Q+A

A good idea, but that would mess up the tradition of specifically themed programming nights ABC-TV rather likes.

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And also would clash with those who would want to watch Insight on SBS.

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Tuesday 8.30pm is exactly what I have been thinking.
The special-themed programming can go to Thursdays.

I’d prefer Q&A to go back to its original 9.35 slot on Mondays (or earlier, in that case move Australian Story to Tuesdays or something), but Tuesday 8.30 would be fine too.

I mean, Back Roads does fairly well on Thursdays so can’t see why shows like Old People’s Homes for 4 Year Olds won’t do well on Thursdays either considering apart from their realities and Gogglebox, 10 doesn’t really offer much competition on that day whilst Seven/Nine have sports.

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The Australian claimed that Bowen was not asked to appear on the April 22 episode for “gender diversity” reasons. The panel that night included three men (Malcolm Turnbull, Keith Pitt and Andrew Liveris) so the producers invited Sarah Hanson-Young and Narelda Jacobs.

Thursday 6 May

Live from Melbourne

This week we’ll look at all of the big issues including housing affordability, childcare and the government’s big spend.

The government has announced a $1.7b package to cut out-of-pocket costs for parents and encourage more women back into full-time work. The investment is expected to save a quarter of million Australian families thousands of dollars per year, but does it go far enough? Finance journalist Alan Kohler joins the program, in the lead up to the federal budget, as we look at measures to help the economy rebound.

And as Australian states and territories look at legislative changes around coercive control, Investigative journalist Jess Hill will be here to talk through the issues and her new documentary shining a light on domestic violence. Different states are investigating different ways of dealing with the problem and in NSW the Labor opposition is promising a bill to make coercive control a crime with a ten year maximum penalty. But is Australia ready for the change?

Meanwhile Bri Lee joins the panel to share her experience as a lawyer and an advocate survivor of sexual assault.

Q+A is live from Melbourne on Thursday, May 6 at 8.30pm AEST.

  • Alan Kohler; Finance journalist and Editor-in-Chief, The Eureka Report; Alan Kohler has been at the ABC for 21 years, and has been a financial journalist for 46 years.

  • Jess Hill; Journalist and Author, See What You Made Me Do: Power, Control and Domestic Abuse. Jess Hill is an investigative journalist who has been writing and researching about domestic abuse since 2014.

  • Fiona Martin, Liberal Member for Reid; At the 2019 Federal Election, Fiona Martin was elected as the first female Member for Reid. Prior to entering Parliament, Fiona worked as a psychologist, academic researcher and small businesswoman.

  • Linda Burney; Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services; Linda Burney was elected federal member for Barton in 2016, following a 13 year career in the NSW Parliament as Member for Canterbury.

  • Bri Lee; Author, Eggshell Skull and Beauty. Bri Lee is a freelance writer, and author of three books - Eggshell Skull (2018) Beauty (2019), and Who Gets to be Smart, which will be out in June 2021.

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Budget 2021 Special

Thursday 13 May at 8:30 pm

With the economy showing strong signs of recovery, the government is focusing on jobs and talking up its spending on aged care, infrastructure and childcare.

It’s being touted as a “women’s budget”, but will the measures, including more funding for domestic violence prevention and women’s health, be enough to stave off the effects of the so-called “pink recession”?

And will the Government’s cash splash safeguard the economy from the threat of more lockdowns and extended border closures?

Joining Hamish Macdonald to answer your questions are Minister for Superannuation and Women’s Economic Security Jane Hume, Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Greens Senator Larissa Waters, Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie and Independent MP Helen Haines.

Q+A is live from Canberra on Thursday, May 13 at 8.30pm AEST.

  • Jane Hume; Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy;

  • Jane Hume was first elected to the Senate in 2016, and was appointed to the Morrison Government Ministry in 2019.

  • Jim Chalmers, as Shadow Treasurer, is tasked with taking the fight on economic management to the Government and formulating the economic policies that Labor will take to the next election.

  • Larissa Waters; Larissa Waters is the Greens Senator for Queensland, co-deputy leader of the party and leader of the party’s Senate team.

  • Jacqui Lambie; Independent Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie is one of the parliament’s most recognisable and charismatic figures.

  • Helen Haines; Independent Member for Indi; Helen Haines was elected as the MP for the seat of Indi in May 2019, becoming the first Independent federal parliamentarian to succeed another in the same electorate since Federation in 1901.

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Live from Sydney

Thursday 20 May at 8:30 pm

With Australia’s borders likely to remain closed until mid-2022, senior Government ministers are standing by the decision to keep the doors shut, despite internal party backlash. Some MPs have expressed concerns Australia will become a “hermit nation” the longer borders remain closed. The Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the Government will continue to be led by the medical advice, but what will extended border closures mean for the country’s productivity?

Despite the economy showing strong signs of recovery, the budget papers forecast a decade of deficits and debt, set to peak at almost $1 trillion in 2025. Will Australia ever see a surplus again?

