Australian taxpayers, caught in one of the toughest cost-of-living crises in decades, have been left furious after learning that Olympian Rachael “Raygun” Gunn received government funding to study breakdancing.
Raygun’s failed routine at the Paris 2024 Olympics has been well documented after she failed to score a single point in three battles and was mocked globally on social media.
The Sydney native took up the sport in 2012 and earned a PhD in cultural disruption before her much-derided routine at the Games.
Raygun is a Professor at Macquarie University in Sydney in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature.
Queensland Senator Gerard Rennick cited Raygun’s official Macquarie University profile in a Facebook post after it went viral, noting that he received taxpayer subsidies to study breakdancing at the institution.
And Australians struggling to make ends meet are not happy.
“There has been a lot of talk about Australia’s breakdancing representative at the Olympics,” Senator Rennick posted.
‘I’m more interested in her current profession. She attended Macquarie University for her BA in contemporary music, graduating in 2009, and her PhD in cultural studies, graduating in 2017.
Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn (pictured) has been competing in breaking since 2012 and holds a PhD in the subject from Macquarie University.
Gunn received widespread criticism for her groundbreaking routine at the Olympics and became a global viral sensation.
Raygun’s PhD focused on “the intersection of gender and emerging Sydney culture… her publications include:
- ‘Relay systems’ in cultural studies: experimenting with the ‘Body without Organs’ in b-girling practice
- Night Paradox: How Breakdancing Reveals the Potential of the Night
- Where are the #bgirls? Policies of (in)visibility in the cultural rupture
“In the same way that breakdancing has no place in the Olympics, it is fair to say that taxpayers should not be subsidising universities to study or teach it,” he continued.
‘By the way, I have nothing against break dancing. It is certainly an acceptable recreational activity, but nothing more. It should not be subsidised.
‘The question also arises: how many obscure and meaningless courses are offered by universities and subsidised by taxpayers?
“This also shows that having a PhD in something doesn’t mean you’re good at it.”
Queensland Senator Gerard Rennick has questioned why Raygun received taxpayer funding to study his PhD on technological innovations.
By 2024, the Government will provide $29.2 billion in recurrent funding for all education sectors.
This includes $1.1 billion over five years, from 2023-24, and an additional $2.7 billion, from 2028-29 to 2034-35, for the first stage of reforms to the higher education system.
Graduate research students, like Gunn, have access to grants and funding to cover expenses related to conducting their research or fieldwork.
While Gunn’s details have not been made public, PhD students like the breakdancer can get up to $66,000 a year in tax-free government funding.
This includes living stipends of up to $35,000 per year, plus an additional scholarship of approximately $21,000 per year.
Australians are furious after learning their tax dollars have gone to fund Gunn’s PhD on the breakdown of culture
Her post attracted thousands of comments criticising the university – and other tertiary institutions – for wasting taxpayers’ money on frivolous studies.
“It’s an absolute disgrace that college students waste their time on this these days,” one posted.
“It’s a total mockery of these athletes and their families who literally sacrifice everything to achieve the greatest honour we have in sport,” added another.
“This performance was an absolute disgrace. We have incredibly talented dancers in this country. And why on earth do we need breaking investigated? The more I know about where my taxes go, the more I hate paying them,” another fumed.
And another posted: “This is an absolute disgrace. My first boyfriend was a breakdancing champion and even travelled to the US to compete in competitions. This was not the case.”
Gunn had his defenders, however, some of whom said Sen. Rennick and others should not be the judges of what constitutes meaningful education and what does not.
“All kinds of research and PhD studies contribute to our modern society; to say that their work and professional life is a waste is short-sighted,” one commentator posted.
‘A PhD provides an individual with a broad set of professional skills and his/her professional/academic life contributes to the cultural richness and knowledge base of his/her institute and students.’
Another added: “Keep politics out of sport. This woman has worked hard to achieve her sporting dreams and has made it to the Olympics. It’s clear that no one else in Australia could have represented us here so here’s to Rachel Gunn.”