ABC to review procedures following Q&A protest
Public broadcaster the ABC will review its procedures in an attempt to prevent protesters interrupting the live political discussion program.
Last night’s program was significantly interrupted after a group students, targeting panellist education minister Christopher Pyne, took over space behind presenter Tony Jones with a large banner and began chants criticising proposed cuts to education funding. The protest saw a tense couple of minutes before the live broadcast cut to music while security evicted the protestors.
“We are now reviewing our procedures to make sure we reduce that risk and the program does what it should do – provide an opportunity for citizens to ask tough questions and get answers from our politicians. Illegible banners and chants aren’t a substitute for intelligent debate,” said an ABC spokesman.
“Q&A already identifies all audience members and puts together a representative audience based on voting intention, but as we saw it only takes a small group to disrupt the discussion.
“We have already apologised on-air and after last night’s program to the panellists and we will be making a further apology to education minister Christopher Pyne today.”
The last major protest on the political debate program was in 2010 when activist Peter Gray threw his shoe at former Prime Minister John Howard.
“Over the last six years Q&A has become an important platform for Australians to discuss issues of national importance and a valuable opportunity for Australian citizens to question the politicians and others whose decisions affect their lives,” said the spokesman.
“It does that by bringing Australian citizens and our political leaders together and creating a forum for intelligent discussion and debate.
“Inevitably that creates the risk that someone will try and hijack Q&A to make a point. This happened on Monday’s program, despite a clear conversation with the audience prior to broadcast insisting on courteous and polite debate, respectful of others views.
“When the program was disrupted, host Tony Jones condemned the protestor’s actions before the decision was made to suspend the live telecast.”
Nic Christensen
This IS democracy Tony!
Did anyone else notice the similarity between BOb and Pyne… they could be the same person… oh except for one is a decent loving and caring human being and the other is a politician.
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Yeah, right. If ABC didn;t know they were there how did they bring in such a large banner and how did they get that prime seating location that was the best spot to drape the banner. Las time I was in a TV audience, security checks all bags and you are told where to sit. This was staged by ABC.
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To think folks were worried about the Young Liberals turnout on the recent Turnbull episode…
(Disclaimer: please don’t assume that I’m a Liberal supporter because of that comment. I most emphatically am not.)
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ABC should just stop inviting the odd conservative on the show from time to time.
That would solve all problems: The guests and Tony could just sit around and agree with each other.
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They must give the Young Libs a Right of Reply . They can rattle their jewelry for 5 minutes.
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““Q&A already identifies all audience members and puts together a representative audience based on voting intention, but as we saw it only takes a small group to disrupt the discussion.”
Of course it does, that’s why they always have such a balanced studio audience.
Question: Which party do you intend to vote for next election (select one of the 4)
1) Labor
2) Greens
3) Liberals/Nationals
4) Labor or Greens because I’m anti Libs/Nats but I’m going to say I’m an ‘Lib/Nats voter’ so that I can still get in and let the ABC say it filled its ‘unbiased’ quota.
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It shows how sick and twisted some young Australians are – the girl at the start who doesn’t think education should be a ‘business’… Where does she think the government gets the money to pay for her education?
The only difference between business and government is that we pay businesses voluntarily.
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Where were the students protesting when the ALP proposed cuts in education funding? Where were the eco-warriors when the ALP approved dredging back in 2003? Where were….oh you get my point….
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Did I hear Jamie and Gyng up there brawling?
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It is nice to see students getting riled up about something for a change
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The ABC needs to have their funding reviewed wasting money on this rent-a-crowd. Your tax money at work.
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Strange how students and Anna Burke point out education was “free” (although that isn’t strictly true – you still had to pay compulsory admin and union fees) under Gough Whitlam but conveniently forget it was a Labor government in July 1988 that introduced HECS.
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Of course these idiots want free education so they can spend the rest of their lives studying until their forties without ever contributing to society.
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