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Q+A viewers stunned by "blatantly racist" question

<p>A controversial question about the value of multiculturalism in Australia sparked a wave of heated backlash during a recent episode of ABC’s <em>Q+A</em>, with many questioning how such a query was allowed to air in the first place.</p> <p>The incident occurred on Monday night when audience member Jenny Carrol voiced her skepticism about the benefits of multiculturalism. Carrol claimed that the culture of the "original British/Irish majority" in Australia had been "demonised" over the past three decades. She cited the frequent vandalism of Captain Cook memorials as an example, questioning how democracy could function in what she described as an environment of "beating up the white guy".</p> <p>“Case in point," said Carrol. "Frequent vandalism of memorials to Captain Cook. How does democracy fit into this atmosphere of beat up the white guy?” she asked, later adding Captain Cook was “just doing a job”.</p> <p>The question immediately drew strong reactions, including a firm rebuttal from Youth Minister Anne Aly. Aly, who responded that multiculturalism is "the character of our nation", stated that it is not a policy that was imposed but rather an intrinsic part of Australia's identity.</p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">"Take a look around you. We are multicultural. It’s who we are," Aly responded during the live broadcast, noting that multiculturalism has brought "immense benefits" to the country. Aly, who migrated to Australia from Egypt as a child, highlighted the resilience and strength that diversity brings to democracy, rejecting the notion that the contributions of the British heritage are being undermined.</span></p> <p>The exchange also ignited a firestorm on social media, with many criticising the show's producers for allowing what they viewed as a "blatantly racist" question to be aired. One user remarked, "Slow clap to the producers for allowing a blatantly racist question be aired," while another questioned the vetting process, stating, "If that question was vetted then I’d like to know who’s doing the vetting."</p> <p>Dr Aly's response was widely praised online, with many applauding her for addressing the underlying racism still present in Australia.</p> <p>Adding to the discussion, Australian National University Professor George Brandis KC, a former Attorney-General and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, asserted that it is possible to celebrate Australia’s multiculturalism without disrespecting its British heritage. Brandis expressed his frustration over the vandalism of Captain Cook statues, suggesting that rather than being ashamed of their British roots, Australians should take pride in them.</p> <p>“We want to be the best multicultural society that we can be," he said. "On the other hand, that doesn’t – at least to my mind – involve disrespecting the British heritage, which was a very important framing set of values for modern Australia. When we think of our legal system, our parliamentary institutions, our system of government, our commercial practices.</p> <p>“So many of the fundamental features of Australian society we owe to our British heritage. And rather than be ashamed of that, we should be proud of that ... It infuriates me when people vandalise statues of Captain Cook, and it angers me as much as I’m sure it angers you.”</p> <p>On the other hand, US author and New York Times best-seller Roxane Gay provided a different perspective, stating that Australia’s history is not complicated. Gay argued that acknowledging the injustices faced by First Nations people and immigrants does not equate to oppression of the British majority. She also criticised Carrol’s defence of Captain Cook, arguing that "doing a job" does not justify immoral actions. “Just because something is your job doesn’t mean you should do it," she said, “You have the power to say ‘No, perhaps I won’t steal this land’." </p> <p>The episode also featured a discussion on youth voting rights, with Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge David Runciman advocating for lowering the voting age to as young as six years old. Runciman argued that if children are held to the same standards of responsibility as adults, they should also have the right to vote. This sparked a debate on the potential implications of such a move, with some panellists, including Minister Aly, noting the importance of engaging youth in politics through other means rather than solely focusing on lowering the voting age.</p> <p>The <em>Q+A</em> episode has since sparked a broader conversation on the state of multiculturalism in Australia, the legacy of British colonialism, and the role of youth in the country’s democratic processes.</p> <p><em>Image: ABC</em></p>

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Osher Günsberg slammed for "insulting Australians" over Voice defeat

<p>Osher Günsberg has been slammed online after sharing his thoughts on the Voice to Parliament defeat, saying Aussies were "manipulated" into voting No. </p> <p>In the final episode of <em>Q+A </em>for 2023, the TV personality said that Australians should be "asking questions about who flooded the zone (with misinformation)", leading to a landslide defeat of the referendum. </p> <p>A tense exchange kicked off between the panellists when another guest, Liberal party activist Charlotte Mortlock, said the country needed to come together after the referendum defeat. </p> <p id="ext-gen78">Günsberg said during the course of the campaign, Australia went "from mostly wanting to do it" to "Oh my God the UN's coming to take my back yard".</p> <p>He said Australians should be "terrified of how quickly we were manipulated as a country".</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a>: What is the next step for Indigenous Australians, after the Voice referendum? <a href="https://t.co/KgSoHkRp1d">pic.twitter.com/KgSoHkRp1d</a></p> <p>— ABC News (@abcnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/abcnews/status/1729098407208440254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>"We're really lucky that it wasn't during a khaki election," he said, referring to an election held at a time of war. </p> <p>Ms Mortlock defended the Coalition and No voters, saying, "It's been such a divisive year... I do absolutely think that there is work that we can do to in a constructive way that is going to really unite the country and that's what we all have to focus on."</p> <p>Günsberg was quick to question the Liberal party's real motives behind their No campaign, asking whether she felt Opposition Leader Peter Dutton really wanted to unite the nation.</p> <p>"I do. I think the question really is the how," Ms Mortlock replied. </p> <p id="ext-gen82">Günsberg said, "I don't believe he really wants to."</p> <p>Günsberg and the ABC were both later slammed online for how the program went with some calling the program "insufferable".</p> <p>Others were quick to poke fun at Osher's impressive reality TV résumé, saying, "After the way Osher insulted mainstream common-sense Aussies I will never watch <em>Bachelor</em> again."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Q+A</em></p> <p class="mol-para-with-font" style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; min-height: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.16px; font-family: graphik, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial;"> </p>

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Stan Grant's replacement announced

<p>Months after Stan Grant's shock departure from ABC's <em>Q+A</em> program, his replacement has been announced to take over the coveted hosting gig. </p> <p>Grant walked away from the program earlier this year after a seemingly endless barrage of criticism and racism over his coverage of King Charles coronation, saying he was stepping away from the show indefinitely. </p> <p>On Monday morning, the national broadcaster announced his replacement, more than two months after Grant's final <em>Q+A</em> show. </p> <p>Patricia Karvelas is set to replace Grant as host of the show for the remainder of the year, as ABC confirmed Grant is still on indefinite leave. </p> <p>Karvelas will continue to host <em>Breakfast</em> on Radio National from Tuesday to Friday, and has been filling in as the program’s temporary anchor following Grant absence.</p> <p>The broadcaster’s director Justin Stevens said Karvelas “has been doing an outstanding job as fill-in host and we’re delighted she has agreed to continue in that role”.</p> <p>Stan Grant's sudden departure shocked audiences, as he called out the racist vitriol he was constantly subject to as a public figure, while also condemning ABC for not speaking up in his defence. </p> <p>"Racism is a crime. Racism is violence. And I have had enough,” he wrote at the time of his departure. </p> <p>“I am writing this because no one at the ABC — whose producers invited me onto their coronation coverage as a guest — has uttered one word of public support,” he wrote. </p> <p>“Not one ABC executive has publicly refuted the lies written or spoken about me."</p> <p>“I don’t hold any individual responsible; this is an institutional failure.”</p> <p>Grant will continue to stay on at ABC and contribute to “a number” of different programs, with Justin Stevens commending him as “one of the country’s finest journalists, storytellers and broadcasters”.</p> <p><em>Image credits: ABC</em></p>

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Controversial call on Ben Roberts-Smith