One sector hit hardest by the border closures is higher education, with the industry losing $1.8bn in revenue and 17,000 jobs due to the pandemic. What is the future for Australian universities, if the borders remain closed? And with tens of thousands of Australians still stranded overseas, are our existing quarantine measures enough to clear the backlog?

And as the situation escalates between Israelis and Palestinians on the Gaza strip, we’ll look at the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Middle East.

  • Luke McGregor is a writer, actor, and one of Australia’s favourite comedians. In 2020, he finally found a use for his Economics degree, joining The Weekly with Charlie Pickering for his ‘Lukenomics’ segment.

  • Barnaby Joyce; Following the Federal Election on 18 May 2019, Barnaby Joyce was re-elected as the Member for New England with an increased primary vote.

  • Gabriela D’Souza is a Senior Economist at CEDA whose research covers immigration, education multidimensional disadvantage, and labour markets.

  • Tony Burke is the Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations, the Shadow Minister for the Arts, and Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives.

  • Zoe Whitton; Executive Director, Pollination; Zoe Whitton is a leading advisor on climate finance, with significant experience developing strategy, governance and analytics for institutional investors wishing to manage climate change risk and Sustainable Development Goal exposure.

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Really felt like I had to change the channel tonight, Luke’s anxiety is very contagious. Barnaby seemed so articulate by comparison.

Live From Sydney

Thursday 27 May at 8:30 pm

This week on Q+A we cover the big issues, including reconciliation, equality and conflict in the Middle East. After eleven days of fighting and the deaths of more than 250 people, Israel and the Palestinians have put down their down weapons in the name of peace. But how long will the ceasefire last? And can mediators cement the truce in the hope of achieving a long-term solution?

As Australia marks Reconciliation Week, we’ll discuss the country’s journey towards Indigenous recognition and ask what action needs to be taken to amplify the voices of First Nations people? Almost three decades on from the formal reconciliation process, how can we achieve better outcomes for Indigenous Australians?

As the government continues to grapple with vaccine hesitancy, Prime Minister Scott Morrison will take a plan to National Cabinet, allowing people to move around the country freely if they’ve been vaccinated. Will the states and territories agree? With a federal election due within a year, the government is under pressure to get more Australians vaccinated and open the borders. Health Minister Greg Hunt says the government expects to have two million doses of Pfizer supplied each week from October. Will it be enough to restore confidence in the vaccination program?

  • Jennifer Robinson, Human Rights Lawyer; Jennifer Robinson is a human rights lawyer, best known for her role as a long-standing member of the legal team defending Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.

  • Mitch Tambo, Singer and songwriter; Renowned for his didgeridoo playing, actor, presenter and performer Mitch Tambo is one of Australia’s most talented entertainers.

  • Dave Sharma, Liberal Member for Wentworth; Dave Sharma is the Liberal Party member for the seat of Wentworth, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

  • Ed Husic, Labor Member for Chifley; Based in Western Sydney, Ed Husic was elected to the House of Representatives as the Federal Member for Chifley in 2010.

  • Randa Abdel-Fattah, Author and academic; Randa Abdel-Fattah is a Palestinian Egyptian Muslim writer, academic, anti-racism and Palestine advocate and the multi-award-winning author of 11 children and young adult novels published in over 20 countries.

Live from Wollongong with guest host Stan Grant

Thursday 3 June at 8:30pm

This week Q+A heads to the Illawarra, looking at all the big issues of the week including the latest Covid-19 crisis unfolding in Victoria.

More than 50 cases have now been linked to the latest outbreak, including three at an aged care facility in Melbourne’s north west. So what have we learned from the last twelve months? And will the current pace of the vaccine rollout be enough to prevent more outbreaks?

The latest lockdown in Victoria is another blow for many businesses, without JobKeeper, will they survive?

We’ll also explore the challenges facing our universities, with international borders likely to remain closed for at least another year and foreign students choosing to study elsewhere.

We’ll look at whether the ALP can reinvent itself in NSW following the resignation of Opposition Leader Jodi Mackay. The recent Upper Hunter by-election result caused discontent within Labor’s ranks, raising questions about how the political landscape is changing in communities outside the big cities.

And as more people move out of our major metropolitan centres, what does the growing urban sprawl mean for rural and regional towns when it comes to infrastructure, jobs and property prices?

Q+A is live from Wollongong on Thursday, June 3 at 8.30pm AEST.


  • Tim Wilson is the Federal Liberal Member for the Melbourne seat of Goldstein. He was first elected in 2016.

  • Diane Smith-Gander AO is a prominent business executive, company director and advocate for gender equality and equal opportunity in the workplace.

  • Gordon Bradbery has been Lord Mayor of Wollongong since September 2011 and chairs the Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation of Councils.

  • Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Strategy and Services at the University of Sydney.

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Tonight’s show.

Live From Canberra with Stan Grant - The COVID Endgame

Thursday 10 June at 8:30 pm

As frustrated Victorians endure their fourth lockdown, businesses across the country are hurting and many are now asking if we’ve lost the bigger picture.

