WEBVTT - GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF ABC'S Q&A 

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<v Speaker 1>It's in the news today, but it was actually on

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<v Speaker 1>TV Reload the podcast last week. Don't welcome back guys

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<v Speaker 1>to TV Reload. My name's Benjamin Norris and on this

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<v Speaker 1>podcast I go behind the scenes with the biggest players

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<v Speaker 1>in television.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, great questions. The show's about the game. There's a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of great television out there in Australia.

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<v Speaker 1>But I've also got to go behind the scenes with writers.

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<v Speaker 1>The truth is, when I started writing it, it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>had nothing to do with the news and casting agents.

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<v Speaker 2>They know from a casting point of view what they need, and.

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<v Speaker 1>Editors because that's what we do as editors where storytellers.

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<v Speaker 1>Not to forget some incredible executive producers who are making

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<v Speaker 1>some of the best TV in Australia.

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<v Speaker 2>I have been on the program since the beginning and

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<v Speaker 2>it's kind of in my DNA.

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<v Speaker 1>So thanks for joining me each week and I hope

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast continues to give you real insight into the

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<v Speaker 1>magic of television today. On the podcast, I have Aaron Vincent,

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<v Speaker 1>who is the executive producer on Q and A. I've

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<v Speaker 1>been a fan of the ABC show for many years

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<v Speaker 1>and what Aaron brings to Q and A is her

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<v Speaker 1>natural love of good journalism from working behind the scenes

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<v Speaker 1>on some of the best news broadcast jobs. It's been

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<v Speaker 1>this program that has allowed Australian audiences to hear much

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<v Speaker 1>needed conversation from which Aaron manages to orchestrate from behind

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<v Speaker 1>the scenes, networking her panel, preparing audience questions and rotating hosts.

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<v Speaker 1>This format allows us as an audience to be educated

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<v Speaker 1>and to feel like we're a part of the conversation.

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<v Speaker 1>I will ask Aaron on what to expect this year

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<v Speaker 1>on the show in twenty twenty two, why the change

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<v Speaker 1>to Thursday night needed to happen, and if the current

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<v Speaker 1>government has any influence on the current landscape of the show.

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<v Speaker 1>There's plenty more on the Chat and I hope you

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<v Speaker 1>like this week's episode. So without further ado, I'm going

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<v Speaker 1>to bring Aaron Vincent into the chat as we unpack

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<v Speaker 1>the production of Q and A. It's all happening on

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<v Speaker 1>this week's podcast of Tivyload.

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<v Speaker 2>Everyone's entitled to their view of Q and A. Everyone

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<v Speaker 2>has one.

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<v Speaker 1>Tonight, a panel of leaders discuss power.

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<v Speaker 2>If you're in command of the conversation, you know when

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<v Speaker 2>it's time to shut it down. People talk about Islam

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<v Speaker 2>without knowing anything about it. I honestly think Q and

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<v Speaker 2>A is one of the most high wire acts. Can

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<v Speaker 2>you explain why although you talk a good game about

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<v Speaker 2>standing up against social justice warriors? I think I can

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<v Speaker 2>honestly say curiosity drove me to journalism. Have you and

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<v Speaker 2>Grace Taye made contact since? And have you discussed that

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<v Speaker 2>with her? You just never really know where the conversation's

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<v Speaker 2>going to go.

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<v Speaker 1>Hi eron, how are you?

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<v Speaker 2>Hi Ben? I'm good. I'm good. There's always a bit

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<v Speaker 2>of a Friday folk after the show, but I'm good.

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<v Speaker 3>Well.

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<v Speaker 1>Congratulations on the first episode of twenty twenty two. I

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<v Speaker 1>was going to say, what was your favorite moment from

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<v Speaker 1>this week's series premiere?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, that's such a hard question. It was such a

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<v Speaker 2>magnificent start to the year. What a wonderful mix of

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<v Speaker 2>Australians and voices on that panel, Dylan all Caught, Rosy Battye,

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<v Speaker 2>Tom Kalmer, Katie Allen and Tanya Plibsek, who had been

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<v Speaker 2>up half the night. I think the first question was

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<v Speaker 2>probably the most fascinating for me, and I think it's

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<v Speaker 2>everything I love about the Q and A format, the

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<v Speaker 2>idea of bringing different opinions together and challenging people to

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<v Speaker 2>think differently. And I just truly think that the contrast

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<v Speaker 2>and almost complimenting views of Dylan and Rosie and Tom

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<v Speaker 2>Kalmer as well about those speeches from Grace Tame and

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<v Speaker 2>Britney Spears and the way Grace has handled herself and

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<v Speaker 2>the commentary around that. I thought the way Rosie so

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<v Speaker 2>articulately expressed that that has made her reflect on the

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<v Speaker 2>way she has behaved as Australian of the Year and

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<v Speaker 2>the different ways of advocacy. You know, she's freely admitted

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<v Speaker 2>that some of Grace's behavior has made her uncomfortable and

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<v Speaker 2>that's made her question whether you know, she's sort of

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<v Speaker 2>been socially conditioned as a woman of her age to

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<v Speaker 2>act a certain way. I just think the way she

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<v Speaker 2>expressed it was so thoughtful and I'm sure it would

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<v Speaker 2>have got people thinking at home.

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<v Speaker 1>I love that about her. I remember seeing her do

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<v Speaker 1>a speech in front of it was a corporate event,

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<v Speaker 1>and I remember as soon as she took the stage,

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<v Speaker 1>I was like, Oh, that's Rosy and started saying to

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<v Speaker 1>my partner her story and the thing I've always appreciated

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<v Speaker 1>about her is intelligence, Her own intelligence to pivot when

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<v Speaker 1>it comes to making up her own mind. So many

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<v Speaker 1>times you see people you know have a profile that

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<v Speaker 1>can just stick and say this is how I'm supposed

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<v Speaker 1>to say it. But you can really see that she

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<v Speaker 1>takes the time to think about what her answers are

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<v Speaker 1>going to be. And that's an intelligent woman.

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<v Speaker 2>She really does. And she's unafraid naturally, you know her

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<v Speaker 2>life experience and the circle she's been able to mix

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<v Speaker 2>in since winning that award, which you know she expresses

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<v Speaker 2>her gratitude for because it's completely changed her life and

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<v Speaker 2>allowed her to achieve social change. But you know she

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<v Speaker 2>actually sort of Virginia asked her if she and Grace

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<v Speaker 2>have and she said that they have, and Grace was

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<v Speaker 2>hurt by her comments. But what resulted was a really

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<v Speaker 2>fruitful conversation about something that they essentially a topic and

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<v Speaker 2>an idea that they come at from very different ways,

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<v Speaker 2>but can so respectfully disagree. And I think that is

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<v Speaker 2>the essence of Q.

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<v Speaker 1>And eight exactly. It's a good debate. I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>when you get people to have a conversation and be

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<v Speaker 1>honest about who they are and what they feel, and

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<v Speaker 1>then share their own opinions on the topic without ever

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<v Speaker 1>saying anything to put the other person down. Do you

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<v Speaker 1>know what I mean? Like, I love a good debate

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<v Speaker 1>where there's no conflict unnecessarily it's where you say something

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<v Speaker 1>and you go, oh, that's a aha moment. That's probably

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<v Speaker 1>changed the cycle.