<p>Following the dismissal of Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation trial, politicians and defence experts argue that his belongings should remain in the Australian War Memorial until he is criminally proven guilty.</p> <p>The civil case saw Australia’s most decorated living soldier lose out to <em>Nine</em> newspapers due to claims he had committed war crimes, including a murder while deployed in Afghanistan.</p> <p>Amid the findings, <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/australian-war-memorial-urged-to-remove-ben-roberts-smith-s-uniform-from-display" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many have urged</a> Roberts-Smith should be stripped of his medals, including the Victoria Cross, and to have any mention of him removed from the Australian War Memorial.</p> <p>However, Liberal MP and former soldier Keith Wolahan argued that Roberts-Smith should still be featured in the memorial’s commemorations of the war in Afghanistan.</p> <p>He told <em>ACB TVs Q+A</em> program, “It’s a part of our history, but I think it should acknowledge the Brereton report and perhaps this defamation trial,”</p> <p>The Brereton report is the official inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force that found a culture of unlawful killings, horrid initiation rituals as well as cover-ups within the Australian military during his time in Afghanistan.</p> <p>Wolahan said it may not be necessary to include references to the defamation trial until criminal investigations are finalised, saying that politicians should “stay out of criminal proceedings”.</p> <p>“Ben Roberts-Smith still has a right to appeal and there’s a question about whether there’s a criminal charge,” Wolahan said.</p> <p>“He’s entitled to the presumption of innocence and due process, but I think the Brereton report belongs in the War Memorial.”</p> <p>Wolahan is a three-tour veteran of Afghanistan and served as an operations officer, platoon commander and deputy chief of operations.</p> <p>The former captain added that the Australian Army “have to hold ourselves to a higher standard”.</p> <p>“When you look at the Brereton report, you cannot ignore it. Yes, it’s not at the criminal standard and that defamation trial was not at the criminal standard, but you cannot ignore the findings,” he said.</p> <p>The <em>Q+A</em> panel discussed the culture within the armed forces of the West, with war correspondent Michael Ware noting that soldiers must go to a “very dark place” to face war.</p> <p>“It says we’ve all participated in small war crimes, I know I’ve certainly seen my share of them,” he said.</p> <p>“And according to the laws of war, and I have to tell you, this is a harsh reality – we in the West – we kill children.</p> <p>“If an eight-year-old is placing a roadside bomb, a sniper can legally shoot that child.”</p> <p>He then argued that despite that, there is an even worse cultural issue within the Australian Army.</p> <p>“All that said, there is a line you don’t cross, you've got to have a moral compass ... it does appear to me that there was a culture that developed over a period of years within the regiment where this just became a part of the way they operated and Ben Roberts-Smith is not alone.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty / Instagram</em></p>

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“We can be better”: Support flows for outgoing ABC host Stan Grant

<p>Australians have banded together in support of veteran journalist Stan Grant, flocking to social media to rally behind the resigning <em>Q+A</em> host after his final show at the helm. </p> <p>Grant’s final panel discussion saw the likes of Labor member Michelle Ananda-Rajah, Liberal member Zoe McKenzie, Independent Senators David Pocock and Tammy Tyrrell, and Greens member Griffith Max Chandler-Mather.</p> <p>The panel of first-term parliamentarians were there to review the Albanese government’s initial year in charge following their federal election win. </p> <p>It marked Grant’s final discussion in the wake of his decision to step back from the show, an announcement that had come following the host’s experiences with racial abuse.</p> <p>The first audience question of the session cut right to the chase, with one member - Anaru August - raising the matter of the abuse directed at Grant. </p> <p>“I have been disgusted by the hatred and abuse that has been fired at Stan Grant because of his colour and the articulation of his professional essence,” August said, before asking the panel “what needs to happen to stop hate speech?"</p> <p>The question drew immediate praise across social media, from both fans of Grant and the show, to Indigenous advocates, and his colleagues at the ABC.</p> <p>It wasn’t the first show of support from the latter, either, with a group of hundreds gathering outside the ABC’s Sydney headquarters that same day to spread the message that “enough for enough”, and that they stood with Stan. </p> <p>"The line in the sand is here, and we will not tolerate our staff being subjected to racial abuse, or any form of abuse. It must stop," ABC News Director Justin Stevens said of the move. </p> <p>"I would say, other sections of the media that play a part in facilitating, encouraging, or drawing attention to this ... need to take a really good hard look at themselves and the role they play.</p> <p>"We all stand with Stan. The abuse he copped is abhorrent and egregious and needs to stop. I'm incredibly sorry that he felt let down by our organisation, that we could have done better by him in defending him. We will do all we can to make up for it from this moment. </p> <p>"It's important we create a safe space for Indigenous and diverse journalists."</p> <p>It was a message continued in feedback over the episode, with not-for-profit inclusivity advocacy group Media Diversity Australia noting that Grant was “One of Media Diversity Australia's earliest and most high-profile supporters …  A mentor to countless young reporters, especially Blak reporters … Stan Grant is a tireless veteran journalist that we admire, support, and respect” along with the hashtag “#IStandWithStan”. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">📣 One of Media Diversity Australia's earliest and most high-profile supporters. </p> <p>📣 A mentor to countless young reporters, especially Blak reporters. </p> <p>📣 Stan Grant is a tireless veteran journalist that we admire, support, and respect.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IStandWithStan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IStandWithStan</a> <a href="https://t.co/rPUSEZ7AfN">https://t.co/rPUSEZ7AfN</a></p> <p>— Media Diversity AU (@MediaDiverseAU) <a href="https://twitter.com/MediaDiverseAU/status/1660614419859259394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>It was a message that continued through the flood of tweets, with Seven News reporter Christie Cooper writing that racism, and “personal attacks on journalists”, were not okay. </p> <p>“#IStandWithStan,” she said, “and I’m so sorry Stan Grant has been so hurt by racial commentary, both in and out of the media, that it’s forced him to walk away. It’s 2023, it’s not good enough.”</p> <p>“Solidarity to the ABC journalists standing in support of their colleague Stan Grant and to all journalists who face racists and racism for doing their job,” one supporter added. “Look at the replies to their tweets. It's not the exception, it is the rule. </p> <p>“Australians need to reckon with our racism.”</p> <p>As Grant himself said when closing his final episode, “to those who have abused me and my family, I would just say - if your aim was to hurt me, well, you’ve succeeded. </p> <p>"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I must have given you so much cause to hate me … I will get back up. And you can come at me again, and I will meet you with the love of my people.</p> <p>"My people can teach the world to love."</p> <p>It was a moment that resonated with viewers, with one taking to social media to share that ”history will remember this moment. A moment when Stan Grant, his passion as palpable as his pain, spoke poignant truths to Australia &amp; bravely faced his racism with power, love &amp; grace. Solidarity.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Sometimes, strength is knowing when to say stop."</p> <p>History will remember this moment. A moment when Stan Grant, his passion as palpable as his pain, spoke poignant truths to Australia &amp; bravely faced his racism with power, love &amp; grace. Solidarity. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IStandWithStan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IStandWithStan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://t.co/fVjUVvZ9GE">pic.twitter.com/fVjUVvZ9GE</a></p> <p>— Sahar Adatia (@sahar_adatia) <a href="https://twitter.com/sahar_adatia/status/1660644110770814976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><em>Images: Q+A / ABC</em></p>

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Surprise new contender to replace Stan Grant

