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qanda-state.json
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qanda-state.json
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{
"10750334": {
"episode_id": 10750334,
"title": "Goodnight and good luck...",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/goodnight-and-good-luck.../10750334",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665726-16x9-large.jpg?v=3",
"teaser": "Q&A wrapped its debut season with a cracking line up to take your questions. Audiences tuned in to see Australia's longest serving Treasurer and soon-to-be civilian, Peter Costello, Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon, former leader of the Australian Democrats, then a Labor MP and now an academic, Cheryl Kernot, author and journalist, David Marr and former editor of the Op-Ed page of The Australian and a former Liberal adviser, Tom Switzer give us a closing show to remember.",
"time": "2008-10-02T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750326": {
"episode_id": 10750326,
"title": "A penultimate treat from Q&A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/a-penultimate-treat-from-q&a/10750326",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665724-16x9-large.jpg?v=3",
"teaser": "The Parliamentary Liberal Party has chosen a new leader. As Tony Abbott said in a Q&A program, \"...the king is dead, long live the king.",
"time": "2008-09-25T08:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750322": {
"episode_id": 10750322,
"title": "Who needs sandwiches when you have Q&A?",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/who-needs-sandwiches-when-you-have-q&a-providing-food-for-thoug/10750322",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665722-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Q&A feeds your brain this week with a great assortment of guests. Rhodes Scholar with an Oxford Blue in boxing and one of the better performers in the House, Shadow Minister for Families and Indigenous Affairs, Tony Abbott makes a welcome return to the program.",
"time": "2008-09-18T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750318": {
"episode_id": 10750318,
"title": "So many questions, so little time...",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/so-many-questions,-so-little-time.../10750318",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665718-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Taking the stage this week are: Shadow Minister for Defence and leader of the opposition in the Senate, Nick Minchin, the Minister for Housing and Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek, political journalist and author of \"Poll Dancing\" - a satirical look at the 2007 federal election, Mungo MacCallum, the Director of the IP and Free Trade Unit at the Institute of Public Affairs, Tim Wilson and author, essayist and playwright Linda Jaivin.",
"time": "2008-09-11T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750306": {
"episode_id": 10750306,
"title": "Sweet 16 - episodes that is...",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/sweet-16---episodes-that-is.../10750306",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665714-16x9-large.jpg?v=3",
"teaser": "Episode 16 of Q&A features a stellar panel. Labor's rising star and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, Bill Shorten is joined by Shadow Minister for Justice, Christopher Pyne, former leader of the NSW Liberals, Kerry Chikarovski, Crikey.com.au publisher, Eric Beecher and advertising guru from the Gruen Transfer, Jane Caro.",
"time": "2008-09-04T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750294": {
"episode_id": 10750294,
"title": "Q&A Episode 15 - No catchy title, just a great panel",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/q&a-episode-15---no-catchy-title,-just-a-great-panel/10750294",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665712-16x9-large.jpg?v=3",
"teaser": "Another exciting episode of Q&A with author and journalist John Pilger on the program, he was joined by Minister for Small Business, Craig Emerson, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Sharman Stone, Political Editor for the Sydney Morning Herald, Peter Hartcher and Opinion Editor for The Australian, Rebecca Weisser.",
"time": "2008-08-28T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750288": {
"episode_id": 10750288,
"title": "All's fair in love and politics",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/alls-fair-in-love-and-politics/10750288",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665710-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "On Q&A, star graduate of the NSW Labor Left Faction, master strategist and now Minister for Infrastructure, Anthony Albanese and former barrister and current Shadow Attorney General, George Brandis were joined by Blanche D\u2019Alpuget, biographer and wife of former PM, Bob Hawke. They were mixing it up with doctor and author, Cindy Pan and former chief of staff to John Howard, Grahame Morris.",
"time": "2008-08-21T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750282": {
"episode_id": 10750282,
"title": "Writing Politics",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/writing-politics/10750282",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665702-16x9-large.jpg?v=3",