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<v Speaker 2>We had some really big moments last night. It is

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<v Speaker 2>really hard to choose one. I mean, another one for

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<v Speaker 2>me where I think, you know, everyone in the control

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<v Speaker 2>room was quite a gape, was when Virginia was asking

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<v Speaker 2>Katie Allen about crossing the floor and Virginia asked her

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<v Speaker 2>how that felt, And I think we all sort of

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<v Speaker 2>expected her to talk about the tension and how that

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<v Speaker 2>was difficult, and she was positively beaming, and you could

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<v Speaker 2>see a real personal pride in herself that she has

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<v Speaker 2>stood up for something, And that was essentially what she said,

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<v Speaker 2>How did it feel crossing the floor with your colleagues

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<v Speaker 2>in defiance of your prime minister he's personally very wedded

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<v Speaker 2>to this legislation.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, you know, I actually feel it's a very interesting

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<v Speaker 4>mix of emotions. To be fair, it's hard to explain it.

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<v Speaker 4>You look happy, I do, yeah, good, yep, I feel

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<v Speaker 4>like I've stood up for what I believe in.

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<v Speaker 3>Good job.

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<v Speaker 2>So that was a really powerful moment. And you know,

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<v Speaker 2>twenty minutes later she was giving credit to Bill Shorten

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<v Speaker 2>for the NDIS and the success of that scheme. So

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<v Speaker 2>we had some really unexpected moments, which is another great thing.

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<v Speaker 2>You just never really know where the conversation's going to go.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, Dylan talking about I thought was really important because

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<v Speaker 1>it's something that people go, oh, I feel uncomfortable. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>it's almost like another show on the ABC. You can't

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<v Speaker 1>ask that. There's questions that you would love to know,

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<v Speaker 1>but you feel silly like you can't ask. But the

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<v Speaker 1>way he explained something so simple made me see something

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<v Speaker 1>so different.

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<v Speaker 3>Anybody can have sex or being a relationship in any

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<v Speaker 3>way that they can have sex or being a relationship. Right,

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<v Speaker 3>it's not the same as you or you or anyone

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<v Speaker 3>I don't know, and I'm sure not it does it

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<v Speaker 3>the same way. Well, it's different for everybody, and that's okay,

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<v Speaker 3>you know what I mean. But my advice is to

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<v Speaker 3>any nondisabled person, if you see a good looking person

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<v Speaker 3>that with one arm, who's autistic, in a wheelchair, whatever,

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<v Speaker 3>go up and take it.

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<v Speaker 2>Hey, so simple and so personal. No, no one can

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<v Speaker 2>imagine what that would be like unless you live with

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<v Speaker 2>a disability, and the impact I think that that conversation

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<v Speaker 2>will have for people is exactly what he is striving

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<v Speaker 2>to achieve, to be seen to be having those conversations,

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<v Speaker 2>to be representing people with disability, and to help people

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<v Speaker 2>able bodied Australians understand and empathize what that's like. I

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<v Speaker 2>also thought our questioner Joshua, who freely admitted that he

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<v Speaker 2>had to let a staffer go because he didn't have

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<v Speaker 2>the resource to train the person with a disability up

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<v Speaker 2>to the standard his business required, took such courage and

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<v Speaker 2>such bravery.

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<v Speaker 5>I'm a business owner in the construction industry. A year

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<v Speaker 5>ago we had someone trial with us with this disability.

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<v Speaker 5>We had to let him go to it to the

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<v Speaker 5>fact that we just simply didn't have enough resources to

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<v Speaker 5>be taken up. I still feel guilty about letting him go.

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<v Speaker 5>People with disabilities have really good qualities, but due to

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<v Speaker 5>the financial ramifications of the extra resources, we just couldn't

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<v Speaker 5>make it work.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm sure that other employers in the country share that experience,

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<v Speaker 2>and it started another important conversation and again goes to

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<v Speaker 2>the sort of change Dylan hopes to achieve in his

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<v Speaker 2>role as Austrain of the Year. I also really loved

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<v Speaker 2>Dylan's story about his Nando's experience on his date. He did.

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<v Speaker 2>He went into a really personal story about an awful

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<v Speaker 2>experience that he had when he was at Chadston on

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<v Speaker 2>a date and how someone's religious beliefs informed their views

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<v Speaker 2>about people with disability, and he basically told this person

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<v Speaker 2>told Dylan that he was a spawn of Satan, which

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<v Speaker 2>is just the most horrible thing you could think of.

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<v Speaker 2>But Dylan, at the end, in classic Dylan Allcott style,

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<v Speaker 2>managed to have a laugh and said the date was

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<v Speaker 2>a success and there was Nando's involved, so that was

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<v Speaker 2>another great moment as well.

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<v Speaker 1>And you know, I can only imagine and I would

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<v Speaker 1>love to see you in the control and I'd love

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<v Speaker 1>to see a little face as things like that take

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<v Speaker 1>off and you just be rubbing your hands together, going

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<v Speaker 1>this is good, Telly.

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<v Speaker 2>Is the end of it all. You know, we're viewers too,

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<v Speaker 2>and it's unfolding live for us. There's a lot going on,

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<v Speaker 2>and you know you're sort of executive producing, but you

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<v Speaker 2>are viewing it as well. And I am constantly trying

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<v Speaker 2>to put myself in the shoes of the audience and

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<v Speaker 2>really sort of using my instinct to guide the conversation,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, and finding that balance of giving a topic

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<v Speaker 2>enough coverage and enough air, getting to enough questions, allowing

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<v Speaker 2>time for the conversation to breathe, and knowing when to

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<v Speaker 2>move on as well. Well.

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<v Speaker 1>It would be unfair of me to ask you who

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite host has been over the years, and with

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<v Speaker 1>a fabulous lineup this year with three amazing hosts of

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<v Speaker 1>the show, but can I ask you what makes a

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<v Speaker 1>good compare of Q and eight.

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<v Speaker 2>I've worked on a number of television shows. I've worked

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<v Speaker 2>on a number of live television shows. I honestly think

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<v Speaker 2>Q and A is one of the most high wire

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<v Speaker 2>acts that a television host can take on. I think

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<v Speaker 2>you need to have is a real confidence and self

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<v Speaker 2>belief to do the job and to be able to

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<v Speaker 2>handle anything, because anything can happen, and you've got to

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<v Speaker 2>be on. The host just has to be on. There

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<v Speaker 2>is no moment to miss anything, the follow up questions,

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<v Speaker 2>and also understanding the balance of when to just sit

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<v Speaker 2>back and listen and when to challenge and when to

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<v Speaker 2>fact check. You know, we do have times where people

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<v Speaker 2>say things and they're inaccurate and we have to correct

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<v Speaker 2>them and we're help to account if we don't. So

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<v Speaker 2>it's a really high wire act. But at the end

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<v Speaker 2>of the day, you're driving compelling conversation live on television

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<v Speaker 2>and the exchange of ideas. So it's a really unique

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<v Speaker 2>set of skills. And the hosts we have make it

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<v Speaker 2>look very easy, but they're the skills I think you

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<v Speaker 2>need to pull it off.

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<v Speaker 1>They make it look really easy, like watching last Night

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<v Speaker 1>just seems so simple and everything's fine. And I've done

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<v Speaker 1>live television before where they've got people talking in your

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<v Speaker 1>ear and talking and listening. That's a skill.

