Q&A 2022

[Roobs321]

Turnbull, Carr and Kelly are all a bit past it now, and came across cringey.

I personally find Turnbull to have been a persistent disappointment since he became PM. All his public statements since office have come across as transparent (and often vindictive) legacy grabs, and tonight was more of the same. I’m just not convinced by him.

I think Kelly was in his rights to defend his specific (crap & biased) employer and also question the caricaturing reach of that 4Corners program. His reasoning was fair, coherent and balanced. Malcolm was, as per usual, self-aggrandising but drowning uncomfortably whenever probed, straining shallowly for gotcha moments. I can’t believe anyone still gets sucked in by his shtick.

Kelly like Sheridan is at that age where he is prone to spit the dummy and have a tanty, but that repeated appeal to James Murdoch and climate change denial was empty hot air and I’d be pissed by that as well.

 

[SM]

Turnbull, Carr and Kelly are all a bit past it now, and came across cringey.

I personally find Turnbull to have been a persistent disappointment since he became PM. All his public statements since office have come across as transparent (and often vindictive) legacy grabs, and tonight was more of the same. I’m just not convinced by him.

I think Kelly was in his rights to defend his specific (crap & biased) employer and also question the caricaturing reach of that 4Corners program. His reasoning was fair, coherent and balanced. Malcolm was, as per usual, self-aggrandising but drowning uncomfortably whenever probed, straining shallowly for gotcha moments. I can’t believe anyone still gets sucked in by his shtick.

Kelly like Sheridan is at that age where he is prone to spit the dummy and have a tanty, but that repeated appeal to James Murdoch and climate change denial was empty hot air and I’d be pissed by that as well.

Bizarre take but you're entitled to your wrong opinion.

 

[Caesar]

Bizarre take but you're entitled to your wrong opinion.

What about it is bizarre? Turnbull is painful these days, he says nothing that isn’t specifically designed to cast his premiership in the best possible light.

 

[SM]

What about it is bizarre? Turnbull is painful these days, he says nothing that isn’t specifically designed to cast his premiership in the best possible light.

You coming to the defence of Paul Kelly was the bizarre aspect.

Former Prime Minister speaks about his record as PM, stop the presses. Did you watch Insiders on Sunday? Rudd is no different, Gillard was no different when she was on Q&A. People by their nature are going to try to spin their time in the spotlight positively. I also heard Turnbull accept the criticism of his handling of Porter, when he could have pushed back and argued that he did the right thing etc. as some others would have done in that situation, did you hear that bit?

I didn't find his attack on the Murdoch press particularly painful, but my sympathies to you if you did.

 

[Gough]

Kill the messenger.

 

[Caesar]

You coming to the defence of Paul Kelly was the bizarre aspect.

Former Prime Minister speaks about his record as PM, stop the presses. Did you watch Insiders on Sunday? Rudd is no different, Gillard was no different when she was on Q&A. People by their nature are going to try to spin their time in the spotlight positively. I also heard Turnbull accept the criticism of his handling of Porter, when he could have pushed back and argued that he did the right thing etc. as some others would have done in that situation, did you hear that bit?

I didn't find his attack on the Murdoch press particularly painful, but my sympathies to you if you did.

I didn’t come to the defence of Paul Kelly? Nonetheless I think he raised some valid points about the media’s perceived role and responsibilities that were quietly glossed over by the rest of the panel.

Turnbull’s comments are worthless because they aren’t anchored in any sort of sincere belief. If he stumbles into any sort of truth, it’s because that happens to coincide with what is best for his own image.

Do you really believe he wouldn’t be a staunch advocate for the Murdoch media if they happened to have supported him during his PMship?

 

[SM]

I didn’t come to the defence of Paul Kelly? Nonetheless I think he raised some valid points about the media’s perceived role and responsibilities that were quietly glossed over by the rest of the panel.

Turnbull’s comments are worthless because they aren’t anchored in any sort of sincere belief. If he stumbles into any sort of truth, it’s because that happens to coincide with what is best for his own image.