"teaser": "On Q&A this week the writers dominated. The show featured author and academic, Germaine Greer, former NSW premier and author of My Reading Life, Bob Carr, deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop, The Australian newspaper's foreign editor, Greg Sheridan and curator and critic, Marcus Westbury.",
"time": "2008-08-14T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750276": {
"episode_id": 10750276,
"title": "Something for Everyone",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/something-for-everyone/10750276",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665698-16x9-large.jpg?v=3",
"teaser": "This week\u2019s Q&A had something for everyone: Peter Garrett, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts went head to head with the Shadow Minister for Veterans\u2019 Affairs Bronwyn Bishop. Joining them were the Chaser\u2019s Julian Morrow, the Director of the Indigenous Law Centre at UNSW, Megan Davis and a columnist for the Australian, Imre Salusinszky.",
"time": "2008-08-07T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750266": {
"episode_id": 10750266,
"title": "Money and Trees - the green stuff",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/money-and-trees---the-green-stuff/10750266",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665676-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Joining Q&A this week were: the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Penny Wong, Shadow Treasurer, Malcolm Turnbull, scientist and global warming activist, Tim Flannery, businesswoman, Catherine Harris and the Director of the IP and Free Trade Unit at the Institute of Public Affairs, Tim Wilson.",
"time": "2008-07-31T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750262": {
"episode_id": 10750262,
"title": "Welcome to the Senate",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/welcome-to-the-senate/10750262",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665672-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "With the Independent Senator, Nick Xenophon, the National\u2019s Senator Barnaby Joyce and Labor Senator, Mark Arbib, on Q&A this week, we only have one thing to say\u2026welcome the Senate. Joining them were journalist and author of \"Inside Kevin 07\", Christine Jackman, and Chief Executive of the Australian Industry Group, Heather Ridout.",
"time": "2008-07-24T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750206": {
"episode_id": 10750206,
"title": "It takes all types to make the world go round...",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/it-takes-all-types-of-people-to-make-the-world-go-round.../10750206",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665668-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "This week's panel were: well traveled former Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer, Minister for Finance, Lindsay Tanner, author, journalist and critic of the Howard government, David Marr, columnist, Angela Shanahan and rising star of Young Labor, Rose Jackson.",
"time": "2008-07-17T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750256": {
"episode_id": 10750256,
"title": "It's not easy being Green",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/its-not-easy-being-green/10750256",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665664-16x9-large.jpg?v=3",
"teaser": "Environmental apocalypse now or never? Green\u2019s Senator Christine Milne was up against Herald Sun columnist and climate change sceptic Andrew Bolt, with Minister for Small Business Craig Emerson, former Communications Minister Helen Coonan, and author, essayist and playwright Linda Jaivin holding the casting votes.",
"time": "2008-07-10T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750242": {
"episode_id": 10750242,
"title": "Politics and the academy",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/politics-and-the-academy/10750242",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665660-16x9-large.jpg?v=3",
"teaser": "This episode of Q&A saw the Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon and her shadow Joe Hockey go head to head. Joining them were leading Indigenous scholar, Marcia Langton, writer and Assoc.",
"time": "2008-07-03T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750234": {
"episode_id": 10750234,
"title": "The Young Guns",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-young-guns/10750234",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665658-16x9-large.jpg?v=3",
"teaser": "The Young Guns\u2026Two rising stars from the federal parliament, Labor's Bill Shorten and the Liberals' Greg Hunt, joined the Q&A panel this week. Find out how the new generation from each side of the political divide approached the issues of the day.",
"time": "2008-06-26T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750224": {
"episode_id": 10750224,
"title": "Cheryl returns",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/cheryl-returns/10750224",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665652-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Freshly back in Australia, former leader of the Australian Democrats Cheryl Kernot joined Assistant Treasurer Chris Bowen, Shadow Minister for Justice Christopher Pyne, Ashfield Liberal council member Nick Adams, and, television presenter, radio host and comedian Julia Zemiro.",