0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:06.400
<v Speaker 2>It's a real skill. And I really try and keep

0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:10.280
<v Speaker 2>the communications in the air to a minimum and really

0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:12.360
<v Speaker 2>only dive in when I feel like I need to,

0:12:12.800 --> 0:12:15.440
<v Speaker 2>because they know what they're doing, and you know, we

0:12:15.520 --> 0:12:19.199
<v Speaker 2>always discuss things and have a program plan and sometimes

0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:21.600
<v Speaker 2>things go to plan, and some of the best moments

0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:24.839
<v Speaker 2>are when they don't. But yeah, they all do a

0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:25.640
<v Speaker 2>wonderful job.

0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:28.000
<v Speaker 1>When it comes to picking the panel each week, you know,

0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:31.520
<v Speaker 1>how strategic are you getting certain people on board? Do

0:12:31.600 --> 0:12:34.559
<v Speaker 1>you table what you're going to tackle based on sort

0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:37.520
<v Speaker 1>of the questions that you're looking at, and then start

0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:40.679
<v Speaker 1>as a collaboration of producers, work at who are the

0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:43.280
<v Speaker 1>best Australians to answer those questions.

0:12:43.559 --> 0:12:46.679
<v Speaker 2>So it actually works that we assemble the panel first.

0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:50.880
<v Speaker 2>So we assemble the panel and then that generates the

0:12:50.960 --> 0:12:55.000
<v Speaker 2>interest and the question. So it's an interesting combination. And

0:12:55.040 --> 0:12:58.320
<v Speaker 2>we do a mix of what we call general news

0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:01.800
<v Speaker 2>of the week shows where we really diving into the

0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:04.959
<v Speaker 2>big conversations that are being had and what's making news

0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:07.480
<v Speaker 2>that week, and then we do sort of more focused

0:13:07.760 --> 0:13:11.520
<v Speaker 2>themed shows like we did a great one last year

0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:14.800
<v Speaker 2>with Grace Tame and the head of the AFP, Rehees Kershaw,

0:13:15.000 --> 0:13:18.679
<v Speaker 2>Marcia Langton and Rustin and Penny Wong and it was

0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:22.640
<v Speaker 2>a preview of the Women's Safety Summit and that was

0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:25.400
<v Speaker 2>the whole show start to finish. Sometimes you have the

0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:28.319
<v Speaker 2>luxury of doing that. Other times the new cycle dictates

0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:30.880
<v Speaker 2>that there's a topic that you just can't ignore. But

0:13:30.920 --> 0:13:33.840
<v Speaker 2>we assemble the panel and then we advertise who's on

0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:36.840
<v Speaker 2>the panel, and then from there the audience really helps

0:13:36.880 --> 0:13:41.240
<v Speaker 2>shape the conversation and takes the conversation where they want

0:13:41.280 --> 0:13:43.400
<v Speaker 2>it to go. And I should point out Q and

0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:47.120
<v Speaker 2>A is the only live program of its kind. There's

0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:50.600
<v Speaker 2>a version of it in the UK BBC's Question Time,

0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:52.840
<v Speaker 2>but that is pre recorded, and there's a version of

0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.880
<v Speaker 2>it in New Zealand as well, also pre recorded. So

0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:59.320
<v Speaker 2>Q and A in Australia on the ABC is the

0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:03.200
<v Speaker 2>only live format where Australians can put questions to people

0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:05.160
<v Speaker 2>in power in a live format.

0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:08.280
<v Speaker 1>It's so succinct. Though in real life we pivot and

0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:10.120
<v Speaker 1>we go ohen or we lose our mind or we

0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:13.120
<v Speaker 1>lose our point, and I just think it's so amazing

0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:17.240
<v Speaker 1>that these people are so succinct. I'd love to know

0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:21.000
<v Speaker 1>what preparation you offer these panels before the show, because

0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:23.120
<v Speaker 1>if I was one of those panels, you'd have to say, Ben,

0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:25.800
<v Speaker 1>get to your point, don't go on and on.

0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:29.400
<v Speaker 2>We have conversations with them about how to keep the

0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:33.080
<v Speaker 2>conversation moving, and you know, I think the biggest piece

0:14:33.360 --> 0:14:36.040
<v Speaker 2>of advice I give is have your main points that

0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:38.560
<v Speaker 2>you want to get across, but have two or three

0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:41.560
<v Speaker 2>and don't come in with ten or twelve things, because

0:14:41.760 --> 0:14:44.760
<v Speaker 2>there's only an hour and the conversation has to keep moving.

0:14:45.080 --> 0:14:48.000
<v Speaker 2>But you mentioned the panel. I'm always so blown away

0:14:48.040 --> 0:14:50.520
<v Speaker 2>by the audience and the courage it takes to ask

0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:53.680
<v Speaker 2>a question on live television, and sometimes there are some

0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:57.360
<v Speaker 2>really personal stories that go with those questions and that

0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:01.760
<v Speaker 2>is driving those questions. They really shape the show and

0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:04.440
<v Speaker 2>having the audience back, you know, we had to do

0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:07.640
<v Speaker 2>more than a dozen shows last year with no audience

0:15:07.640 --> 0:15:11.480
<v Speaker 2>in the room or video and you know, whilst it's

0:15:11.520 --> 0:15:14.400
<v Speaker 2>great to get video questions and they came in their

0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:18.520
<v Speaker 2>hundreds from around the country, it's so it adds such

0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:21.680
<v Speaker 2>another dimension and an energy to the program when you

0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:23.640
<v Speaker 2>have that audience in the room. So we're just so

0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:25.040
<v Speaker 2>delighted to have them back.

0:15:25.160 --> 0:15:27.160
<v Speaker 1>Well, we might dip back into asking a few questions

0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:29.240
<v Speaker 1>about the audience in a little bit, but I just

0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:32.160
<v Speaker 1>wanted to ask, you know, for you personally taking on

0:15:32.240 --> 0:15:36.200
<v Speaker 1>this job, what's been the biggest surprise in being the

0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:37.880
<v Speaker 1>executive producer of this show?

0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:42.840
<v Speaker 2>The pandemic and the challenges that would throw at me.

0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:47.800
<v Speaker 2>But while talking about the pandemic, I would have to

0:15:47.880 --> 0:15:54.280
<v Speaker 2>say the thing that surprises me still is seeing very accomplished,

0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:59.520
<v Speaker 2>very experienced media people agreeing to come on the show

0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:04.600
<v Speaker 2>and the impact that the platform itself has on them.

0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:08.960
<v Speaker 2>Pre show. We do see people getting incredibly nervous who

0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:12.240
<v Speaker 2>you wouldn't expect, And it's just a reminder for me

0:16:12.520 --> 0:16:16.040
<v Speaker 2>really that the power of the brand and the program

0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:19.760
<v Speaker 2>and the discussions that we have. It really surprises me

0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:22.760
<v Speaker 2>still to see people pre show, you know, really pulling

0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:26.520
<v Speaker 2>themselves together, asking a range of questions and showing, you know,

0:16:26.600 --> 0:16:29.240
<v Speaker 2>the pre show jitters. But it is a big stage

0:16:29.360 --> 0:16:32.280
<v Speaker 2>and there's a lot of people watching, and they know

0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:34.440
<v Speaker 2>what they say will have impact on Q and A.

