Harris booted from Hall of Fame
Rolf Harris has been kicked out of the ARIA Hall of Fame after being convicted of sexual abuse.
The 84-year-old entertainer was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault against four girls – one as young as seven or eight.
ARIA chief executive Dan Rosen told AAP on Tuesday that the board had decided to withdraw the award following his conviction in the UK courts.
Harris was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2008.
His most famous song is Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport.
Hall of Fame inductees are chosen for their contribution to the culture of the Australian music industry.
Harris is likely to be jailed at his sentencing on Friday.
Meanwhile, Harris’ home town of Perth is moving to tear up monuments honouring the disgraced entertainer, while his boyhood school has already decided to pull down his paintings.
A West Australian Education Department spokeswoman told AAP that several Harris artworks would be removed from the walls of Perth Modern School, where he was a student from 1943 to 1947.
She said the paintings would need to be professionally removed over coming days and the school’s board would meet to decide what to do with them.
Two local councils are considering what to do with monuments honouring “The Boy from Bassendean”.
City of Perth Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the council would likely tear up a footpath plaque on St Georges Terrace that commemorates Harris.
The decision would be made in coming weeks, Ms Scaffidi said.
“We’ll consider the removal, most likely, of the plaque,” she told Fairfax radio on Tuesday.
The council would first ask for the views of committee that selected him for a plaque, she said.
“I can’t say until the council decision is made but the general feeling around the place is that we don’t accept those kind of offences,” Ms Scaffidi said.
“It’s a very sad issue and something we need to deal with.”