Australia was invited to compete in Eurovision 2022, but declined the offer.
The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most watched television events in the world, with millions tuning in every year to watch their favourite countries compete. Australia has been a part of the contest since 2015, but many fans were surprised when they learned that Australia had been invited to compete again in 2022. The country has previously stated that it would not be competing at Eurovision after its two-year commitment ended this year, but on October 27th it was revealed that they had declined an invitation to participate next year.
Why did Australia decline its invitation?
Australia’s participation at Eurovision has been a contentious issue for some time now. The country’s first appearance was widely criticised by viewers and commentators alike for having little relevance to Europe and taking up space that could have gone to another European country. In response, the EBU introduced a new rule stating that only countries from Europe could compete at Eurovision from 2020 onwards. This rule change left Australia ineligible for participation and many thought this would be the end of their involvement with the contest.
Many thought that once their two-year commitment ended this year, Australia would not be invited back again due to their non-European status. However, it was announced on October 27th that they had been invited back as part of a new partnership between SBS and RTP (Portugal’s national broadcaster). Although SBS said it would “look forward” to working with RTP again after working together on last year’s contest, they also confirmed they had declined the invitation.
