Cher’s ‘Offensive’ Aussie Auction Hit Snag As Winner Refuses To Pay In Protest

Cher’s ‘personal consignor’ may have popped a few champagne bottles after his auction of the singer’s key to the City Adelaide fetched the jaw dropping price of $95,900.

But any celebration would have been a tad premature as the bidder is now refusing to pay as protest to what he calls an ‘insult’ to the City of Adelaide.

According to The Age, the winner of the auction revealed himself as Robert McDougall from the Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill who made the bid as a protest to the auction, telling the paper he has no intention of ever paying.

McDougall out bid 30 other bidders for the Key To Adelaide City, given the Cher in 1990 as gratitude for her performance at the Adelaide Grand Prix.

“I thought it was mildly outrageous that it was taking place, I found it pretty insulting,” McDougall said. “I think there have only been about 33 given out in the last 30 years, and they have gone to people like the Dalai Lama.”

McDougall wasn’t the only person outraged by the auction, with the mayor who presented the key to Cher declaring the auction a slap in the face for the city. “I’m disappointed,” former mayor Steve Condous said.

“I would have thought that getting the key to a city like Adelaide would have had some value to her,” he continued. “But obviously it doesn’t because she wouldn’t have got rid of it. If she didn’t want to keep it she should have returned it back to the city.”

The current Mayor of Adelaide, Stephen Yarwood, was also offended by the auction and took the opportunity to attack the singer. ”I just think that it is more a reflection on her than the city of Adelaide,” Yarwood said. “It must be very embarrassing for her if she is selling it because she needs the money.”

McDougall, a 25-year-old arts student, has written to Cher’s ‘personal consignor’ to explain why he won’t be paying for the key, pointing out the singer herself publicly declared the auction a mistake to fans on Twitter.

Im upset 2& trying 2get2 bottom! I Think my office fkd up?RT @bettyann329 key 2 Adelaide on Ebay upsetting the peeps in Aussie esp the Mayor

— Cher (@cher) April 23, 2012