0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:37.720
<v Speaker 1>Did you always set out to work as a producer

0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:40.160
<v Speaker 1>well as a producer, I mean, as you set out

0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:43.880
<v Speaker 1>in your career to work in the commentary of politics.

0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:48.760
<v Speaker 2>No, I didn't. I think I can honestly say curiosity

0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:52.520
<v Speaker 2>drove me to journalism. I've always had a curious mind

0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:55.760
<v Speaker 2>and a love of storytelling, so that seemed like a

0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:59.480
<v Speaker 2>natural fit, and I began my career front of camera

0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:03.200
<v Speaker 2>as a reporter. As a journalist, I started in regional

0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:07.320
<v Speaker 2>television at WIN and did my time there, and then

0:17:07.400 --> 0:17:09.639
<v Speaker 2>moved back to the city and worked at some of

0:17:09.680 --> 0:17:13.120
<v Speaker 2>the commercial stations and then landed at the ABC, which

0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:16.440
<v Speaker 2>was as surprising for me as it was for anyone else.

0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:18.880
<v Speaker 2>I always sort of, you know, I think I grew

0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:21.440
<v Speaker 2>up as a Channel nine household and I think back

0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:24.479
<v Speaker 2>to when I started at the ABC, it's evolved and

0:17:25.280 --> 0:17:29.080
<v Speaker 2>changed so much for the better. So yeah, I haven't

0:17:29.119 --> 0:17:31.440
<v Speaker 2>really looked back since I've landed at the ABC. It's

0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:34.320
<v Speaker 2>just been one opportunity after the other. But I did

0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:37.400
<v Speaker 2>hit a point where I started to crave something more

0:17:37.840 --> 0:17:40.840
<v Speaker 2>big picture, I think, rather than just you know, one

0:17:40.880 --> 0:17:43.920
<v Speaker 2>single story every day. And that was when I really

0:17:43.960 --> 0:17:47.520
<v Speaker 2>sort of crossed over into the production side, and I

0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:52.200
<v Speaker 2>think that's where my love of politics really grew. And

0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:56.479
<v Speaker 2>I was lucky enough to work at Insiders, filling in

0:17:56.520 --> 0:17:59.919
<v Speaker 2>as the executive producer there for a period of time,

0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:02.960
<v Speaker 2>which was an amazing experience, and there was so much

0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:06.520
<v Speaker 2>happening in Australian politics, so that really cemented my love

0:18:06.600 --> 0:18:09.399
<v Speaker 2>of politics. But you know, Q and A gives me

0:18:09.880 --> 0:18:13.280
<v Speaker 2>a wonderful mix of both, and as my previous role

0:18:13.320 --> 0:18:16.520
<v Speaker 2>did at News Breakfast, you know you get to do

0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:19.520
<v Speaker 2>a whole range of topics, not just the politics. Yes,

0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:23.159
<v Speaker 2>that's the backbone, and that's there the shows that I

0:18:23.200 --> 0:18:26.879
<v Speaker 2>think the audience love and love to hate, but we

0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:29.879
<v Speaker 2>do nice, we do great shows without the Polley's as well,

0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:33.399
<v Speaker 2>But there's no doubt that there's a real level of

0:18:33.400 --> 0:18:35.880
<v Speaker 2>accountability that go with those shows, and I think that's

0:18:35.880 --> 0:18:37.040
<v Speaker 2>what the audience loves.

0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:39.919
<v Speaker 1>About them absolutely. And do you sometimes find it hard

0:18:40.440 --> 0:18:42.840
<v Speaker 1>not to have an opinion or to pick sides?

0:18:43.160 --> 0:18:43.320
<v Speaker 6>You know?

0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:46.919
<v Speaker 1>I guess it's a producer you would be needing to

0:18:46.960 --> 0:18:49.280
<v Speaker 1>be fairly neutral. And I don't know about you, but

0:18:49.359 --> 0:18:52.560
<v Speaker 1>I can easily warm to somebody, but I'd love to

0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:54.439
<v Speaker 1>know if you stay neutral. Do you walk away at

0:18:54.440 --> 0:18:55.800
<v Speaker 1>the end of the show and you're like, well, I'm

0:18:55.840 --> 0:18:57.400
<v Speaker 1>on this person's side.

0:18:58.200 --> 0:19:01.800
<v Speaker 2>I think as a journalist, you know, the fundamental core

0:19:01.880 --> 0:19:04.199
<v Speaker 2>of your job is not to pick a side and

0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:08.119
<v Speaker 2>to be open minded and to see both sides, which is,

0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:11.960
<v Speaker 2>you know, everything I love about Q and A. Yeah,

0:19:12.000 --> 0:19:16.480
<v Speaker 2>And I genuinely believe that the greater range of views

0:19:16.520 --> 0:19:20.480
<v Speaker 2>and perspectives you bring to a debate, the more intelligent

0:19:20.520 --> 0:19:25.040
<v Speaker 2>and high level the conversation will be. So it's yeah,

0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:28.399
<v Speaker 2>I think as a journalist, that's you know, that's in

0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:31.640
<v Speaker 2>your blood, it's in your training. The minute you sort

0:19:31.640 --> 0:19:34.399
<v Speaker 2>of put the blinkers on or let the blinkers go on,

0:19:34.840 --> 0:19:36.919
<v Speaker 2>you'll miss something in a story.

0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:39.800
<v Speaker 1>Has there ever been a question while you've been the

0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:42.600
<v Speaker 1>executive producer from the audience that's gotten out of hand

0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:44.600
<v Speaker 1>or has gotten too heated.

0:19:45.520 --> 0:19:48.960
<v Speaker 2>That's a good question. I think there's definitely examples where

0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:53.360
<v Speaker 2>the question perhaps hasn't been satisfied with the answer, and

0:19:53.440 --> 0:19:57.560
<v Speaker 2>so you know, they want they keep wanting to push

0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:00.840
<v Speaker 2>the politician. I think I wouldn't say it's ever gotten

0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:04.320
<v Speaker 2>too heated, but I think there's definitely been some robust

0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:05.680
<v Speaker 2>back and forth.

0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:07.840
<v Speaker 1>I guess, you know, if the question is getting out

0:20:07.880 --> 0:20:09.240
<v Speaker 1>of control, how do you shut it down?

0:20:09.440 --> 0:20:12.280
<v Speaker 2>I think that's where the experience of the host comes in,

0:20:12.680 --> 0:20:16.480
<v Speaker 2>and that is one of the challenges of the role

0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:20.280
<v Speaker 2>is to let the conversation flow, but always be in command.

0:20:21.000 --> 0:20:23.679
<v Speaker 2>And I think if you're in command of the conversation,

0:20:23.840 --> 0:20:26.359
<v Speaker 2>you know when it's time to shut it down. And

0:20:26.400 --> 0:20:30.680
<v Speaker 2>I'll be, having no doubt relaying messages from the control

0:20:30.760 --> 0:20:33.000
<v Speaker 2>room if I think it's gone on too long or

0:20:33.600 --> 0:20:36.840
<v Speaker 2>it's you know, appears to be getting out of hand.

0:20:36.920 --> 0:20:40.080
<v Speaker 2>But no, I think that the hosts very much are

0:20:40.200 --> 0:20:44.920
<v Speaker 2>capable of controlling the conversation or navigating the conversation over time.