<p><em>ABC </em>bosses have reportedly narrowed down the search to find a replacement for <em>Q+A</em> host Stan Grant who is stepping away from presenting duties after being targeted with racist abuse.</p> <p>While many contenders are familiar <em>ABC</em> talent, one frontrunner is perhaps less well known but has been taking on larger roles at the public broadcaster.</p> <p>On May 21, <em>ABC</em> managing director David Anderson apologised to Grant, a Wiradjuri man, who had said that “not one ABC executive” had publicly defended him.</p> <p>There’s no time frame for how long Grant will step down from presenting the program. He said he doesn’t know when - or even if - he will return.</p> <p>This means <em>ABC</em> will have to draft the major league presenters to fill the role in the short term while also possibly announcing a more permanent replacement.</p> <p>According to <em>The Australian’s Media Diary</em> column, the <em>ABC</em> is said to be wary of replacing an Indigenous man, who has stepped down due to racism, with a white man.</p> <p>A frontrunner to take on the <em>Q+A</em> role, at least on an interim basis, is RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas.</p> <p>Karvelas is likely to present at least two weeks’ worth of <em>Q+A</em> from May 29, <em>The Australian</em> reported.</p> <p><em>ABC</em> Radio Melbourne presenter Virginia Trioli has previously done presenting stints on the program and would be a top tier contender to take on <em>Q+A</em>.</p> <p>However, it’s reported she’d unlikely want to take on the gig full time at present.</p> <p>Former <em>ABC</em> radio and presenter of the since cancelled show Frankly, Fran Kelly, is not believed to be in the running.</p> <p>One name being tossed up in the air as a longer term replacement for Grant may be less familiar to some viewers. But Dan Bourchier is highly regarded at the <em>ABC</em>.</p> <p><em>The Australian</em> reported that Grant already had his eye on Bourchier as a possibility to eventually succeed him given he’s also an Indigenous journalist.</p> <p>Bourchier worked for National Indigenous Television before becoming <em>Sky News’</em> Northern Territory bureau chief.</p> <p>He began presenting the <em>ABC News</em> in Canberra as well as the <em>ABC</em> Canberra breakfast show in 2017.</p> <p>Bourchier now appears nationwide on the <em>ABC</em> as a co-host of <em>ABC’s</em> political discussion show The Drum and is the broadcaster’s correspondent on the Voice to Parliament.</p> <p>It is believed that some in the <em>ABC</em> are on board for Bourchier to host an upcoming special<em> Q+A </em>from the Garma Indigenous cultural festival, held in the Northern Territory in August if Grant hasn’t returned.</p> <p>Grant had hosted <em>Q+A</em> for less than a year when he chose to step aside.</p> <p>In a lengthy statement, Grant revealed the breaking point was vile criticism directed at him following his discussion of colonisation on the <em>ABC’s</em> coverage of the coronation of King Charles.</p> <p>“Since the King’s coronation, I have seen people in the media lie and distort my words. They have tried to depict me as hate filled. They have accused me of maligning Australia.”</p> <p>He said, “nothing could be further from the truth” and his ancestors would not allow him to be “filled with hate”.</p> <p>“I don’t take time out because of racism … I take time out because we have shown again that our history — our hard truth — is too big, too fragile, and too precious for the media.</p> <p>“I am writing this not because I think it will make a difference. No doubt the haters will twist this, too, and trigger another round of racism,” he said.</p> <p>Grant has also called out the <em>ABC</em> bosses.</p> <p>“Not one ABC executive has publicly refuted the lies written or spoken about me.</p> <p>“I don’t hold any individual responsible; this is an institutional failure.”</p> <p><em>ABC</em> director of news Justin Stevens released a statement saying Grant has been subjected to “grotesque racist abuse”, including threats to his safety particularly since the <em>ABC’s</em> coronation coverage.</p> <p>“It is abhorrent and unacceptable,” Mr Stevens said.</p> <p>“He was not the instigator of the program. He was asked to participate as a Wiradjuri man to discuss his own family’s experience and the role of the monarchy in Australian in the context of Indigenous history.”</p> <p>The <em>ABC’s</em> managing director David Anderson apologised to the journalist.</p> <p>“Stan Grant has stated that he has not felt publicly supported,” Mr Anderson said.</p> <p>“For this, I apologise to Stan. The ABC endeavours to support its staff in the unfortunate moments when there is external abuse directed at them.”</p> <p>Mr Anderson also agreed to launch an investigation of <em>ABC's</em> responses to racism impacting staff.</p> <p>“The Chair and Deputy Chair of the ABC’s Bonner Committee have asked me to conduct a review to investigate and make recommendations about ABC responses to racism affecting ABC staff, and what we can do better to support staff who face it,” he said.</p> <p>He said he was “dismayed” that Grant had been subjected to such “sickening behaviour”.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

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ABC threatened with legal action over coronation coverage

<p dir="ltr">The Australian Monarchist League have threatened to take legal action against the ABC over their coronation coverage, specifically the comments made on their hour-long special <em>The Coronation: A discussion about the Monarchy in 2023</em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">The programme, focussed on the monarchy’s relevance to Australia, featured <em>The Drum</em>’s Julia Baird and Jeremy Fernandez as hosts, with a panel that included the likes of<em> Q&amp;A </em>host Stan Grant and Australian Republic Movement co-chair Craig Foster. Julian Leeser - a Liberal MP and monarchist - and Teela Reid - a Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman - were also involved.</p> <p dir="ltr">The coverage, which broadcast in Australia three hours before King Charles III’s coronation, faced a wave of criticism from the Australian Monarchist League, as well as <em>3AW</em> radio host Neil Mitchell, ABC audiences, and Liberal MPs.</p> <p dir="ltr">And now, the AML have announced their intention to take their complaints further, with a statement from AML national chair Philip Benwell declaring that their “legal advisers are preparing a formal complaint to the board of the ABC in regard to the production and airing of Saturday's extremely biased pre-Coronation programme specifically designed to attack the Constitution and the Crown. Our Executive and others are meeting this week to formalise our approach.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So vitriolic are their attacks on the King, the monarchy, the British settlement and everything that came thereafter that they forget that they are the very people who want our vote for their Voice to the Parliament.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Brenwell noted that they were inviting “pertinent comments” regarding the broadcast to help compile their formal complaint, specifying that these should “include specific comments made during the programme by interviewers and panellists”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Neil Mitchell, radio host for <em>3AW</em>, had a lot to say about the coverage too, noting his opinion that it had “misread the mood”, as well as his desire for the ABC to see the broadcaster held accountable. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Somebody in the ABC needs to be accountable for this,” he declared, “as the national broadcaster it should have been the place you go to see the coverage of the coronation, instead you see all this bitterness about our Indigenous history.”</p> <p dir="ltr">He also took the opportunity to point out that the panel had featured four individuals, with “three of them republicans”. </p> <p dir="ltr">The fourth - and only monarchist - Julian Leeser agreed that the broadcast had gotten “the balance wrong” when it came to their panel compilation. </p> <p dir="ltr">As Mitchell added, “to have only one of four panellists as supporters of our existing constitutional arrangements meant there was little opportunity for a panel discussion that reflected the warmth and respect Australians have for King Charles.” </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Q&amp;A</em></p>

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“A disgrace”: Grace Tame slams Scott Morrison

<p dir="ltr">Grace Tame has hit out at former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, describing his secret acquisition of several government portfolios as a “disgrace”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Appearing on Thursday night’s episode of <em>Q&amp;A</em>, Ms Tame was asked about her thoughts on Mr Morrison’s self-appointment to five ministerial portfolios during his time as Australia’s leader, and the 23-year-old activist had plenty to say.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The gaslighting, the dishonesty, was another level that we witnessed,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He wasn’t even a good enough villain – he had the ambitions of Voldemort with the brains of Peter Griffin,’ she added, referring to the villain of the <em>Harry Potter</em> series and main character of the TV series <em>Family Guy</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s very important that we have people in positions of power that we can trust.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was a disgrace – we need better than that.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Her comments come after Mr Morrison became the first former Prime Minister to be censured in federal parliament - a rare move to show parliament’s condemnation of his actions.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Morrison was condemned by members of the House of Representatives for failing to disclose that he had appointed himself as the minister for health, finance, home affairs and industry, energy, resources, science and treasury.</p> <p dir="ltr">During the <em>Q&amp;A</em> episode, Ms Tame also revealed that she has considered stepping back from her public life, given that the man who sexually abused her as a child has continued to harrass her.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ll be honest with you, yes I do (think about stepping back),” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve had a really hard 24 hours. This morning I was meeting with the Department of Public Prosecutions.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The child sex offender who abused me has been menacing and harassing me all this year.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He hasn’t really stopped for the last 12 years, behind the scenes.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-301982ce-7fff-3d95-84c5-db66e50dafed"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Twitter / Getty Images</em></p>