Do you really believe he wouldn’t be a staunch advocate for the Murdoch media if they happened to have supported him during his PMship?

Nothing that came out of his mouth last night on the subject was valid.

Yes I believe he wouldn't be a staunch advocate. You do know he was directly involved in establishing The Guardian Australia?

 

[Caesar]

Nothing that came out of his mouth last night on the subject was valid.

one-eyed nonsense

Yes I believe he wouldn't be a staunch advocate. You do know he was directly involved in establishing The Guardian Australia?

I do. And it would be naive to think that the Murdoch press’s treatment of him as opposition leader didn’t play into that.

 

[SM]

one-eyed nonsense


I do. And it would be naive to think that the Murdoch press’s treatment of him as opposition leader didn’t play into that.

You know, the more you talk, the worse a job you're doing convincing me that you don't support Paul Kelly..

Yeah definitely just the Murdoch press and not the trend line his entire career has shown. I suppose he spearheaded the Republican movement to spite Murdoch too? And his involvement in the Spycatcher case was just a dig at old Rupe?

 

[Pessimistic]

It wasn't about "having the plums". Political life isn't as easy as you make it sound. The Murdoch media made an already difficult job impossible, that's the entire point Turnbull was making tonight.

He had two shots at Climate and energy as party leader. One as opposition leaderwhen the Labor govt was adopting the model you took to the election, and once as PM. Im looking for the quote was It the most important package in our time

Mind you Rudd said the same and he had a couple of opportunities too

 

[SM]

He had two shots at Climate and energy as party leader. One as opposition leaderwhen the Labor govt was adopting the model you took to the election, and once as PM. Im looking for the quote was It the most important package in our time

Mind you Rudd said the same and he had a couple of opportunities too

And you just have to look at Paul Kelly last night ranting about climate change being a belief system to understand why it is so hard to bring the brainwashed into line to vote on sensible climate policy.

 

[Kwality]

In 2019 (then) presenter Tony Jones sent out a message to the Prime Minister that if he wanted to know what Australians were thinking in the lead up to the election, he should appear on the program. Scott Morrison declined – and, to the surprise of the ABC’s political experts (including Laura Tingle), he won the May 2019 election.
Then it was moved from Mondays: “audiences are looking for content elsewhere around 9pm”

NOW:

According to ratings company OzTAM, in March 2012 Q+A was pulling more than 600,000 viewers an episode, but since the show moved to Thursday nights at the start of the year, ratings have only topped 300,000 on one occasion.



How long Hamish?

 

[Number37]

In 2019 (then) presenter Tony Jones sent out a message to the Prime Minister that if he wanted to know what Australians were thinking in the lead up to the election, he should appear on the program. Scott Morrison declined – and, to the surprise of the ABC’s political experts (including Laura Tingle), he won the May 2019 election.
Then it was moved from Mondays: “audiences are looking for content elsewhere around 9pm”

NOW:

According to ratings company OzTAM, in March 2012 Q+A was pulling more than 600,000 viewers an episode, but since the show moved to Thursday nights at the start of the year, ratings have only topped 300,000 on one occasion.



How long Hamish?

Too many RWFW's talking sh*t has turned viewers off.

 

[Roobs321]

To be fair, political disengagement has been rife since the pandemic began, and the typical political bubble commentary hasn't really returned to regularity just yet.

Thursday nights would also seem a terrible choice for a show like that. It is one of the last nights of the week when I am in the mood for that sort of thing. Maybe if nothing else is on in that timeslot and the show is looking for a shifted approach or new audience, then fair enough.

On Monday nights the three preceding shows (Australian Story, Four Corners, Media Watch) were usually more must-see, so maybe it is just finding its own special night (and gives a few days to stew on any four corners reveals).

 

[cartwright]

To be fair, political disengagement has been rife since the pandemic began, and the typical political bubble commentary hasn't really returned to regularity just yet.

Thursday nights would also seem a terrible choice for a show like that. It is one of the last nights of the week when I am in the mood for that sort of thing. Maybe if nothing else is on in that timeslot and the show is looking for a shifted approach or new audience, then fair enough.