0:20:45.040 --> 0:20:48.720
<v Speaker 1>Have you worked out what audiences or who audiences want

0:20:48.720 --> 0:20:51.119
<v Speaker 1>to hear more from on the panel. Do you find

0:20:51.200 --> 0:20:54.439
<v Speaker 1>politicians or business owners? You know, comedians. I could go on,

0:20:54.600 --> 0:20:58.359
<v Speaker 1>because you actually do have an eclectic group of people

0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:00.640
<v Speaker 1>that join the panel. But what's better.

0:21:00.800 --> 0:21:05.640
<v Speaker 2>It's really interesting because anecdotally, you know, people say to me, oh,

0:21:06.040 --> 0:21:08.600
<v Speaker 2>I love the shows you do without politicians, they're the

0:21:08.600 --> 0:21:12.600
<v Speaker 2>best shows. But I think that the ratings data which

0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:15.880
<v Speaker 2>suggests that it's the ones with politicians that bring more

0:21:15.920 --> 0:21:19.160
<v Speaker 2>eyeballs to the screen. So we do a healthy mix.

0:21:19.200 --> 0:21:21.640
<v Speaker 2>I think about sort of two thirds of our shows

0:21:21.680 --> 0:21:24.520
<v Speaker 2>have polleyes, and then we do some really great shows

0:21:24.560 --> 0:21:28.560
<v Speaker 2>collaborating with various festivals and bringing a whole range of

0:21:28.600 --> 0:21:33.680
<v Speaker 2>talent to panels through different collaborations. So yeah, I think

0:21:33.720 --> 0:21:35.560
<v Speaker 2>it's nice to have a break from them from time

0:21:35.600 --> 0:21:39.600
<v Speaker 2>to time. But we do sometimes get audience members writing

0:21:39.640 --> 0:21:42.439
<v Speaker 2>to us saying you should suggest this person. We do

0:21:42.560 --> 0:21:46.240
<v Speaker 2>get people putting themselves forward to be on the panel.

0:21:46.440 --> 0:21:50.440
<v Speaker 2>So yeah, we have a range of people, a range

0:21:50.480 --> 0:21:54.919
<v Speaker 2>of methodologies I guess of landing on panelists, and you know,

0:21:54.960 --> 0:21:59.080
<v Speaker 2>the show's got a great history of discovering talent. A

0:21:59.119 --> 0:22:02.080
<v Speaker 2>lot of the panelists that we've discovered have gone on

0:22:02.280 --> 0:22:05.800
<v Speaker 2>to be nominated for Austrai of the Year or their

0:22:05.840 --> 0:22:08.640
<v Speaker 2>state representative Australian of the Year. You know, I look

0:22:08.640 --> 0:22:12.280
<v Speaker 2>at Yasmin Pool and she appeared on Q and A

0:22:12.280 --> 0:22:16.280
<v Speaker 2>as such a young, you know, ambitious, intelligent woman and

0:22:16.359 --> 0:22:19.320
<v Speaker 2>has gone on to do such a such wonderful things.

0:22:19.800 --> 0:22:23.119
<v Speaker 2>And it is a real sort of platform, I guess

0:22:23.600 --> 0:22:26.199
<v Speaker 2>to build your profile on, and the program has a

0:22:26.200 --> 0:22:27.000
<v Speaker 2>great history of that.

0:22:27.160 --> 0:22:29.119
<v Speaker 1>I love it when you sort of are engaging with

0:22:29.240 --> 0:22:32.240
<v Speaker 1>younger people about politics though, I think that is important,

0:22:32.480 --> 0:22:34.439
<v Speaker 1>but it makes me ask the question, you know, do

0:22:34.440 --> 0:22:38.200
<v Speaker 1>you think that politics in general is less aspirational these

0:22:38.280 --> 0:22:41.280
<v Speaker 1>days and sort of less enticing for young people to

0:22:41.400 --> 0:22:44.320
<v Speaker 1>take on these sort of leadership roles.

0:22:44.680 --> 0:22:47.000
<v Speaker 2>It's an interesting question. That's when we put to Dylan

0:22:47.119 --> 0:22:50.119
<v Speaker 2>last night, because he's sort of signaled that he would

0:22:50.119 --> 0:22:52.280
<v Speaker 2>throw his hat in the ring for politics one day,

0:22:52.320 --> 0:22:55.080
<v Speaker 2>and then he sort of said that he looked at

0:22:55.119 --> 0:22:57.800
<v Speaker 2>what are unfolded in the last week, and you know,

0:22:57.880 --> 0:23:00.240
<v Speaker 2>he's leaving the door open, but he's not sure. So

0:23:00.720 --> 0:23:05.959
<v Speaker 2>I think definitely it's a career that people question, and

0:23:06.000 --> 0:23:08.840
<v Speaker 2>you know, a lot has been revealed about the culture

0:23:09.119 --> 0:23:11.439
<v Speaker 2>at Parliament House in the last couple of years. So

0:23:11.840 --> 0:23:14.400
<v Speaker 2>you know, Yasmin Pool has spoken about that herself as

0:23:14.400 --> 0:23:16.880
<v Speaker 2>a young woman and questioning whether that's a career she

0:23:16.920 --> 0:23:20.960
<v Speaker 2>wants to go down. I think what we're seeing with

0:23:21.040 --> 0:23:24.560
<v Speaker 2>the Independence is really interesting. I think we're seeing a

0:23:24.640 --> 0:23:28.240
<v Speaker 2>real kind of movement there. There's certainly a number of

0:23:28.280 --> 0:23:34.240
<v Speaker 2>independent candidates who are going to be challenging sitting members

0:23:34.320 --> 0:23:37.119
<v Speaker 2>for their seats, and I think, you know, that's really

0:23:37.160 --> 0:23:41.000
<v Speaker 2>sort of taken off since the Seat of Indie and

0:23:41.119 --> 0:23:45.000
<v Speaker 2>Kathy McGowan and the campaign that she ran, and you know,

0:23:45.040 --> 0:23:48.359
<v Speaker 2>we're now seeing Simon Holmes a court funding some of

0:23:48.400 --> 0:23:50.639
<v Speaker 2>these people. So that's actually an issue we're going to

0:23:50.680 --> 0:23:53.879
<v Speaker 2>look into next week and we're going to be hearing

0:23:53.920 --> 0:23:57.119
<v Speaker 2>from voters who feel a bit left behind by the

0:23:57.119 --> 0:24:00.680
<v Speaker 2>major parties. So it will be interesting to see if

0:24:00.880 --> 0:24:05.640
<v Speaker 2>that has any impact on young people's ambitions to run

0:24:05.680 --> 0:24:08.960
<v Speaker 2>for politics. But it's a pretty brutal business at the moment.

0:24:09.240 --> 0:24:11.359
<v Speaker 1>I liked the joke last night about the Deep Clean.

0:24:12.440 --> 0:24:13.679
<v Speaker 2>It was very good, wasn't it.

0:24:14.000 --> 0:24:17.480
<v Speaker 1>It was very funny, you know, as mentioned you know

0:24:17.520 --> 0:24:21.040
<v Speaker 1>earlier in the podcast. The latest series premiered last Thursday.

0:24:21.400 --> 0:24:24.240
<v Speaker 1>What are you going to do moving forward with this series?