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New host of Q+A announced

<p dir="ltr">ABC has announced journalist Stan Grant as the new host for <em>Q&amp;A</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The veteran journalist, 58, will begin his new role on August 1 with the special episode being broadcast from the Garma Festival in north-east Arnhem Land.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Garma is a talking place where the nation asks itself hard questions about who we are. It is an honour to take the helm of Q+A from there,” Grant said in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hosting Q+A is a huge responsibility. I feel the weight of the audience’s trust in me and the program. I will approach my role with integrity, decency and humility.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The show’s official Facebook page announced the news and also thanked former hosts Virginia Trioli and David Speers for helping with the show after Hamish MacDonald left to go back to Channel 10. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We're delighted to announce that Stan Grant, one of the ABC's most accomplished journalists and presenters, is taking over as solo host of Q+A,” they wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We thank Virginia Trioli and David Speers for their work in shaping the program over the past year.”</p> <p dir="ltr">ABC’s News Director Justin Stevens also thanked Trioli and Speers saying that Grant is the perfect fit for the role. </p> <p dir="ltr">“As well as being a hugely experienced journalist and presenter, Stan Grant plays a respected role in Australia’s key national conversations. Leading Q+A is a role that suits the breadth of his knowledge and talents,” he said.  </p> <p dir="ltr">“Q+A is unique in giving citizens a chance to participate in live-to-air discussion with Australia’s top thought leaders, policymakers and elected representatives, helping to hold power to account and facilitate constructive discussion about our nation and its future. </p> <p dir="ltr">“With Stan at the helm we’ll continue to explore ways to further develop Q+A, including how to get audiences even more involved.” </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: ABC</em></p>

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“I still can’t believe how calm I was”: How to deal with the fear of cancer recurrence

<p dir="ltr">Rose Jardine was 41 when, after a routine check-up with her GP, she got the call with the news that she had a lump in her breast that eventually resulted in her diagnosis of breast cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">Five years later, doctors found she had extensive metastasis in her liver before the cancer progressed to her brain in 2018 and 2020.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When I had my first brain (metastasis) diagnosis I remember phoning my Mum, and she was absolutely hysterical,” Rose says.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I couldn’t believe how uncontrollably upset she was, and here I was very calmly explaining that it would be a simple matter of brain surgery and radiation. I still can’t believe how calm I was through that whole ordeal.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b60ec772-7fff-9f18-6e54-ad5a11a33eed"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Though the survival rates for breast cancer in Australia and New Zealand are quite high - 91 percent and 88 percent respectively - the fear of cancer recurring in a different part of the body - called metastasis - or again in the breast, is quite common.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/05/rosie-breast-cancer11.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Rosie celebrates Mother’s Day in 2012 after finishing radiation. Image: Supplied</em></p> <p dir="ltr">“I seem to have ‘found my voice’ since my MBC (metastatic brain cancer) diagnosis,” Rose says.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I kept my original diagnosis very quiet, but now that I’m living with an incurable disease I’m forever promoting early detection and regular breast exams, as well as educating those around me about what MBC is.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In the latest Q&A event on May 11 from the Breast Cancer Trials - a group of breast cancer researchers and doctors involved in international clinical trial programs - a panel of experts led by journalist Annabel Crabb will tackle the topic of recurrence.</p> <p dir="ltr">A panel of experts will be discussing the latest in breast cancer research and clinical trials, personal experiences with breast cancer, and how to live with and manage the fear of recurrence. </p> <p dir="ltr">The expert panel includes Professor Sherene Loi, Professor Prue Francis, Associate Professor and clinical psychologist, Lesley Stafford and Ms Leslie Gilham, a Breast Cancer Trials participant and Chair of the Breast Cancer Trials Consumer Advisory Panel. </p> <p dir="ltr">Rose - who participated in the Mona Lisa Touch Clinical Trial - says she is thankful for those who have participated in previous trials and opened up alternative treatments she can pursue if needed.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Some patients run out of lines of treatment very quickly and that is devastating for them and their families,” she says.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Sometimes as cancer patients we feel rather useless, but this is something significant that could have a major impact on someone’s life in the future - not necessarily being in a trial, but being a voice for the trials and getting the message out that funding for trials is critical.</p> <p dir="ltr">“What a legacy that would be.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The free Q&A event begins at 5pm on Wednesday, May 11, and you can register <a href="https://www.breastcancertrials.org.au/news/qa-events/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> and pose your questions to the panel on the night.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Supplied</em></p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-879fe206-7fff-d27f-fabc-c7261b91fa8f"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"> </p>

Caring

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Stan Grant hits back at Ben Fordham over Q+A ejection

<p>Stan Grant has hit back at Ben Fordham for questioning his decision to remove a pro-Russian advocate from the <em>Q+A</em> audience last week. </p> <p>In last week's episode of the program, host Stan Grant <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/stan-grant-kicks-out-q-a-audience-member" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked an audience member to leave</a> the studio after he shared widely discredited pro-Russian claims about killings in Ukraine. </p> <p>The Russian university student told the panel, “Believe it or not, there are a lot of Russians here and around the world that support what Putin’s doing in Ukraine, myself included.”</p> <p>The comments prompted Stan Grant to ask the audience member to leave, saying the student was "supporting violence". </p> <p>2GB radio host Ben Fordham weighed in on the situation on his radio show, suggesting Grant was pressured by ABC producers to remove the audience member. </p> <p>“Someone got in Stan’s ear, because it took him 20 minutes and then he decided Sasha [the student] had to go,” Fordham said.</p> <p>“It sounded to me like Stan Grant lost control of his own show.”</p> <p>He went on to say the whole idea of <em>Q+A</em> is to have a "robust debate", and believed the man should not have been removed at all. </p> <p>“Obviously, we don’t support what Russia’s doing, but I don’t think this guy … was advocating violence,” Fordham said.</p> <p>“He’s a Russian living in Australia and he’s standing up for his own country.”</p> <p>Defending his actions to<em> <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_NEW&amp;dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fbusiness%2Fmedia%2Fstan-grant-and-ben-fordham-clash-over-qa-expulsion%2Fnews-story%2Fe477718f19e90902a6250fc2d6ece567&amp;memtype=anonymous&amp;mode=premium&amp;v21=dynamic-warm-control-score&amp;V21spcbehaviour=append" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Australian</a></em>, Stan Grant explained why he chose to eject the student and why he believes his decision was justified. </p> <p>“It troubled me that someone in an ABC studio was saying that they supported an illegal invasion where people were dying,” Grant explained.</p> <p>“People who sit there and take potshots know nothing about it. The remarks were distressing to people in the room. I wanted to have a proper discussion about the points raised, but it troubled me. We all walk out of there safe and sound, but people in Ukraine are not. You’ve got people dying right now.”</p> <p>The veteran journalist further backed himself, by saying Fordham's unprompted jabs were "disappointing". </p> <p>“I put my journalistic career up against his (Fordham’s) any day,” Grant said.</p> <p>“Whenever I’ve met Ben Fordham, he’s always been polite and friendly. I don’t know whether to take that at face value, but it’s disappointing.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: ABC - Q+A footage / Instagram @benfordham9</em></p>

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Stan Grant kicks out Q+A audience member