"time": "2008-06-19T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10751258": {
"episode_id": 10751258,
"title": "Boom shake shake shake the room!",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/boom-shake-shake-shake-the-room!/10751258",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665648-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "The headliners for 12 June, 2008 were the Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon, Senator George Brandis, associate professor Kate Crawford, Liberal MP Pru Goward and the Chaser's Charles Firth.",
"time": "2008-06-12T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750190": {
"episode_id": 10750190,
"title": "Round Three",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/round-three/10750190",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665644-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "The headliners for June 5 were Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke, author and lawyer Randa Abdel-Fattah, founder of Crikey Stephen Mayne and, The Australian newspaper's foreign editor Greg Sheridan.",
"time": "2008-06-05T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750164": {
"episode_id": 10750164,
"title": "Tony, Tanya and Bob",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/tony,-tanya-and-bob/10750164",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665642-16x9-large.jpg?v=3",
"teaser": "Tony Abbott and Tanya Plibersek are back in the boxing ring for Q&A's second episode. Joining them are Bob Brown, Warren Mundine and Louise Adler for their first grilling by the Q&A punters.",
"time": "2008-05-29T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10749348": {
"episode_id": 10749348,
"title": "The Rudd Files",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-rudd-files/10749348",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665638-16x9-large.jpg?v=3",
"teaser": "The Q&A season kicked off on May 22nd with the man in the top job. Kevin Rudd was in the hot seat with our sharp and always on-the-pulse audience including our SMS and online community.",
"time": "2008-05-22T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10750106": {
"episode_id": 10750106,
"title": "Q&A Pilot",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/q&a-pilot/10750106",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10665634-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "For all you digital natives, Q&A streamed live on Thursday 8 May. The set may have been under construction and a cheeky sign where the Q&A logo should have been but the night went off well.",
"time": "2008-05-08T20:30+1000",
"download_url": null,
"size": 0
},
"10663004": {
"episode_id": 10663004,
"title": "That's A Wrap",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/thats-a-wrap/10663004",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663002-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Lobbyist and former Labor minister Graham Richardson; shadow treasurer Joe Hockey; Maxine McKew, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure; journalist David Marr; and Kerry Chikarovski, former NSW Liberal leader. A star-studded panel brought Q&A's 2009 season to an end in spectacular style, with a big studio audience on hand to watch some of the biggest names in politics, past and present, match wits over the issues of the week. There was particular interest in the astute analysis of Graham 'Richo' Richardson, Labor legend, lobbyist and occasional luncher. Once again asylum seekers dominated audience questions. Hamish Dobbs asked whether a recent fall in Labor's opinion-poll stocks was due to the Government's attempts to be both tough and humane, while Lyndon Goddard challenged Joe Hockey to outline the Opposition's policy. Sophie Ryan wondered whether Kevin Rudd, by trying to please both sides in the debate, was making things worse. Laura Ryan changed the topic to the job given by the Government to former Treasurer Peter Costello, and Jamshed Khambatta wondered whether Joe should be Liberal leader. This theme continued with a video question from Frank Chai, of Melbourne, who asked what Richo's advice would be to potential Liberal leaders waiting in the wings. Another video question, from David Everdell in Avalon, NSW, asked whether jockeys should be allowed to whip horses, a contentious issue two days after the Melbourne Cup. Audience member Sunday Gullifer then challenged Richo over a passage in his biography, Whatever It Takes, about the need for politicians to lie on occasions. The last question of the year, from Aravind Krishnan, raised the issue of fear: were Australians fearful of the challenges of the future, and was that fear reflected in the policies of our governments?",
"time": "2009-11-05T22:30+1100",
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"10663008": {
"episode_id": 10663008,
