1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,520 Speaker 1: Listen, the Prime Minister, if you've been following the news today, 2 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: is copping a little bit of flat because he's decided 3 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: he's going to cut one of his regular media appearances 4 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: with the press gallery on a Tuesday from here on 5 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: and now, this has been a convention for years now 6 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: when the Prime Minister goes into Parliament's question time Tuesday, 7 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: Wednesday and Thursday, if he's there, he will stop on 8 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: the black and white tiles on the way in and 9 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,760 Speaker 1: he will let the press gallery answer him, ask him questions. 10 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: That is now going to stop on a Tuesday. Now. 11 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: The press gallery are trying to convince him to change 12 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: his mind, and they've gone public with it, and I 13 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: suspect that's probably a bit of a bid to put 14 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:35,279 Speaker 1: a bit of pressure on him. But actually I think 15 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: they're going to struggle to get any sympathy on this. 16 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: And I'm gonna tell you why, because let me run 17 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: you through his media appearances on weeks when Parliament is 18 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: sitting Monday afternoon, at four o'clock, he is at a 19 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:47,839 Speaker 1: post cabinet press conference where the press gallery ask him questions. 20 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: Tuesday morning from seven o'clock he does a round of 21 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: media interviews with Mike Hosking and other breakfast programs across 22 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: radio and TV where he answers questions. Then later on 23 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: Tuesday morning, around about ten, he stops on his way 24 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: into the caucus meeting to let the press gallery ask 25 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: him questions. Tuesday afternoon, just before two o'clock, on his 26 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: way into the house, he stops to let the press 27 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: gallery ask him questions. Wednesday afternoon, just before two o'clock, 28 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: on his way into the house, he stops to let 29 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 1: the press gallery ask him questions. On the rare occasion 30 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: that a Prime Minister is in the House on a Thursday, 31 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: he goes on his way to the house stops to 32 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: let the press gallery ask him questions. Right, plus any 33 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: other press conference that he might then call during the 34 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 1: week to announce some government initiative, he will answer questions. 35 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: That is a lot of media to actually be doing 36 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:33,760 Speaker 1: across a week, right, It's a lot more than you 37 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: would get, for an example, from other world leaders, for 38 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: example Joe Biden, whose press conferences are actually run not 39 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:44,479 Speaker 1: by him but by his spokesperson. Now, this I think 40 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: is very different to Jacinda Ardun dropping her media interviews 41 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: because the kind of media interviews that she was dropping 42 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: with hard ones, you know, the ones with Mike Hosking, 43 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: who is arguably the best interviewer in the country, or 44 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: with Q and A and news Hub Nation, which will 45 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: long format interview which means that you sit there sweating 46 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: and things start to get really difficult, or you might 47 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: recall she started refusing to take talkback calls. That's also 48 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 1: a bit awkward and unpredictable and can get a little 49 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: bit uncomfortable. Now, that is different to what's going on here, 50 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 1: which is just seeing the press gallery one fewer time 51 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: in the space of about seventy two hours. Let me 52 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 1: ask you this, right, what is it that the press 53 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 1: gallery want to ask on a Tuesday afternoon that they 54 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: couldn't have asked on a Tuesday morning or couldn't wait 55 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: to ask on a Wednesday afternoon. For more from Heather 56 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 1: Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to News Talks. It'd be 57 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.