Cricket Australia for sacking a female employee, Angela Williamson after she campaigned for abortion reform on social media.

POLITICAL SILVER ERNIE

Barnaby Joyce – referring to his daughters during the Equal Marriage campaign, “We know that the best protection for those girls is that they get themselves into a secure relationship with a loving husband, and I want that to happen.”

MEDIA SILVER ERNIE

Tim Blair – “February 11: International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Frankly, wasn’t it better when they used rabbits.”

CELEBRITY SILVER ERNIE

Don Burke who used his self-diagnosed Asperger’s syndrome to excuse sexual harassment charges against him.

JUDICIAL SILVER ERNIE

Magistrate Michael Barko who described a domestic assault charge as “a lower-end allegation that happens in every second house” and accused the woman of “slapping the court in the face” for failing to turn up.

INDUSTRIAL SILVER ERNIE (Dead Heat)

Coopers Hotel Newtown for posting on social media ”Keep calm and slap a bitch as we approach the finals of this year’s NRL!”

Sky News The Outsiders program -  After criticism of the sexist attack on Sarah Hanson-Young, they sacked the junior woman producer who wrote the strapline, the only woman working on the show.

THE ELAINE (For Remarks Least Helpful to the Sisterhood)

Minister Michaelia Cash – “If you want to start discussing staff matters, be very, very careful. Because I’m happy to sit here and name every young woman in Mr Shorten’s office over which rumours in this place abound. ”

THE GOOD ERNIE (For Boys Behaving Better)

Former Sydney Swans player, Brandon Jack – “The following statement is true: rape culture is real. If you roll your eyes at these words, dismissing the idea as an overreaction by hypersensitive feminists, then you are part of the problem. This is something we can no longer hide from – so please, don’t weep for your toxic masculinity.”

THE TRUMP (For Repeat Offender)

Tony Abbott (again)

GOLD ERNIE & SILVER ERNIE (POLITICAL)

Barrister Ben Mallick (Judicial Silver Ernie) for defending a taxi driver charged with sexual assault, “the attack would not have happened if the woman had sat in the back seat”.

NSW Department of Education (Industrial Silver Ernie) for proposing that experienced School teachers who take 5 years off to have children be downgraded to beginner teacher salary when they return to work.

Celebrity Silver Ernie  

Rolf Harris for writing a song in gaol called Gutter Girls, “Sleeping in the daytime, lying every night. She’s scheming, screaming bloody rape and she’s got you in her sight.”

Political Silver Ernie  

Mark Latham – “By attacking poverty rather than attacking men you’ll get a far better solution than the nonsense we’re hearing from Rosie Batty and the other left feminists”.

Sport Silver Ernie, The Warney

Eddie McGuire – when discussing paying to have sports journalist Caroline Wilson ducked in cold water “I’ll put in ten grand straight away – make it twenty – and if she stays under the water, fifty.”

Media Silver Ernie  

Andrew Bolt – remarking on the Constitutional Recognition documentary with Linda Burney, “it was tricky because she is gorgeous and she’s a woman and it’s very difficult for a white male to debate an Aboriginal woman and not be seen as a bully or mean.”

Elaine Award  (for remark least helpful to the sisterhood)

Pauline Hanson in her inaugural speech, referring to the family court system “women make frivolous claims and believe they have the sole right to the children… until we treat mums and dads with the same courtesy and rights, we will continue to see murders due to sheer frustration and depression and mental illness caused by this unworkable system.”

The Good Ernie  (dead heat)

Bernard Keane commenting on Pauline Hanson’s Inaugural Speech, “I can’t recall a more sickening, more evil statement from a politician than this attempt to explain away the murder of women by ex-partners as frustration due to frivolous claims by women.

Byron Shire Council for banning sexist graffitied Wicked Campers from the Council caravan parks.

The Clinton for Repeat Offender went to Mark Latham.

Christopher Pyne

for claiming that increases in uni fees won’t disproportionately affect women because – “women are well represented amongst the teaching and nursing students. They will not be able to earn the high incomes that dentists and lawyers will earn.”

Media Silver Ernie

Piers Akerman

“The ABC has tried to foist its left-wing agenda on the nation. Even the cartoon character Peppa Pig pushes a weird feminist line that would be closer to the hearts of Labor’s Handbag Hit Squad than the pre-school audience it is aimed at.”

Judicial Silver Ernie

Philip Strickland SC

for suggesting that former MP Jodie McKay’s recall of a conversation might not be accurate because she was in “an emotional state”.