When this time slot was announced, many people thought it was a terrible idea would be the death of the show.

Not sure what was wrong with Monday night.

 

[tandino]

I agree with the whole Thursday night thing, but I feel that it's also become quite stale as a format. Who's waiting around until 8:30pm to hear the views of Trent Zimmerman FFS.

 

[Christopher Buttersnip]

I agree with the whole Thursday night thing, but I feel that it's also become quite stale as a format. Who's waiting around until 8:30pm to hear the views of Trent Zimmerman FFS.

Or more to the point, Martin Iles.

The format and content changed for the worse with the exit of Tony Jones.

 

[Number37]

To be fair, political disengagement has been rife since the pandemic began, and the typical political bubble commentary hasn't really returned to regularity just yet.

Thursday nights would also seem a terrible choice for a show like that. It is one of the last nights of the week when I am in the mood for that sort of thing. Maybe if nothing else is on in that timeslot and the show is looking for a shifted approach or new audience, then fair enough.

On Monday nights the three preceding shows (Australian Story, Four Corners, Media Watch) were usually more must-see, so maybe it is just finding its own special night (and gives a few days to stew on any four corners reveals).

The Drum might also be cannibalising its target audience.

 

[Roobs321]

The Drum might also be cannibalising its target audience.

But The Drum has been around for a long time now, almost as long as Q&A. I remember watching it back in 2012 with Cannane and Julia Baird, although maybe it wasn't on the primary ABC1 channel then. Q&A only really became topical when it made the Monday night move in 2010. I remember talking about it with friends then, and the thrown shoe at Howard was a weird television moment. Turnbull's leather bomber was around then too. The Drum (along with ABC News Breakfast) is approximately the same age, shows that came into vogue in the early 10s once they got the formula right.

 

[Number37]

But The Drum has been around for a long time now, almost as long as Q&A. I remember watching it back in 2012 with Cannane and Julia Baird, although maybe it wasn't on the primary ABC1 channel then. Q&A only really became topical when it made the Monday night move in 2010. I remember talking about it with friends then, and the thrown shoe at Howard was a weird television moment. Turnbull's leather bomber was around then too. The Drum (along with ABC News Breakfast) is approximately the same age, shows that came into vogue in the early 10s once they got the formula right.

IMO...
The Drum has a far more nuanced conversational tone, even with the right wingers just parroting.
That nuanced conversational tone is what Q&A used to be, until recently.

 

[tandino]

Or more to the point, Martin Iles.

Or 80% of the guests whether you agree with their point of view or not, no matter how important or relevant or not. Those discussions are taking place elsewhere.

As far as television ratings go its just getting by. As far as setting the agenda it's not really that relevant anymore.

 

[Roobs321]

SBS's Insight switched to its issue-themed studio forum format around a similar time to Q&A starting, you could argue both programs came into vogue around a similar time over a decade back, had very popular hosts, but that the times have sort of gone beyond that particular format. You either want the panel (various panel shows) or some more efficient direct access to the theme-based guests (e.g. You Can't Ask That). The inbetween hopes to find that special energy you could only get on such a Q&A/Insight-style show (a bit more serious than the light entertaiment/sports/quiz guest audiences), but it just isn't natural to today's climate really.

 

[andrewmillman]

I strongly dislike Hamish Mcdonald after his hitjob on Denmark on foreign correspondent. That plus as mentioned the largely inconsequential guests has turned me off it.

 

[Chief]

“Hitjob on Denmark.”

What the fa?

 

[andrewmillman]

“Hitjob on Denmark.”

What the fa?

The State of Denmark

Trusted and independent source of local, national and world news. In-depth analysis, business, sport, weather and more.

www.abc.net.au

Watch for yourself.
He essentially berates Denmark (a modest, tolerant, perfectly respectable country) and native Danes for wanting to retain their monocultural society, and their desire that migrants integrate.

Ironically he takes the side of people who would have him imprisoned if they had control over Denmark's laws.