0:24:24.280 --> 0:24:26.320
<v Speaker 1>I mean, when you're looking at it, it could so

0:24:26.400 --> 0:24:28.800
<v Speaker 1>easily leave it so formulatic, But what are you going

0:24:28.840 --> 0:24:30.080
<v Speaker 1>to try to do this year to sort of keep

0:24:30.119 --> 0:24:30.920
<v Speaker 1>it fresh?

0:24:31.160 --> 0:24:33.560
<v Speaker 2>Look, I think you know, the biggest thing we want

0:24:33.600 --> 0:24:36.320
<v Speaker 2>is the return of the audience. And when I say

0:24:36.359 --> 0:24:39.679
<v Speaker 2>the audience, I mean the audience as we know it. Like, so,

0:24:39.760 --> 0:24:42.840
<v Speaker 2>we had thirty people in the room last night, and

0:24:43.119 --> 0:24:46.399
<v Speaker 2>in pre pandemic days we would have two hundred and fifty.

0:24:46.680 --> 0:24:48.560
<v Speaker 2>You know, we desperately want to get that back, and

0:24:48.600 --> 0:24:50.920
<v Speaker 2>we desperately want to get the show back on the road.

0:24:51.280 --> 0:24:54.879
<v Speaker 2>That's something that we're working towards, and hopefully by the

0:24:54.920 --> 0:24:58.359
<v Speaker 2>election campaign we will be able to do that because

0:24:58.359 --> 0:25:02.240
<v Speaker 2>that's where you get a real range of diverse perspectives

0:25:02.400 --> 0:25:05.520
<v Speaker 2>and you hear from all kinds of different people and

0:25:05.640 --> 0:25:09.120
<v Speaker 2>different communities with different challenges and problems, and I think,

0:25:09.240 --> 0:25:11.560
<v Speaker 2>you know, that's really what makes the show seeing. So

0:25:11.760 --> 0:25:14.320
<v Speaker 2>we can't wait to travel the show again. It takes

0:25:14.640 --> 0:25:16.600
<v Speaker 2>the movement of a lot of people to get Q

0:25:16.720 --> 0:25:18.959
<v Speaker 2>and A on the road, So I think, you know,

0:25:19.040 --> 0:25:22.280
<v Speaker 2>the ABC is very cautious in keeping us all safe

0:25:22.640 --> 0:25:26.600
<v Speaker 2>while we have to continue broadcasting. So the minute we've

0:25:26.640 --> 0:25:29.359
<v Speaker 2>got clearance to travel the show, that's really what I

0:25:29.400 --> 0:25:31.760
<v Speaker 2>can't wait to be doing. But really I think we

0:25:31.920 --> 0:25:36.399
<v Speaker 2>just want to be having relevant and intelligent conversations that

0:25:36.480 --> 0:25:38.040
<v Speaker 2>people tune in for.

0:25:38.840 --> 0:25:41.440
<v Speaker 1>Well, it is an election year and Q and A

0:25:41.480 --> 0:25:44.560
<v Speaker 1>is a big player in getting political opinion across. What

0:25:44.680 --> 0:25:48.120
<v Speaker 1>kind of interest do you get from politicians to want

0:25:48.119 --> 0:25:49.840
<v Speaker 1>to come on the show. I mean, obviously they've got

0:25:49.880 --> 0:25:52.240
<v Speaker 1>an agenda that they want to get across, or they're

0:25:52.280 --> 0:25:55.960
<v Speaker 1>wanting to win over the Australian public. Do you get

0:25:55.960 --> 0:25:58.400
<v Speaker 1>a lot of politicians coming on within an agenda?

0:25:58.960 --> 0:26:02.399
<v Speaker 2>I mean, I think there'll be certain politicians who'll be

0:26:02.480 --> 0:26:05.320
<v Speaker 2>falling over themselves to come on Q and A, you know,

0:26:05.400 --> 0:26:09.399
<v Speaker 2>to use that platform and to speak to their constituents

0:26:09.400 --> 0:26:12.840
<v Speaker 2>and the people voting for them. And naturally we get

0:26:13.160 --> 0:26:16.920
<v Speaker 2>such the ABC as a whole gets so much interest

0:26:17.280 --> 0:26:22.240
<v Speaker 2>in our content around election time, so there's no doubt

0:26:22.320 --> 0:26:26.040
<v Speaker 2>our programs will be more politically charged. I think, you know,

0:26:26.320 --> 0:26:28.960
<v Speaker 2>it's going to be a really tough contest and as

0:26:28.960 --> 0:26:31.720
<v Speaker 2>we've seen at previous elections, I think anything can happen,

0:26:32.320 --> 0:26:35.840
<v Speaker 2>so you know Q and A. I think it makes

0:26:35.880 --> 0:26:38.439
<v Speaker 2>for good discussions, it makes for good content, and it

0:26:38.480 --> 0:26:39.359
<v Speaker 2>makes for good debate.

0:26:39.680 --> 0:26:42.639
<v Speaker 1>I was reading TV tonight yesterday and I saw the

0:26:43.080 --> 0:26:44.760
<v Speaker 1>question I think it was, you know, you know, do

0:26:44.800 --> 0:26:47.840
<v Speaker 1>you think Scott Morrison will come on the show this year?

0:26:48.160 --> 0:26:49.959
<v Speaker 1>Do you think he will? You know? I think there

0:26:50.000 --> 0:26:51.400
<v Speaker 1>was a bit of a oh, you know, we can't

0:26:51.400 --> 0:26:53.719
<v Speaker 1>have people on more than once or twice, but is

0:26:53.760 --> 0:26:57.000
<v Speaker 1>there anything in plan to have him on the show soon?

0:26:57.280 --> 0:26:59.880
<v Speaker 2>We would love to have the Prime minister on the program.

0:27:00.280 --> 0:27:03.560
<v Speaker 2>We certainly have invited him on in the past. The

0:27:03.600 --> 0:27:07.440
<v Speaker 2>previous formats have seen one on one specials with prime

0:27:07.480 --> 0:27:12.320
<v Speaker 2>ministers and opposition leaders, and we will be extending the

0:27:12.359 --> 0:27:16.320
<v Speaker 2>invitation to the leaders of both parties in order to

0:27:16.359 --> 0:27:18.679
<v Speaker 2>answer the questions from the Australian public.

0:27:18.720 --> 0:27:21.600
<v Speaker 1>Well, I want to know. I spoke with someone from

0:27:21.600 --> 0:27:24.959
<v Speaker 1>the left and someone from the right yesterday, two politicians

0:27:24.960 --> 0:27:27.080
<v Speaker 1>currently in power, and I wanted to ask them what

0:27:27.080 --> 0:27:29.920
<v Speaker 1>they thought of Q and A. And I got these responses.

0:27:29.920 --> 0:27:31.679
<v Speaker 1>And I'm not going to say their names or what party.

0:27:31.760 --> 0:27:34.280
<v Speaker 1>You can guess try and guess which party the first

0:27:34.280 --> 0:27:36.639
<v Speaker 1>one was. The show was great and I watch it

0:27:36.680 --> 0:27:38.879
<v Speaker 1>based on the selection of the panel, and the other

0:27:38.920 --> 0:27:42.280
<v Speaker 1>one was a good quality current affairs program needs to

0:27:42.320 --> 0:27:46.480
<v Speaker 1>be serious, but unfortunately it would only attract a smaller audience.