Industrial Silver Ernie

Wicked Camper Vans

for slogans on their vans:
“Fat girls are harder to kidnap.”
“In every princess, there’s a little slut who wants to try it just once.”
“Life sucks if your girlfriend doesn’t.”

Sport Silver Ernie (The Warney)

South Coast Winter Swimming Association

in response to women swimmers wanting to join the club moved the following motions:

“That the name of the South Coast Winter Swimming association should be changed to the South Coast Men’s Winter Swimming Association.”

“That member affiliation of the South Coast Winter Swimming Association is limited to males.”

Clerical/Celebrity Ernie (The Fred)

Kyle and Jackie O

For their on-air questioning of Sports Journalist, Erin Molan on how many sportsmen she has had sex with, whether she has had a boob job, and whether she has ever slept with a cricketer.

The Elaine (for the remark least helpful to the sisterhood)

Dead heat between

Michaela Cash, Minister assisting the PM on Women

“In terms of feminism, I’ve never been someone who really associates with that movement. That movement was a set of ideologies from many, many decades ago”

Miranda Devine

“After rising to the top of her party through affirmative action, out first female prime minister cynically played the victim card. Her unscrupulous complaints about sexism and misogyny just empowered the worst kind of women to excuse their own failings, and justified every sexist stereotype.”

The Good Ernie

Mark Lennon, Secretary of Unions NSW

for giving female staff 2% more superannuation than men, to acknowledge the structural issues that lead to women having one third of the super savings of men when they retire.

The Clinton (for repeat offenders)

Tony Abbott

…and the winners are
GOLD ERNIE and Industrial Silver Ernie
Wesley College students for distributing stubby holders bearing the words “It’s not rape if it’s my birthday.”

Political Silver Ernie
Mal Brough for the Liberal Party dinner menu featuring”Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail – Small Breasts, Huge Thighs and a Big Red Box”

Media Silver Ernie
Paul Sheehan
“The mask fell away” and Gillard came out “snarling, accusing Abbott of having a hatred of women, a man” he said – before his paper deleted it – “who unlike the Prime Minister, has raised three daughters.”

Judicial Silver Ernie
Professor Paul Wilson
“My findings were remarkably similar to studies in California and Scandinavia which suggest child victims of adult sex offenders are generally willing or active participants, and that they not infrequently initiate the sexual relationship.”

The Warney (Sport)
Nick Riewoldt – said that team mate Stephen Milne who was charged with 4 counts of rape, should be allowed to continue playing because “Milney is the absolute heart and soul of the football club.”

The Fred (Celebrity etc)
Alan Jones
“Every person in the caucus of the Labor Party knows that Julia Gillard is a liar… The old man recently died a few weeks ago of shame, To think that he has a daughter who told lies every time she stood for Parliament.”

The Elaine (For remarks least helpful to the Sisterhood)
Janet Albrechtsen
“While lack of humour infects both sides of politics, the Labor girls in particular need to loosen their pigtails. In Canberra today, there are far too few Fred Dalys and far too many Tanya Pliberseks.”

The Good Ernie
Lt General David Morrison
“On all operations, female soldiers and officers have proven themselves worthy of the best traditions of the Australian Army. They are vital to us maintaining our capability now and into the future. If that does not suit you, then get out.”

The Clinton (for repeat offenders)
Tony Abbott

Enquiries Meredith Burgmann 0418240763 or Yvette Andrews 0408281810 or check out the website www.ernies.com.au.

The year has seen so much bigotry and misogyny that it would be hard to pick a winner but it will be hard to go past “the menu” for just plain nastiness…although Barry O’Farrell accusing our host Linda Burney of not getting her position ‘on merit’ was pretty appalling.

The raffle this year will raise money for 2013 Sydney Peace Prize Winner Dr Cynthia Maung’s clinic on the Thai-Burma border.

Alan Jones

‘Women are destroying the joint, Christine Nixon in Melbourne, Clover Moore here. Honestly. There’s no chaff bag big enough for these people.’

Industrial Silver Ernie

David Farley, CEO Australian Agricultural Company

when demonstrating a machine in the abattoir said - ’So it’s designed for non-productive old cows. Julia Gillard’s got to watch out.’

Political Silver Ernie

Barry O’Farrell 

said about Linda Burney - ’I am not sure which other member could be the hooker, perhaps the Member for Canterbury.’