"title": "The Indonesian Non-Solution",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-indonesian-non-solution/10663008",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663006-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Tony Abbott, shadow minister for families and community services; Bill Shorten, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities; satirist and author Jonathon Biggins; social commentator Bettina Arndt; and Catherine Deveny, comedian and columnist with The Age. The wrangling continued - on Q&A and in the public debate - over Sri Lankan Tamils fleeing their homeland by boat for Australia, especially 78 recovered by an Australian ship off Indonesia who were refusing to disembark at an Indonesian port. Tom Robertson accused the Government of trying to walk both sides of the street by saying it was both tough and humane, and suggested the ALP was split over the morality of its asylum policy. Rebecca Weeks commented that Kevin Rudd should use his vast political capital to reframe the debate and remove the fear-mongering, and eight-year-old web questioner Krishne Thayaparan, from Bathurst in NSW, was applauded for pointing out that the national anthem said Australia had 'boundless plains to share' for 'those who've come from across the seas.' Ross Mabbutt said he had worked in Indonesia and there were a number of cultural issues that could make the so-called Indonesian solution unworkable. Catherine Deveny got an opportunity to tell Tony Abbott to get his rosaries off her ovaries when the subject switched to abortion via a video question from Kellie Andrews in Newcastle, NSW, who raised the young Queensland couple facing gaol for procuring a chemical abortion with a prohibited drug. Bill Shorten sent a blunt message to Labor colleagues at State level, saying abortion should be removed from the Crimes Act. A question from Gabrielle Mangos brought occasional combatants Bettina Arndt and Jonathon Biggins together to condemn the authorities who instructed that a sculpture of a nude toddler on the beach at Bondi be covered up with a swimming costume. A video question from deaf blind audience member Michelle Stevens, using sign language, challenged Bill Shorten to do more for the deaf blind community and John Georgopoulos accused Kevin Rudd of being all symbolism and no action on global warming. Finally a web question from WA viewer Ian asked whether people should have three serious relationships in their lives - one for sex, one for children and one for a soul mate. Ian refused to give his last name because his wife might be watching. Tony Abbott, before carefully not answering, observed that his wife might be watching too.",
"time": "2009-10-29T22:30+1100",
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"10663012": {
"episode_id": 10663012,
"title": "John Elliott Returns",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/john-elliott-returns/10663012",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663010-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: John Elliott, businessman and blogger; Craig Emerson, Minister for Small Business; Peter Dutton, Opposition health spokesman; Louise Adler, publisher; and Annabel Crabb, journalist. One of the year's most memorable Q&A episodes, this one was dominated by the wit and good humour of panel members and the passion audience members brought to key topics. With Sri Lankan asylum seekers the most dominant news subject of the week, Chris Andrew questioned the language used by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, in describing them as illegal immigrants. An Australian Tamil, Sara Nathan, asked why the Government was not pressuring Sri Lanka about the treatment of Tamils since the civil war, saying a humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka was causing the refugee influx. The subject changed to local politics with a web question from Rick Samimi, of Sydney, asking former Liberal president John Elliott to compare the current Liberal party with that of 20 years earlier. David Havyatt asked whether the next Liberal PM was yet in the Parliament, while Adrian Miller from Adelaide challenged Peter Dutton, via the web, about his preselection woes in Queensland. Sara Morawetz then challenged all panellists with a question about the souls of politicians, and web questioner Shail Akhil, from Patterson Lakes in Victoria, wondered whether John Elliott could save the nation from namby-pamby politicians. Penny Szenkuti sparked a spirited discussion about Kevin Rudd appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, then Scott Driscoll tackled Craig Emerson about the monopoly position of big supermarket chains. Kit Peters had the last question, asking whether or not it was a good idea to drink alcohol before a public discussion. The MPs said never, Louise Adler said she didn't drink, Annabel suggested someone had put too much sherry in her trifle and John Elliott declined to comment.",
"time": "2009-10-22T22:30+1100",
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"10663016": {
"episode_id": 10663016,