We’re told the vaccine is our best form of protection but is Australia being left behind? As a nation, we’ve managed the health and economic challenges well, but is it time we learnt to live with COVID long term rather than put all our efforts into eliminating it? The prevention of coronavirus outbreaks in remote Indigenous communities is considered one of the success stories of Australia’s pandemic response, so how can we protect other vulnerable communities?

As we assess what risk we’re prepared to live with, are there lessons we can learn from other countries? Prime Minister Scott Morrison will meet with global leaders, including US President Joe Biden, at the G7 summit in the UK this week.

Plus, we take a look at the latest trade war tensions with China and Australia’s place in the region, and the big changes to Medicare rebates that may see us paying thousands more for standard procedures. How will you be affected?

Remember this is your show and your chance to set the agenda – so send us any questions we should be asking!

  • Omar Khorshid; Dr Omar Khorshid was elected President of the Federal AMA on 1 August 2020, and is a past President of AMA WA.

  • Kamalini Lokuge; Epidemiologist, Australian National University; Associate Professor Kamalini Lokuge, OAM, HOSM, leads the Humanitarian Health Research Initiative at the Australian National University.

  • Peter Hartcher is the political editor and international editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, the papers’ main commentator on national politics and international affairs.

  • Sally Scales; APY Art Centre Collective Regional Programs Coordinator and Uluru Statement Leadership; Sally Scales is a Pitjantjatjara woman from Pipalyatjara in the far west of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in remote South Australia.

  • Cameron Murray ;Economist and Research Fellow; Cameron Murray is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Henry Halloran Trust at the University of Sydney.

https://twitter.com/QandA/status/1401705467697528838?s=20

Live from Melbourne

Thursday 17 June at 8:30 pm

This week Q+A broadcasts live from Melbourne with guest host David Speers.

As Melbourne slowly emerges from its fourth heartbreaking lockdown, we check the nation’s pulse on job security and business confidence in the COVID recovery, plus the impact of Victoria’s recent devastating floods.

We’ll also discuss the latest developments in the plight of the Biloela Tamil family, allegations of misogyny in the Olympic swim team culture, and Israel’s new Prime Minister.

  • The Hon Darren Chester MP is the Member for Gippsland, in Victoria. Born and educated in Sale, Darren lives in Lakes Entrance with his wife Julie and their four children. Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel

  • Clare O’Neil was first elected as the member for Hotham (previously held by Simon Crean) in 2013, and after re-election in 2016 she was promoted to Labor’s front bench. Shadow Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services

  • Hana Assafiri has dedicated her professional and private life to removing barriers that prevent women from living prosperous lives.

  • Susan Alberti is one of Australia’s pre-eminent philanthropists, having raised in excess of $250 million for medical research and other charitable causes over her successful business career.

  • Tom Elliott is the host of radio station 3AW’s Drive Program. He is also Investment Committee Chairman of wealth management firm Choice Capital.

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Live in Sydney

Thursday 24 June at 8:30 pm

This week, Hamish Macdonald returns to the Q+A host chair as we talk disability, autism, and the big stories of the week.

The NDIS is moving to a new model of eligibility testing called independent assessments which has spread fear and distress among Australians with disabilities. Is the original intent of the NDIS being undermined?

In politics, Barnaby Joyce returns as Deputy Prime Minister, after beating Michael McCormack in a National Party leadership spill.

A Ugandan athlete has tested Covid positive in Tokyo and been barred entry to Japan, in the first detected infection among athletes arriving for the Tokyo Games. Should we be holding the Olympics and Paralympics in the midst of this pandemic? The International Olympic Committee and Japanese government insist the Games can be held safely, but are the risks too great?

We’ll also look at the latest NSW COVID cluster and the Prime Minister’s trip to Cornwall.

Q+A is live from Sydney on Thursday, June 24 at 8.30pm AEST.

  • Jayden Evans resides in the town of Gympie in the Wide Bay – Burnett region of Queensland.

  • After a series of stunning gold medal performances in 2018 and 2019, Madison de Rozario continues to prove why she is one of the most promising young athletes in wheelchair racing.

  • Nicole Rogerson is one of the nation’s leading spokespersons for the awareness and understanding of autism. She is the founding Director of Autism Awareness Australia.

  • Hollie Hughes was elected to the Senate for NSW in 2019. She has a first-hand understanding of regional Australia’s limited social and health services, especially disability services after her son was diagnosed with autism in 2012.

  • Andrew Leigh is the Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury and Charities, and Federal Member for Fenner in the ACT.

https://twitter.com/QandA/status/1407503673425543170?s=20

Update:

https://twitter.com/QandA/status/1407594275676639238?s=20

Another panellist on tonight’s show.

They really need a mute button on Hollie Hughes tonight.

Show coming from Brisbane this week. Will be inter to see who hosts, considering Hamish is currently in Sydney.

Matt Wordsworth could host.

He’d probably be good, also has had previous national exposure as a fill-in presenter on 7.30 and Lateline.

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