<p>ABC host Stan Grant has taken extraordinary measures to eject an audience member in the latest episode of <em>Q+A</em>. </p> <p>The moment was triggered when the audience member, known as Sasha Gillies-Leakakis, shared widely discredited pro-Russian claims about killings in Ukraine.</p> <p>The inflammatory question from Sasha was promptly and uncomfortably deflected, but the show's host was unable to move on from the controversial statements. </p> <p>Mr Gillies-Leakakis asked the panel hosts, “As someone who comes from the Russian community here in Australia, I’ve been pretty outraged by the narrative depicted by our media, with Ukraine as the good guy and Russia as the bad guy."</p> <p>“Believe it or not, there are a lot of Russians here and around the world that support what Putin’s doing in Ukraine, myself included.”</p> <p>The University of Melbourne student went on to claim that Ukraine had “besieged” the Russian populations in Donetsk and Luhansk and killed about 13,000 people, before audience members began to heckle him, with calls of “that’s a lie”, “don’t do this” and “propaganda”.</p> <p>The question was ignored by the panel, but after 20 minutes, Stan Grant felt he had to do something. </p> <p>“Something has been bothering me … people here have been talking about family who are suffering and people who are dying. Can I just say – I’m just not comfortable with you being here. Could you please leave?,” Grant said.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Stan Grant kicks an Australian-Russian man out of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a> for questioning the media's pro-Ukraine/anti-Russia coverage. <a href="https://t.co/tKylsWVeCK">pic.twitter.com/tKylsWVeCK</a></p> <p>— Caldron Pool (@CaldronPool) <a href="https://twitter.com/CaldronPool/status/1499487887863209987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>The audience applauded Grant's request, as the audience member tried to fire back. </p> <p>“You can ask a question, but we cannot advocate violence. I should have asked you to leave then. It‘s been playing on my mind and, I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to leave.”</p> <p>Once the questioner had left, Stan apologised to the audience for the disruption and explained his motivations. </p> <p>“We come here in good faith to have open conversation, rigorous conversation. We’ve heard different points of view, and we encourage different points of view here,” he said.</p> <p>“But we can’t have anyone who is sanctioning, supporting, violence and killing of people. So I‘m sorry for the disruption. It was not a vetted question. It was a rogue question. It’s not good.”</p> <p>Following his eviction from the ABC studios, Sasha shared a lengthy post regarding his controversial views, while also saying, “I would like to say that I had no intention whatsoever of offending anyone, and so would like to sincerely apologise for any distress my comments may have caused.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: ABC</em></p>

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Body and mind: Metastatic breast cancer impacts mental health too

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A diagnosis of breast cancer can be a difficult pill to swallow not just for those who receive the diagnosis, with friends, family and others in their support network also needing to come to terms with it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Dr Lisa Beatty, a clinical psychologist and senior research fellow at Cancer Council South Australia, everyone will react to their diagnosis differently.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We do know that the distress rates are roughly four in ten women will have what we call clinically significant distress and that is where it is actually getting to the point where it might be causing a real impact in how they’re able to function in their life,” she </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.breastcancertrials.org.au/blog/psychological-impact-breast-cancer" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stage IV breast cancer, also called metastatic, advanced or secondary cancer, can be even harder to cope with, as the diagnosis comes with a lower five-year survival rate and the knowledge that cancer cells have spread from the breast to the bones, liver, brain, or lungs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dr Nicholas Zdenkowski, a breast cancer researcher and member of the Breast Cancer Trials Scientific Advisory Committee, tells </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OverSixty</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that metastatic cancer is diagnosed at two time points: as an initial diagnosis or as a recurrence months or years after diagnosis and treatment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7847044/nick.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9e95419ba42d4c5caa6a500d9169ac70" /></span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dr Nick Zdenkowski says work is continuing into individualising diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer. Image: Supplied</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Breast cancer is most likely to be diagnosed around age 60, however it affects women and men across a broad range of ages (younger and older),” he says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the Breast Cancer Trials, it is estimated that between five and ten percent of those diagnosed with breast cancer each year will have metastatic breast cancer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Additionally, it is estimated that 20-30 percent of people diagnosed with early breast cancer will go on to develop metastatic cancer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although the likelihood of developing metastatic breast cancer is well-understood on a population level, Dr Zdenkowsi says identifying exact individuals “is a major challenge”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We have greatly refined our understanding over the years, but it is still a work in progress,” he explains.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Enormous effort is being put into individualising the level of risk of breast cancer so that further research into screening, prevention and early treatment can reduce the likelihood of metastatic recurrence.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With psychological symptoms of breast cancer diagnoses including anxiety, depression, shock, and issues surrounding body image and intimacy, there have been </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://jons-online.com/issues/2021/november-2021-vol-12-no-11/4165-information-and-support-needs-of-people-with-newly-diagnosed-metastatic-breast-cancer" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">appeals</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from organisations such as Living Beyond Breast Cancer to improve the availability of information for those diagnosed about metastatic breast cancer, mental health, and talking to family.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For those looking to support a loved one with breast cancer, </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/patient-support/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cancer Council</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bcna.org.au/metastatic-breast-cancer/coping-with-metastatic-breast-cancer/where-to-find-support/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Breast Cancer Network Australia</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.breastcancertrials.org.au/blog/online-support-breast-cancer" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Breast Cancer Trials</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> have further resources that can help you figure out what to say to your loved ones, and how to support them through treatment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dr Beatty will also be appearing at a free Q&amp;A panel on metastatic breast cancer hosted by journalist Annabel Crabb and organised by Breast Cancer Trials.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Taking place on Monday, February 7 between 5-6.30pm, the </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.breastcancertrials.org.au/qa-events" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Q&amp;A</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> panellists will discuss the latest research in metastatic breast cancer and the impacts of the disease on mental health and will be open to questions from registered attendees.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Mind

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“Scary to talk about”: Changing discussions around breast cancer and sex

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As one of the most common cancers in Australian women, the challenges of breast cancer are experienced by thousands of women each year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But one of the areas some say isn’t talked about enough is the impact of breast cancer on women’s sex lives and body image.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Health professionals are comfortable and used to talking about the side effects of chemotherapy like nausea and vomiting to patients, but many do not feel comfortable discussing the other side effects of treatment, and how these may impact intimate relationships,” says Kate White, a professor of cancer nursing from the University of Sydney Nursing School.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“[Doctors] often wait for the patient to bring it up, rather than proactively explaining it as another potential side effect.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Medical oncologist Dr Belinda Kiely agrees that changes in the conversations around breast cancer and sex need to come from doctors.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We, as doctors, are very good at asking people about their pain, or their nausea or their constipation, but another line of questions should be ‘what’s happening with your sex life?’ or something along those lines,” she says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I think we could do a better job of bringing it up and not relying on women to bring it up when it is a bit scary to talk about.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dr Kiely also points out that changes in physical and mental symptoms can impact the sex lives of patients in various ways.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professor Fran Boyle agrees, noting that issues surrounding intimacy can arise when any serious illness is diagnosed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, there are some issues unique to breast cancer patients when it comes to getting intimate with a partner, such as hormonal changes due to breast cancer treatment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Breast cancer also affects a part of the body which is important for many women for arousal as well as body image, and, when sore or numb post-surgery, women may not wish to be touched on the breasts,” she says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Hair loss from chemotherapy can also affect body image and relationships.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other issues can include low libido, vaginal dryness or soreness, as well as hot flashes and sleeping problems, which Professor Boyle says can have an “impact on the desire for closeness”.</span></p> <p><strong>A gap in the discussion</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rebecca Angus was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33, and her eventual journey to recovery impacted her life in countless ways.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In her experience, Rebecca found that discussions around sex with medical practitioners focused on medical aspects, leaving the effects on mental health unspoken.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Sex is explored at the beginning of chemotherapy education. However, it mainly focuses on fertility preservation, ovarian suppression and contraception during treatment,” Rebecca says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As Rebecca recovered, fatigue from treatment and medical restrictions on how she could engage in sexual activity had dramatic effects on her sex life.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You’ve got this cancer in your body that has tried to kill you, so you don’t have the best relationship with your body at that stage,” she says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There are a lot of rules around when and how you can have sex as well. Your body for a while is not your own, it belongs to health professionals.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though her experience may not be universal, Rebecca says, “Having a good sex life within a relationship is so valuable for anyone with cancer”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She also hopes to normalise conversations around these more sensitive topics so that women can obtain the help they need.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You can get help from your psychologists, gynaecologists and oncologists - your specialists are there to help you.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professors White and Boyle will be appearing alongside Dr Kiely and Rebecca Angus for a Q&amp;A all about breast cancer and sex on Thursday, September 30.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844487/qa.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/0a06a22ca4574d9481ca358a26eeab95" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Supplied</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s Talk About Sex</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is a free Q&amp;A session run by The Breast Cancer Trials and moderated by journalist Annabel Crabb that offers the chance for anyone to ask questions about this important issue.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The online event will take place between 5pm and 6.30pm, and attendees can register </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.breastcancertrials.org.au/qa-events" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Body