"title": "Alexei Sayle joins Q and A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/alexei-sayle-joins-q-and-a/10663016",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663014-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Alexei Sayle, satirist and comedian; Anthony Albanese, Minister for Infrastructure; Christopher Pyne, Oppostion education spokesman; Nikki Williams, CEO of the NSW Minerals Council; and Deepa Gupta, of the Indian Youth Climate Network. With the domestic debate being dominated by the issue of boat people seeking asylum in Australia, this episode started with video footage of two eloquent Sri Lankan asylum seekers - one a nine-year-old - explaining why they needed to flee their homeland and come to Australia. Audience member Guhan Sabapathy asked why there was so much concentration on boat arrivals, given that most unauthorised immigrants came by plane. Piyush Shah asked whether it was appropriate to use force to stop those refugees Australia could not accommodate, and Manuela Epstein suggested that the Opposition was using the refugee issue to distract attention from its troubles on climate change. The focus then shifted, via a question from Aleksander Vicovich, to the controversial award of the Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama, then Ronny Schnapp directed a question to Alexei Sayle (a leading member of Jews for Justice for Palestine) about his advocacy of a cultural boycott of Israel. The rest of the program was given over to climate change with a question from Aaron Smith, who suggested that trying to clean up the coal industry was like using a bandaid to fix a head wound.",
"time": "2009-10-15T22:30+1100",
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"10663020": {
"episode_id": 10663020,
"title": "Hey Hey It's Racism",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/hey-hey-its-racism/10663020",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663018-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Germaine Greer, author and feminist icon; Labor MP Belinda Neal; Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi; advertising executive Todd Sampson; and conservative columnist for The Australian, Janet Albrechtsen. Is racism alive and well in Australia? That was the opening question from Ivan de Vulder in response to the international furore over a segment on TV show Hey Hey It's Saturday, in which a comedy act imitated the Jackson Five by putting on black-face make-up. A diverse range of reactions from the panel, from audience members and the online community showed just how divisive this issue is. The discussion was intensified when Lakshamanaa Varathan asked why some Australians seemed to be afraid of foreigners, and Todd challenged more conservative members of the panel about prevailing attitudes outside the cities. Elaine Wziontek changed the subject by raising the Liberal leadership question and the attitude of the Opposition to the climate change issue, putting climate-change sceptic Cory Bernardi in the spotlight and prompting vigorous exchanges on the big political issues of the week. The recent problems of Belinda Neal, forced to endure massive publicity about intensely private marital issues, were raised in a video question from ACT viewer Virginia Lindenmayer. Should women in politics be criticised or applauded, she asked, if they chose to 'stand by their man'? Belinda's honesty and strength in confronting this issue on live television will be an enduring Q&A high point. Another video question, from Mary Collier in Brisbane, cheekily asked ad-man Todd to nominate which products he would use Belinda and Germaine to promote. Germaine suggested, in her case, caustic soda. The program ended with a question from Ken Dovey referring to a recent speech by Germaine at Sydney's Festival of Dangerous Ideas, in which she said children had less freedom than slaves and parents were over-protective. How, Ken asked, will children develop a framework for responsible decision making when modern parents are spending less time with them? Good question, good answers.",
"time": "2009-10-08T22:30+1100",
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"10663024": {
"episode_id": 10663024,
"title": "God, Sodomy and the Lash",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/god-sodomy-and-the-lash/10663024",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663022-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Christopher Hitchens, author and radical atheist; Father Frank Brennan, Jesuit intellectual and social activist; Waleed Aly, politics lecturer; Sally Warhaft, author and founding editor of The Monthly; and Anne Henderson, biographer and deputy director of The Sydney Institute. The presence of Christopher Hitchens, the notoriously sharp-tongued commentator and scourge of everything religious, ensured that this turbulent and enthralling episode of Q&A would be largely about God. His book God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything set the tone for a lively and challenging discussion. Ejder Memis made immediate reference to the week's tragic natural disasters in Samoa and Sumatra, asking why God was praised when survivors were found but not blamed for all the other deaths. Others challenged Christopher's attitudes, with Joel Brown asking about the praiseworthy charitable work of churches and Jessica Langrell suggesting he was hypocritical for accusing religious people of being dogmatic and fundamentalist when he exhibited these traits himself. An audience member raised the complex issue of gay marriage and Victorian viewer Joseph Bromely asked, by video, about the ability of religious advocates