Q+A gone as Marks moves to streamline ABC
The ABC’s current affairs talk show Q+A has been axed and will not be airing again, joining Ten’s The Project on TV’s scrapheap of long-running shows.
The show’s cancellation has been confirmed by the ABC, which said that its long run was an achievement and that “discontinuing the program at this point is no reflection on anyone on the show.”
In confirming Q+A’s demise, the ABC announced increased investment in documentaries, and the creation of an executive producer of documentaries and specials role. It will also make the Your Say online survey product a permanent feature of ABC News online.
“We always need to keep innovating and renewing, and in the two decades since Q+A began the world has changed,” ABC news director Justin Stevens was quoted as saying in a press release. “It’s time to rethink how audiences want to interact and to evolve how we can engage with the public to include as many Australians as possible in national conversations.”
The end of Q+A is ABC managing director Hugh Mark’s first big move to streamline the public broadcaster.
Original and longest-serving Q+A host Tony Jones with panel
Q+A was in its 17th season, having started in 2008. The ABC confirmed to Mumbrella that the show would not be coming back at all, contrary to its original schedule to return in August with current host Patricia Karvelas.
Recorded with a live studio audience, Q+A was created by executive producer Peter McEvoy as “Q&A” (note the ampersand). Through its long history it has featured high-profile guests, including regular appearances by serving and past prime ministers and ministers.
Before going on mid-season break, the show’s most recent episode aired on May 19, 2025 and drew in a total TV audience of 638,000 — a noticeable drop from its May 12 and May 5 episodes, which brought in total audiences of 755,000 and 754,000, respectively. Total audience numbers include any viewer who watched the show for more than 60s during the broadcast or online, and are much higher than classic average viewing audience numbers.
Throughout May, the current affairs program consistently underrated the The Project (as a point of comparison — the shows are not direct competitors). Taking May 19, 12 and 5, as examples, The Project reached audiences of 837,000, 888,000 and 990,000 respectively.
News that The Project’s 16-year run would be coming to an end this month broke on June 9 — the same day its total viewership reached 1,073,000. The announcement ended weeks of speculation after it was reported that the show was being reviewed by Ten.
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a once worthwhile programme turned into a weekly debate of self-righteous smugness with a contrived audience set up with carefully loaded questions that reflected the production team’s own agenda.
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Was it not always thus? It’s questions were always carefully chosen to take particular lines, and moved between quickly to ensure shallow analysis. If it’s EP didn’t like something an audience member said, it was responded with “I’ll take that as a comment!”
It was originally more argumentative than it became, but that didn’t mean it shed more light, only heat.
It was still probably better than 730’s political interviews, which seem to all take the strategy of trying to use blunt force to get any small revelation out of the guest, irrespective of what the resulting bludgeoning looks like on TV.
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I have not watched it since karvellis took over. Alway wanted her opinion. A totally staged show with questions always asked of lnp stooges to jump on the government or “offering advice to the government “. Thank goodness it’s over. Give us more Media Watch.
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