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Matthew Cooper & Sophie Barley

Eurovision 2019: Why are Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest?

Australia is once again competing in the Eurovision Song Contest but it doesn't take a genius to work out that the country is indeed not in Europe.

So why is Australia allowed to compete?

Australia first competed in the Eurovision Song Contest four years ago in 2015 when it was held in Vienna, in Austria. This was to mark the show’s 60th anniversary.

This was originally meant to just be a one-off event but later on in 2015 it was confirmed by SVT that Australia would be entering again the following year.

The reasoning is basically down to TV rights. Former Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc described how it came about on BBC's Eurovision: You Decide: "The simple fact is, Australia’s host TV broadcaster SBS is part of the European Broadcasting Union, otherwise known as the EBU.

"And this is a qualification requirement for entering the Eurovision Song Contest. So that’s why we’ll see them in May."

The Eurovision itself has something of a cult following down under, and while it costs a fair amount for SBS to broadcast the event the ratings justify the costs entirely.

SBS has been showing the Eurovision Song Contest for three decades now and the fact it doesn't start until 2am in Australia doesn’t seem to deter viewers one bit.

While us Brits love to stay up to the early hours watching the likes of the Super Bowl and Wrestlemania, Ozzies enjoy getting the beers in and enjoying the Eurovision.

This year's Australian entry is singer Kate Miller-Heidke who qualified into into the finals with her song Zero Gravity.

Newcastle choreographer Lee Proud makes the Eurovision final with Iceland

Who is UK Eurovision entry Michael Rice? Bigger Than Us singer in grand final  

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