Clerical Silver Ernie (The ‘Fred’)

Family Voice Australia

argued against changes to the provocation defence saying - ’The exclusion would effectively rule out the classic case of a husband unexpectedly arriving home to find his wife engaged in a sexual act with another man… these circumstances have traditionally been held to warrant a reduction in the seriousness of the offence from murder to manslaughter.’

Judicial Silver Ernie

Senior Constable Cary Coolican

‘Many sexual assault victims were too drunk or stoned to remember the details of the attacks… we would be encouraging people to make responsible choices regarding who they drink with and the quantity that is consumed. Some decisions may result in risky behaviour and unsafe actions.’

Sports Silver Ernie (The ‘Warney’)

Basketball Australia

for flying the women’s Olympic basketball team to London economy class, and the male team business class.

The Elaine (for remarks least helpful to the sisterhood)

Kelly O’Dywer MP

for calling Tanya Plibersek, Nicola Roxon and Deborah O’Neil –  ’the handbag hit squad.’

The Good Ernie (for men behaving better)

Stephen Smith

said in reference to ongoing issues in the Defence Force – ‘inappropriate conduct will not be tolerated.’

The ‘Clinton’ for repeat offenders

Archbishop Peter Jensen

The Ernies are awarded for sexist remarks made during the year. They are divided into the categories of Political, Industrial, Judicial, Media, Sport (The Warney) and Clerical/Celebrity (The Fred). There is a category for “The remark least helpful to the sisterhood” which is called ‘The Elaine’. The overall winner receives the Gold Ernie. There is also a Good Ernie for men behaving better.

Simon Benson, winner of the 2011 Good Ernie, is reluctant to return the trophy

The winners are decided by the volume of booing that greets each remark as it is read out by the Mistresses of Ceremony, Meredith Burgmann and Yvette Andrews. Highly trained boo-monitors judge the volume. There were over 100 nominations this year which have been pared down to a short list of 10 Political, 8 Sport, 12 Media, 4 Judicial, 10 Industrial, 8 Clerical, 9 ‘Elaines’, 10 ‘Good’ Ernies.

Here are the hot tips for the Gold Ernie in 2012. Can we say it has been a bumper year for misogyny.

Kyle Sandilands for calling journalist Alison Stephenson “some fat slag…a piece of shit…you haven’t got that much titty to be having that low cut a blouse”.

Alan Jones “Women are destroying the joint, Christine Nixon in Melbourne, Clover Moore here. Honestly!

..There’s no chaff bag big enough for these people”.

The Anglican Diocese of Sydney for proposing new marriage vows which require women to promise to “submit” to their husbands.

Basketball Australia for planning to send the women’s team to London economy class while the men travelled Business.

Barry O’Farrell for saying of Linda Burney “I am not sure which other Member could be the hooker, perhaps the Member for Canterbury.”

Grahame Morris “Well Leigh (Sales) can be a real cow sometimes when she is doing her interviews.”

David Farley CEO of Australian Agricultural Company while demonstrating an abattoir machine “So it’s designed for non-productive old cows – Julia Gillard’s got to watch out.”

Mark Latham  “Australia’s teaching profession is dominated by ageing matrons, instinctively resistant to new ideas”.

Lego for designing new characters for ‘Lego Friends’ marketed to girls. They spend their time in Heartlake City cafe, splash pool and beauty parlour and come in different pastel shades.

Feminist icon Germaine Greer is nominated for the Elaine (remark least helpful to the sisterhood) for her extraordinary admonition “You’ve got a big arse Julia. Just get on with it”.

However multiple Ernie winner Tony Abbott just couldn’t help himself so also gets into trouble for his response to Greer’s remarks “I know, I know, I know. Germaine Greer was right on that subject”.

The awards for the various categories will begin at 7.45pm and the Gold Ernie will be announced at approximately 9.50pm tonight.

At a serious level, the Ernies charts Australian misogyny and provides an important historical record of what men are actually saying about women. This sort of research is very hard to do in retrospect. It has to be an every day activity of women getting up, reading the paper and being so infuriated by something they read or hear that they immediately file it away for later Ernies nomination.

As of today they will be able to come to our site and register on-line.

To celebrate our twenty years we have created this website. We will continue to build on the story of the last twenty years and of course point out the miscreants of the present with indignation and glee.

If you want to come to the Ernies Dinner on 26 September, get cracking as the RSVPs close on Tuesday 18 September. Ring 02 9718 1234.

In sisterhood 

Your Ernies Hosts

Meredith Burgmann and Yvette Andrews