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The Project reunion: Hamish comes home!

<p><span>Hamish Macdonald will return to <em>The Project</em> after 18 months as the host of <em>Q+A.</em></span><br /><br /><span>The 40-year-old revealed that he would be returning to Channel 10 just 48 hours after he announced his exit from the iconic ABC current affairs program on Monday.</span><br /><br /><span>Hamish joined <em>Q+A</em> in February last year following the departure of the founding presenter, Tony Jones, who spent 12 years there.</span><br /><br /><span>Hamish will reunite with Lisa Wilkinson as co-host of <em>The Sunday Project.</em></span></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842591/scott-morrison-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/0a825038d88e48188b8c127941f58c76" /><br /><br /><span>"I am over the moon to be returning to 10 and thrilled about the opportunity to make great local and international content with this dynamic group of producers and presenters," Hamish said in a statement from Channel 10.</span><br /><br /><span>"It is also a total joy to be heading back to the desk with Lisa, Tommy [Little] and the people I love so much," he added.</span><br /><br /><span>Hamish previously worked for Network 10 between 2010 and 2013.</span><br /><br /><span>He rejoined in 2017 as a regular host of The Sunday Project.</span><br /><br /><span>In a statement about his leaving <em>Q+A</em> on Monday, he hinted at an “exciting new opportunity.”</span><br /><br /><span>He also indicated that he would be “working more” with the ABC “in the future”.</span></p>

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Hamish Macdonald's shock departure

<p><span><em>Q+A</em> host Hamish Macdonald has announced he is leaving the <em>ABC</em> after 18 months in the job.</span><br /><br /><span>The TV journalist, 40, replaced veteran Tony Jones on the popular program in late 2019.</span><br /><br /><span>He left his coveted position as <em>The Sunday Project</em> host on Channel 10.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842539/daily-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/72306f6f871b4a948248e6ed68140c7a" /></p> <p><em>Hamish on Q+A. Image: Supplied</em><br /><br /><span>While Macdonald has not detailed what is next for him after <em>ABC</em>, the star’s departure follows months after he revealed an extreme amount of online abuse.</span><br /><br /><span>In a chat with Stellar in January, Macdonald said his role on <em>Q+A</em> through 2020 saw him receive the most hate on social media he has ever encountered.</span><br /><br /><span>“If you’re someone who sits in the middle of those exchanges in your day job, you end up copping it from every direction. I’ve never had more abuse for the interviews I’ve conducted than I had last year,” he said.</span><br /><br /><span>“And the abuse has come from left-wing people who don’t like you asking difficult questions of Dan Andrews, and it’s come from people on the right who don’t like you asking difficult questions of the federal government. I’ve definitely learnt you can’t please everyone.”</span><br /><br /><span>In a public announcement, Macdonald said he is “enormously grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given to host <em>Q+A</em> and to work alongside wonderful, talented and passionate people.</span><br /><br /><span>“I am really proud of what we’ve achieved together during these extraordinary times.</span><br /><br /><span>“I’d also like to thank the incredible<em> Q+A</em> audience for all they contribute to this program each week. It is, after all, their show. Their questions and stories from all corners of Australia are inspiring, revealing and clever – and it has been a privilege to receive and read them.</span><br /><br /><span>“I’m really excited to be moving on to a new opportunity, and working more with the <em>ABC</em> in the future.”</span><br /><br /><span><em>ABC’s</em> director of news Gaven Morris said in a statement: “Everyone at the <em>ABC</em> thanks Hamish for the incredible job he has done.</span><br /><br /><span>“At one stage during the lockdown he was presenting a live panel discussion program that wasn’t allowed to have either an audience or panellists in the studio. His experience and versatility came to the fore.</span><br /><br /><span>“Hamish has long been a part of the <em>ABC</em> family and we look forward to continuing that relationship when opportunities arise.”</span><br /><br /><span>When the TV personality was appointed host of <em>Q+A</em> in November 2019, it was believed he’d continue to host <em>The Sunday Project.</em></span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842544/daily.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/2f7ceff0e6564bf49e3f5e808f592354" /></p> <p><em>Hamish and Lisa Wilkinson on The Sunday Project. Image: Channel 10</em><br /><br /><span>However, reports quickly emerged that he was forced to step down entirely and would only appear on the program in an occasional capacity.</span><br /><br /><span>“We’re largely reliant on the goodwill of the <em>ABC</em> if he’s going to continue with <em>The Sunday Project</em>,” Ten’s executive director of news and current affairs Peter Meakin told <em>The Australian</em> at the time.</span><br /><br /><span>Macdonald has hosted a series of programs since his career began to take off in 2010, when he was appointed senior correspondent and fill-in presenter on <em>6:30 with George Negus.</em></span></p>

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“Do they want me got rid of?”: Anti-lockdown panellists confronted by furious audience member