0:27:46.640 --> 0:27:49.760
<v Speaker 1>These days, Q and A is trying to be sexy,

0:27:50.040 --> 0:27:53.200
<v Speaker 1>which means that it's kind of very unserious. I guess

0:27:53.200 --> 0:27:55.240
<v Speaker 1>there's a bit of a question that without trying to

0:27:55.240 --> 0:27:56.600
<v Speaker 1>get you to a guess if that's a left or

0:27:56.600 --> 0:28:00.360
<v Speaker 1>a right politician, do you think that the show has

0:28:00.400 --> 0:28:02.359
<v Speaker 1>moved away from being more serious?

0:28:02.640 --> 0:28:09.520
<v Speaker 2>If anything, I fearl like our conversations have been too serious.

0:28:09.800 --> 0:28:13.440
<v Speaker 2>We've had a pandemic dominate this show for the better

0:28:13.480 --> 0:28:16.560
<v Speaker 2>part of two years, and you know, there have been

0:28:16.600 --> 0:28:19.520
<v Speaker 2>weeks where we've been desperate to talk about anything else.

0:28:20.440 --> 0:28:23.320
<v Speaker 2>I don't agree with that view. All views are welcome,

0:28:23.800 --> 0:28:26.240
<v Speaker 2>that is the essence of Q and A. But I think,

0:28:26.320 --> 0:28:29.200
<v Speaker 2>you know, looking to our program last night, we had

0:28:29.200 --> 0:28:34.080
<v Speaker 2>some very eminent Australians on who either have made or

0:28:34.160 --> 0:28:39.160
<v Speaker 2>are making very significant social change. So everyone's entitled to

0:28:39.200 --> 0:28:42.239
<v Speaker 2>their view of Q and A. Everyone has one. But

0:28:42.440 --> 0:28:45.320
<v Speaker 2>you know, we'll just continue to do what we do

0:28:45.600 --> 0:28:48.960
<v Speaker 2>and you know, take the audience cues on what they're liking.

0:28:49.000 --> 0:28:53.000
<v Speaker 2>And not liking and just use the platform to have

0:28:53.160 --> 0:28:55.600
<v Speaker 2>conversations that we think Australians want us to have.

0:28:55.760 --> 0:28:57.920
<v Speaker 1>Well, people asking these questions all the time. I can

0:28:58.000 --> 0:28:59.800
<v Speaker 1>imagine you being at the top job. You would get

0:28:59.800 --> 0:29:02.760
<v Speaker 1>you friends and family even sharing their opinions or offering

0:29:03.120 --> 0:29:05.520
<v Speaker 1>what they think. Did you think that the Monday time

0:29:05.560 --> 0:29:08.320
<v Speaker 1>slot was better? I know lots of people felt that

0:29:08.440 --> 0:29:11.120
<v Speaker 1>it was event television and they didn't miss it on

0:29:11.120 --> 0:29:13.320
<v Speaker 1>a Monday night. One of my good friends said that

0:29:13.400 --> 0:29:16.760
<v Speaker 1>they would move things around to be there to watch it,

0:29:16.960 --> 0:29:20.240
<v Speaker 1>and that the move maybe to a Thursday timeslot they

0:29:20.280 --> 0:29:23.160
<v Speaker 1>felt was almost burying it in a way. What do

0:29:23.240 --> 0:29:25.040
<v Speaker 1>you say when friends and family come up and ask

0:29:25.080 --> 0:29:26.240
<v Speaker 1>you those sorts of questions.

0:29:26.360 --> 0:29:28.880
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, look, I get a lot of questions about the timeslot,

0:29:28.920 --> 0:29:32.600
<v Speaker 2>and look, I can understand Monday night became a habit

0:29:32.680 --> 0:29:35.960
<v Speaker 2>for people. But the reality of it is our numbers

0:29:36.000 --> 0:29:39.200
<v Speaker 2>were declining in the Monday night time slot and we

0:29:39.200 --> 0:29:42.520
<v Speaker 2>were on air, you know, nine thirty five, sometimes nine

0:29:42.480 --> 0:29:46.640
<v Speaker 2>p forty, depending on how our neighbors in the schedule

0:29:46.640 --> 0:29:49.479
<v Speaker 2>were running for time. So we were getting on air

0:29:49.560 --> 0:29:53.160
<v Speaker 2>some nights at twenty to ten, and the audience habits

0:29:53.480 --> 0:29:57.800
<v Speaker 2>are now so that that is the absolute peak of streaming.

0:29:58.000 --> 0:30:01.320
<v Speaker 2>You know, people are streaming their favorit content by that hour.

0:30:01.400 --> 0:30:04.120
<v Speaker 2>There's not you just only have to watch on any

0:30:04.200 --> 0:30:07.320
<v Speaker 2>night of the week. The audience declines the later into

0:30:07.360 --> 0:30:10.320
<v Speaker 2>the night. So when the ABC presented us with the

0:30:10.360 --> 0:30:14.800
<v Speaker 2>opportunity to grab a primetime slot of eight point thirty,

0:30:15.240 --> 0:30:18.440
<v Speaker 2>we jumped at it. And I think that the combination

0:30:18.640 --> 0:30:22.640
<v Speaker 2>of Foreign Correspondent and Q and A is a really

0:30:22.800 --> 0:30:27.000
<v Speaker 2>solid new offering for the ABC. It's a whole second

0:30:27.080 --> 0:30:30.200
<v Speaker 2>night of current affairs, you know. I think the pandemic

0:30:30.480 --> 0:30:35.240
<v Speaker 2>also has kind of thrown out the patterns of typical

0:30:35.280 --> 0:30:39.280
<v Speaker 2>audience behavior. I think in twenty twenty we all benefited

0:30:39.320 --> 0:30:44.040
<v Speaker 2>from this huge thirst for knowledge and information. People just

0:30:44.080 --> 0:30:46.840
<v Speaker 2>wanted to know what was going on, and by twenty

0:30:46.840 --> 0:30:49.080
<v Speaker 2>twenty one, people didn't want to hear about it anymore.

0:30:49.520 --> 0:30:52.560
<v Speaker 2>So we all sort of all programs really experienced a

0:30:52.560 --> 0:30:54.840
<v Speaker 2>bit of a drop off. So we've lived through some

0:30:55.040 --> 0:30:58.520
<v Speaker 2>unusual times, and no doubt the time slot change has

0:30:58.560 --> 0:31:02.840
<v Speaker 2>been big. But we've always said that this is a

0:31:02.880 --> 0:31:06.920
<v Speaker 2>long term strategy, and the reality of it is that

0:31:07.200 --> 0:31:10.360
<v Speaker 2>Monday nights we're getting harder and harder to pull in

0:31:10.400 --> 0:31:11.480
<v Speaker 2>big audiences too.

0:31:11.760 --> 0:31:13.760
<v Speaker 1>Well, I think that's a very amazing answer, to be

0:31:13.760 --> 0:31:15.360
<v Speaker 1>honest with you, I was unsure as to what you're

0:31:15.400 --> 0:31:17.680
<v Speaker 1>going to say about the Monday night times like change.

