by continuing to vigorously offer the same far-right yet obviously wrong advice, the News Crap team of Righters has vastly improved Australia and fully deserve to be named collectively as Australian of the Year.”

Audience applause for the winners was long and loud as they took to the stage to accept the AOTY trophy, but fell away quickly when nominated spokesperson Peta Credlin announced that the Righters had agreed to hand their award to both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Donald Trump is, of course, our hero and he deserves this award more than us since it is his tactics that we are mimicking here through all News Crap print and online outlets and on Sky News in line with the tactics employed in the US by our sister outlets such as Fox News,” Ms Credlin said.

“Bibi is also our hero and he deserves half this award if only for his genocidal attacks in Gaza which we continue to ignore and excuse in favour of labelling as antisemitic anyone who even vaguely criticises him and Israel.

“We know hate and division sells, and that’s the bedrock of the Murdoch media model, so we’re eternally grateful to President Trump and Bibi. They are honorary Aussies.”

Holding the trophy aloft, Ms Credlin added: “President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, this one’s for you!”

As the awards ceremony broke up among bickering between various attendees, Mr Bezzle said the unexpected turn of events would “no doubt” prompt legal action to prevent the award being split and given away.

“We are in uncharted territory,” Mr Bezzle said before being handcuffed by Queensland Corrective Services officers and returned to the Arthur Gorrie Remand Centre west of Brisbane where is being remanded in custody while facing a range of consumer law charges.

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