<p><span>Two controversial anti-lockdown critics have been slashed by an audience member on the ABC’s <em>Q&amp;A</em>, asking them how they could “live with themselves” after their comments during the pandemic last year.</span><br /><br /><span>Cessnock woman Louise Ihlein took aim at UNSW economist Gigi Foster and The Australian’s economics editor Adam Creighton on Thursday night’s show, who have both argued that lockdowns do more harm than good.</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Ihlein said the pair had suggested “when people get to 60 their life is pretty much done” and that the “first time I clapped eyes” on Ms Foster “I burst into tears”.</span><br /><br /><span>“It was awful,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was so upset and I wrote so many angry emails to the ABC. And then I have seen Adam a couple of times last year on <em>The Drum</em> and on Twitter saying similar stuff, about the fact that his dad was 65 and he would be OK to be done. That’s disgraceful. It was just disgraceful. People aren’t worth anything. We’re not a commodity, people, we’re not.</span><br /><br /><span>“I want to know how they live with themselves? And considering that I’ve just turned 60 and I’ve got an illness I’m not going to get better from, I want to know, do they want me got rid of?</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">How can society support the sick and disabled to live their best lives? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a> <a href="https://t.co/QQewkiXazb">pic.twitter.com/QQewkiXazb</a></p> — QandA (@QandA) <a href="https://twitter.com/QandA/status/1375030189176942595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><br /><span>“I hope as they travel through life they never have to be thought of as the other. And I want to know how they propose we give sick and disabled people a better life, a good life?”</span><br /><br /><span>“All we’ve been arguing was for what was the consensus view of science at the end of 2019, which is you take a rational approach to a pandemic and you don’t shut everything down and don’t force people to do things and don’t drag them screaming from cars at the border, you don’t shut the borders and don’t close hospitals to all other patients for months on end, you don’t end travel.</span><br /><br /><span>“All these things are so extreme, suspensions of our liberty for long periods of time. I’m no extreme libertarian at all. But this is extraordinary what’s happened in the past year. We’ve been arguing, let’s have a sense of proportion here.</span><br /><br /><span>“I personally think the world has lost its mind a bit over COVID. We’re all going to die of something. There are risks every day we have to deal with. We normally deal with them as a society. Three million people every year die of respiratory disease. Millions die of cigarettes around the world and we don’t ban them.”</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Foster responded by saying it had been a “very interesting year”, and that she had been “defamed on Twitter” after her last <em>Q&amp;A</em> appearance.</span><br /><br /><span>“As a social scientist who studies groups and societies and what makes us tick, this was an amazing opportunity for me to see people in action completely spellbound on a particular thing that can hurt people, which is COVID, and forgetting about everything else that matters in a normal time,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“And I was prepared to call it out and I’m proud that I did because there were very few voices in Australia who were telling a sensible, sane story despite the hysteria gripping the world.”</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Foster stressed she would “never say COVID is not a dangerous disease, absolutely it is”.</span><br /><br /><span>“I never said after 60 somebody’s life is not worth living, I would never say that,” she explained.</span><br /><br /><span>“My arguments have always been, from the beginning to the end, we need to do what’s best for human welfare as a whole. Human welfare is not determined solely by whether people are suffering and dying from COVID.</span><br /><br /><span>“It is determined by how mentally healthy they are — which they’re not when they’re shut up inside, unable to see their family and friends — how well the economy is doing, because that predicts how much the government can spend on things like hospitals and schools and infrastructure. It has to do with suicide of our young people who have been locked out of schools and jobs, it has to do with people who go bankrupt and have more house problems and all the crowded out healthcare that didn’t happen because we were so pathologically focused on COVID.</span><br /><br /><span>“So my story of the world of what’s happened this year is that the world went mad. I continue to say something sensible and I’ll be proud to have served Australia in that way.”</span><br /><br /><span>Host Hamish Macdonald began to ask a question about COVID deaths, however Ms Foster interjected and said she wanted to talk about total deaths overall.</span><br /><br /><span>“I want to ask about COVID deaths,” Macdonald said.</span><br /><br /><span>“Why?” Ms Foster hit back.</span><br /><br /><span>“Do you know how many people die in Australia from something else? Every day we lose 300, 400 people. In total from COVID we have lost fewer than 1000. And for that we have gone hundreds of billions of dollars into debt.</span><br /><br /><span>“We have now amazing crazy numbers on GDP. We have gone back 2.6 per cent last year and normally we go forward 4-5 per cent. That brings us further back on the trajectory of growth. GDP is not a perfect number but it’s something we can compare. We have compromised our future.”</span><br /><br /><span>But author Bruce Pascoe also argued that “trajectories of ever-increasing growth” were unsustainable.</span><br /><br /><span>“Can the world sustain that? Are we always going to assume our wealth will get greater, production will get greater?” he said.</span><br /><br /><span>“What about the poor old earth? She can’t sustain this and we assume with our ever-increasing industrialisation, and our ever-increasing population, which no one wants to talk about, that we can just keep on going at this escalating rate. And we can’t. And we have to address it.”</span><br /><br /><span>Pascoe, who is the author of Dark Emu, a book that explores the history of Aboriginal agriculture, said Australian political history was “120,000 years old at a minimum”.</span><br /><br /><span>“We have probably got the oldest village on earth in this country, which meant we invented society and that society for 120,000 years was largely egalitarian,” he said.</span><br /><br /><span>“I think this is a triumph and I think we need to refer to it more and more frequently and stop looking at the cycle of news as if this is the world. It is not the world. The world is in our hearts and it’s what we believe and what we do which are the main things.”</span><br /><br /><span>ABC journalist Stan Grant chimed in, saying the world’s response to the pandemic, including shutting down at the expense of economies, had “revealed both our strengths and our vulnerability”.</span><br /><br /><span>“The strengths we thought we had, our interconnectedness, our global economy, the ability to hop on a plane and in 10 hours be somewhere else on the other side of the world, revealed our fragility that we share this place in such close proximity,” he said.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840470/abc-q-a-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1dbf3db5a3554a87b7e76cd1ffcc2a40" /></p> <p><em>Stan Grant. Image: Twitter</em><br /><br /><span>Grant also revealed that he shared the same concerns that Ms Foster and Creighton’s had about liberty.</span><br /><br /><span>“What did concern me — and I think we need to think long and hard about this — is that in an emergency, when we do surrender freedom, it takes a long time, if ever, to get it back,” he said.</span><br /><br /><span>“Look at 9/11 after the attacks on the World Trade Centre. There is a reason that The Plague was written. Because the virus of coronavirus or the plague may also carry a virus of tyranny.</span><br /><br /><span>“And at a time when democracy is in retreat … when authoritarianism in the shape of China in particular is on the rise and resurgent around the world, these things of freedom, these things that bind us to each other, these things that we are meant to hold dear, sacrificed and surrendered are hard to get back.”</span><br /><br /><span>Sam Mostyn, president of Chief Executive Women, retaliated by saying that lockdown was beneficial “because during that period we learnt a lot about ourselves”.</span><br /><br /><span>“We all slowed down,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“I accept the mental health issues that we have to pay for now. I accept we had to change as a society. You talked about an economy stopping. A lot of people rethought what it meant to be part of the Australian society.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840471/abc-q-a.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/164269eb339c4db9b5a3a26c61ab7544" /></p> <p><em>Sam Mostyn. Image: Twitter</em><br /><br /><span>“They started to talk about neighbourhood again, and what mattered to us in our relationships with our families. How care (can be) at the centre of an economy instead of the kinds of things we got so obsessed with.”</span><br /><br /><span>Creighton shot back, saying those were privileged people “on fixed salaries, good salaries”, and not the hundreds of thousands who lost their jobs.</span><br /><br /><span>“They got JobKeeper as well, and a huge amount of government (support),” Ms Mostyn responded.</span><br /><br /><span>“That’s insulting,” Creighton replied.</span></p>

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"Best ever" Q&A strikes a chord across the country