0:31:18.640 --> 0:31:21.000
<v Speaker 2>I'm happy to talk about it. I think people are

0:31:21.040 --> 0:31:23.080
<v Speaker 2>still getting used to it, you know, and I think

0:31:23.120 --> 0:31:26.080
<v Speaker 2>these things take time, and it amazed me, you know,

0:31:26.160 --> 0:31:29.240
<v Speaker 2>the commentary five weeks into the change that are we

0:31:29.360 --> 0:31:32.960
<v Speaker 2>changing back to Monday night audience have its take time,

0:31:33.160 --> 0:31:36.240
<v Speaker 2>and of course we want people to be watching. We

0:31:36.280 --> 0:31:38.440
<v Speaker 2>want as many people to be watching as possible. But

0:31:39.040 --> 0:31:41.600
<v Speaker 2>I have to say our iView numbers, you know, are

0:31:41.680 --> 0:31:46.040
<v Speaker 2>up seventy percent on last year, and people consume our

0:31:46.080 --> 0:31:49.080
<v Speaker 2>conversations and our content in all different ways. You know.

0:31:49.160 --> 0:31:52.880
<v Speaker 2>We release highlights and you know, kind of bite sized

0:31:52.880 --> 0:31:54.640
<v Speaker 2>clips of the show the next day, and a lot

0:31:54.640 --> 0:31:57.320
<v Speaker 2>of people catch up on our content that way. Any

0:31:57.360 --> 0:32:01.160
<v Speaker 2>show these days is bigger than just it's broadcast audience.

0:32:01.560 --> 0:32:03.840
<v Speaker 2>And one of the things I think that Q and

0:32:03.880 --> 0:32:07.680
<v Speaker 2>A has not lost in all its years is the

0:32:07.720 --> 0:32:10.520
<v Speaker 2>impact that it makes with the conversations that it has.

0:32:10.880 --> 0:32:13.960
<v Speaker 1>Do you think that a particular government in power at

0:32:13.960 --> 0:32:17.160
<v Speaker 1>the time would have anything to do with how the

0:32:17.200 --> 0:32:20.000
<v Speaker 1>show is produced, Like, do you ever worry, Okay, well,

0:32:20.120 --> 0:32:23.560
<v Speaker 1>ABC's government funded organization. We have to swing a certain

0:32:23.600 --> 0:32:25.560
<v Speaker 1>way or we have to be careful in a certain way.

0:32:25.600 --> 0:32:27.000
<v Speaker 1>Does that ever become a factor.

0:32:27.400 --> 0:32:27.520
<v Speaker 6>No.

0:32:27.640 --> 0:32:30.360
<v Speaker 2>I think it's our job not to be influenced by

0:32:30.760 --> 0:32:36.840
<v Speaker 2>any government of any party. That's the job of any program, host, producer,

0:32:36.960 --> 0:32:41.440
<v Speaker 2>journalist at the ABC. Our independence underpins everything we do,

0:32:42.000 --> 0:32:44.920
<v Speaker 2>so you know we fiercely guard it with everything we have.

0:32:45.280 --> 0:32:47.160
<v Speaker 1>Well, my last question to ask you on the podcast,

0:32:47.160 --> 0:32:49.600
<v Speaker 1>which is something I ask every single person who joins,

0:32:49.600 --> 0:32:51.640
<v Speaker 1>and that is, you know, what is something from behind

0:32:51.640 --> 0:32:53.920
<v Speaker 1>the scenes that we're as an audience did not see

0:32:54.240 --> 0:32:57.640
<v Speaker 1>but we might appreciate about hearing from the makings of

0:32:57.880 --> 0:32:58.360
<v Speaker 1>Q and a.

0:32:58.760 --> 0:33:04.280
<v Speaker 2>Ooh something from behind the scene. I mean so many things,

0:33:04.480 --> 0:33:08.880
<v Speaker 2>Like we're a live program, so everything you know, you

0:33:09.000 --> 0:33:11.800
<v Speaker 2>see is what you get, but there's so many things

0:33:11.920 --> 0:33:15.840
<v Speaker 2>behind the scenes. I mean, I'm thinking of you know,

0:33:16.200 --> 0:33:20.480
<v Speaker 2>panelists that have missed flights. I'm thinking of a very

0:33:20.600 --> 0:33:25.440
<v Speaker 2>rainy night in Sydney where traffic was just hell and

0:33:25.600 --> 0:33:29.080
<v Speaker 2>truly I really wondered if our questioners were going to

0:33:29.160 --> 0:33:32.800
<v Speaker 2>make it on time. That was particularly you know, there's

0:33:32.920 --> 0:33:35.080
<v Speaker 2>there's a part before the show where I go out

0:33:35.120 --> 0:33:40.000
<v Speaker 2>and I talk to the audience, and I basically.

0:33:40.080 --> 0:33:43.120
<v Speaker 1>There was no one there, stuck at the traffic in

0:33:43.120 --> 0:33:43.440
<v Speaker 1>the rain.

0:33:43.840 --> 0:33:46.800
<v Speaker 6>I honestly think at that point more than half of

0:33:46.840 --> 0:33:49.760
<v Speaker 6>our questioners weren't in the room at the time when

0:33:49.760 --> 0:33:53.680
<v Speaker 6>the floor manager was handing me the microphone saying it's

0:33:53.800 --> 0:33:55.720
<v Speaker 6>time for you to go out, and one of the

0:33:55.760 --> 0:33:58.880
<v Speaker 6>things I do is I clarify and confirm how to

0:33:58.920 --> 0:34:02.120
<v Speaker 6>pronounce our question names, because it's so important we get

0:34:02.120 --> 0:34:02.560
<v Speaker 6>that right.

0:34:03.280 --> 0:34:07.440
<v Speaker 2>And I looked at him and said, there's no point

0:34:07.480 --> 0:34:10.279
<v Speaker 2>to me doing this. Half the show is not in

0:34:10.360 --> 0:34:14.440
<v Speaker 2>the room. And yeah, honestly, like within the dying minutes

0:34:14.480 --> 0:34:17.600
<v Speaker 2>of the show, they all turned up and somehow it

0:34:17.600 --> 0:34:21.000
<v Speaker 2>all happened. But that was probably the closest call we've had.

0:34:21.360 --> 0:34:23.200
<v Speaker 1>I just want to say thank you so much for

0:34:23.320 --> 0:34:25.800
<v Speaker 1>joining me on this podcast and giving people an insight

0:34:25.840 --> 0:34:30.320
<v Speaker 1>into the makings of one of Australia's best shows on television.

0:34:30.880 --> 0:34:33.359
<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Ben, thank you for watching, and thank you.

0:34:33.400 --> 0:34:35.520
<v Speaker 2>Thank you to your partner for watching. I hope you

0:34:35.600 --> 0:34:36.960
<v Speaker 2>both keep I.

0:34:36.960 --> 0:34:38.560
<v Speaker 1>Don't know if he wants to watch every week. But

0:34:38.840 --> 0:34:41.040
<v Speaker 1>it was so funny because I said to a girlfriend

0:34:41.080 --> 0:34:43.120
<v Speaker 1>of mine, I said, oh, Ben doesn't watch the show,

0:34:43.360 --> 0:34:45.840
<v Speaker 1>and she wrote back, what And she said, Q and A.

0:34:45.960 --> 0:34:47.800
<v Speaker 1>It's poor player me and my partner