<p>It was the conversation Australia needed to have and many were applauding Q&amp;A's discussion on Thursday night of sexual violence and consent.</p> <p>The show was praised for presenting one of its best programs ever, with those on social media praising the respectful panel and compelling debate on issues like pornography, non-verbal consent and whether single-sex schools were problematic.</p> <p>Director of advocacy at Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy, Saxon Mullins set the tone for the show by opening the discussion with a speech on her story.</p> <p>Ms Mullins has given up her anonymity in the past as she appeared on Four Corners in 2018 where she told the story of her 2013 sexual assault.</p> <p>Her search for justice ended after two trials, two appeals, an acquittal and “no resolution for me”, Ms Mullins said.</p> <p>“Coming out of a four-year ordeal without closure left me feeling dejected, untethered and determined to tell my story,” she said.</p> <p>“I did not give consent. But the court found there was the mistaken belief that consent was given.</p> <p>“I was labelled an unreliable witness to my own story.</p> <p>“My case triggered a landmark review of sexual assault laws and reignited an ongoing conversation.”</p> <p>Later in the program, Ms Mullins was asked whether she recommended people to come forward with their own experiences given the scrutiny women face. She said she tried to understand how each survivor is feeling.</p> <p>“It’s really personal to every survivor, what they see as justice,” she said.</p> <p>However, she said she didn’t think she would be a massive advocate for going through the police and court process.</p> <p>“It’s a brutal system,” she said.</p> <p>Ms Mullins said that a full-scale reform is needed when it comes to specialist courts and the police force.</p> <p>“Just as an individual, I think most people can never know what you went through. How close does it come to breaking you?” host Hamish Macdonald asked.</p> <p>Ms Mullins answered: “I don’t think it comes close. I think it just does.”</p> <p>Her emotional response seemed to hit a nerve with Macdonald, who said: “I’m really very sorry to hear that, Saxon. Thank you for sharing with us tonight”.</p> <p>The program started off by discussing the NSW Police chief's idea for a consent app, of which broadcaster and author Yumi Stynes said: "It stinks".</p> <p>“If you can be coerced into sex, you can easily be coerced into ticking a box,” she said.</p> <p>Stynes, who is writing a book about consent, said children should be given information early, before puberty hormones begin mucking with their brains.</p> <p>She explained how she uses a “safe word” — a concept more often associated with BDSM — when tickling her children, to help them understand the concepts around consent.</p> <p>Stynes said tickling was intimate, involved touch, was fun, and done between two people, which is similar to sex.</p> <p>“There’s always a point with a kid when they start to go ‘I’m kind of hating this. I’m terrified, I’m going to vomit, I’m going to pee myself’.</p> <p>“And they want to call stop but a lot of their body language is confusing because they also seem to be enjoying themselves.</p> <p>“In those instances that’s a really good opportunity for the people who are doing the tickling, which is generally a carer or an older person to say, ‘Do you want me to stop?’”</p> <p>She said this helped the child to realise they had agency over their body and if they say stop, you’ll listen.</p> <p>Her children also use the words “pineapple” or “eggplant” so she knows for sure they need a time-out.</p> <p>“A safe word conversation in a sexual context is really good because it means at the start of an intimate encounter you’re already talking about consent and setting something up that gives you an escape hatch,” she said.</p>

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"What about justice?" Tempers flare on Q&A over Christian Porter debate

<p>A Liberal senator and a Labor MP clashed on<span> </span><em>ABC's Q&amp;A</em><span> </span>on Thursday night over a question around the historical rape allegation against Attorney-General Christian Porter.</p> <p>On Wednesday, Porter revealed himself as the minister at the centre of a rape claim involving a 16-year-old girl in Sydney in 1988.</p> <p>He has never been charged and police confirmed there was "insufficient evidence" to proceed with an investigation and labelled the matter "closed".</p> <p>The question was asked by an audience member and immediately caused tension on the panel.</p> <p>The question that was asked was whether the panel thought Prime Minister Scott Morrison should launch an independent inquiry into the allegations against Mr Porter.</p> <p>Queensland National Party Senator Susan McDonald threw her support behind Mr Porter, saying she felt “deeply” for the woman and her family but that the justice system must be adhered to.</p> <p>“We do have a system of justice in this country. We do have a police service that is well resourced and the most capable of understanding whether or not evidence needs to go to trial. And they have closed the matter,” Senator McDonald said.</p> <p>“I don’t think that this is an easy subject but we can’t have a situation where allegations equate to guilt. And I think that the minister has made a full statement and I think that we need to some justice in the law and the rules of the land, because otherwise, you know, do we back a kangaroo court and a court of public opinion?”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Should the Prime Minister launch an independent inquiry into the rape allegation against Christian Porter? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a> <a href="https://t.co/24SVvJVM14">pic.twitter.com/24SVvJVM14</a></p> — QandA (@QandA) <a href="https://twitter.com/QandA/status/1367413261134483457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>Western Australia Labor MP Anne Aly cut in, asking: "What about justice for the victim?"</p> <p>“We keep talking about justice for the accused. What about justice for the victim?” she said, to a round of cheering from the audience.</p> <p>“I am infuriated by this because I’m sick and tired of the lip service that we hear in parliament about hearing victims’ voice, about listening to women, about respect for women, and right now is a moment.”</p> <p>Aly also said it was time for the Prime Minister to show leadership and launch an independent inquiry.</p> <p>“What did he do? He came out and he said, ‘Well, I have asked him if he did it and he said no, and that’s enough for me.’ And then suddenly you’ve got all of these men invoking justice, justice, justice,” she said.</p> <p>“That inquiry will either exonerate Christian Porter and prove his innocence, as he is — as he is saying, that he is innocent, or it will prove otherwise. Either way, this is a serious, serious allegation. It needs to be treated seriously,” she said.</p>

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The vital issue that brought Q+A's host and guest to tears

<p><em>Q&amp;A</em><span> </span>host Hamish Macdonald and Liberal MP were brought to tears on the program after discussing Australia's failing aged care system.</p> <p>Allen ended the show in tears after speaking about her father's battle with dementia.</p> <p>"He couldn't speak for the last year of his life, he couldn't walk, his only words that were left were 'thank you'," Ms Allen said through tears.</p> <p>"It's a terrible disease, so I think people [need to be] able to have the choice, and the control, and the laws in Victoria have been, I think, I have to say well handled and I think that we need to have this sort of conversation, particularly for dementia."</p> <p>Macdonald broke down in tears much later after asking an audience member and his daughter questions about aged-care homes.</p> <p>Audience member Timothy Granger and his daughter Prudence-Rose spoke about Timothy's battle with early-onset Alzheimer's as he was diagnosed at the age of 51.</p> <p>Timothy spoke about his fears about what the future holds for him.</p> <p>"How are you doing?" Macdonald asked.</p> <p>"Going well," Mr Granger responded before adding: "Sorry, I have a little bit of problem with speech, sorry, what was your question?</p> <p>"I wanted to know how you're doing," Macdonald said.</p> <p>"You're living at home with your beautiful wife, your wonderful daughter. How do you feel about the prospect of one day going into an aged care facility?"</p> <p>"I think what makes it scary is he's so much younger," she said.</p> <p>"He's going to be potentially going in there in his 60s or sooner, which we really want to avoid but if that occurs, how can he live his best life in these facilities that aren't really set up for him at his age?</p> <p>"There are more people getting diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's."</p> <p>Macdonald asked Timothy how he felt about discussing that with his family.</p> <p>"That's going to be difficult and probably it's going to be hard for them as well," Mr Granger said.</p> <p>"I'm scared. I think it's not something you think is going to happen so soon," Ms Granger added</p> <p>"We would like to be able to support him for as long as we can, the reality is we probably can't.</p> <p>"We also have financial concerns. We'd like to be able to put him in a facility that will support him and his needs but I don't know if he could afford that or if we would get in.</p> <p>"And I'm just witnessing that, especially tonight, listening to everything that everybody is saying and it's really scary."</p> <p>It was here that Macdonald started to cry.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Tim is 56 years old and was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s five years ago. Tim wants to know how he will be supported to live “his best life” in aged care? And Trevor wants to know if there is any hope for the future for him and 472,000 of his “dementia mates”? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a> <a href="https://t.co/0MJhIY0Tj3">pic.twitter.com/0MJhIY0Tj3</a></p> — QandA (@QandA) <a href="https://twitter.com/QandA/status/1364884709319217157?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>"I've met Tim previously, so I was already somewhat familiar with the situation he is in," Macdonald told the<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-26/dementia-patient-leaves-q+a-panel-on-aged-care-in-tears/13194334" target="_blank"><em>ABC</em></a>.</p> <p>"He has a beautiful warmth and a great sense of humour, I was really looking forward to catching up tonight.</p> <p>"In truth, we can spend hours talking about the statistics and the data and the sad history of aged care in Australia, but stories like Tim bring the realities home to us all.</p> <p>"When Tim speaks, you can imagine this was you, you can imagine this was your partner or your father. It is impossible not to be moved by Tim's story.</p> <p>"He's a father, a husband and a lovely human, faced with some extraordinarily difficult circumstances. I'm really pleased there's a space for Tim and people like him to have a voice in such an important national conversation around aged care."</p>

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