to affect the course of debates on a wide range of social issues. Heidi Creighton wondered whether an openly atheist politician would ever become leader of a nation like Australia or the United States. William McKenzie shifted the focus to the recent arrest of film director Roman Polanski in Europe for a 30-year-old rape charge involving a 13-year-old girl. Basak Yildiz, referring to fears of Iran becoming a nuclear power, asked why the Islamic country was seen as a threat to peace in the world and Israel was not. This started an intense debate marked by vigorous exchanges between Christopher and other audience members, including Basak. The show ended with a return to the God theme when Pam Collocott observed that many non-believers, when facing death, changed their minds about religion. Was that fear or comfort? Christopher insisted that he would not.",
"time": "2009-10-01T21:30+1000",
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"10663028": {
"episode_id": 10663028,
"title": "Q&A Live from Adelaide",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/qa-live-from-adelaide/10663028",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663026-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Kate Ellis, Minister for Early Childhood Education; former Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer; anthropologist Dr Peter Sutton; former leader of the Australian Democrats, Natasha Stott Despoja; and Megan Lloyd, editor of Adelaide's Sunday Mail newspaper. A vibrant and enthusiastic South Australian audience made this episode of Q&A, the first produced from Adelaide's ABC studios in Collinswood, particularly memorable. Audience member Lindee Nearmy started a spirited discussion from the get-go, raising the issue of a possible double dissolution on the emissions trading legislation. Daryl McCann then asked about the racism debate in the US, where some are suggesting that criticisms of Barack Obama are race-based. Both Alexander Downer and Natasha Stott Despoja then had to contemplate questions from Sam Spurrett and Peter Smith about jobs for former MPs, especially those given plum diplomatic postings, before Robin Cole brought up the difficult issue of indigenous disadvantage and how society might close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The final question, from James McCann, asked about violence in junior sport following an episode in Sydney in which several teenage rugby league players were banned for up to 20 years after players from another team were assaulted in a local grand final which the victims won.",
"time": "2009-09-24T21:30+1000",
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"10663032": {
"episode_id": 10663032,
"title": "The History Wars",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-history-wars/10663032",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663030-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Housing and the Status of Women; shadow treasurer Joe Hockey; author Thomas Keneally; lawyer and academic Larissa Behrendt; and John Roskam, Executive Director of the Institute for Public Affairs. With the news bulletins dominated by the issue of a convicted paedophile being housed in a Sydney suburb, many viewers were keen to explore this topic. Jason Fraser asked whether politicians had grounds to defy popular opinion and the 'mob' element, while Cynthia Fernandez-Roich suggested such offenders should be castrated upon their release from gaol. The subject moved to Tom Keneally's new history of Australia, with Matt Esterman asking how the author's personal experiences shaped his view of the past. Felipe Serra-Martins asked about political correctness and the history wars, and Adam Gascoigne-Cohen brought up the debauchery of early settlement. To illustrate the point Tom read a passage from his book about 'the founding orgy' on the night when female convicts first came ashore. Frances Peters Little pointed out that many students were 'vehemently negative' about Australian history, especially indigenous history. This led to a video question from a female viewer, Ganygulpa, in Arnhem Land, on teaching Aboriginal children in their native languages as well as English. The program ended with another video question, from Sydney viewer Rob Pickavance, about the declining quality of behaviour shown by MPs in Question Time.",
"time": "2009-09-17T21:30+1000",
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"10663036": {
"episode_id": 10663036,
"title": "Women, War, Sex and Kevin Rudd",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/women-war-sex-and-kevin-rudd/10663036",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663034-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: former WA Premier Geoff Gallop; social commentator Melinda Tankard Reist; author and teacher John Marsden; the shadow minister for early childhood education, Sophie Mirabella; comedian and satirist Anthony Ackroyd. Issues involving women and girls dominated this engaging, thought-provoking episode of Q&A. Jaye Williamson set the tone from the beginning with a question on the controversial topic of allowing women to take front-line combat positions in the armed forces, and Katina Zammit brought up the teenage warrior character from John Marsden's Tomorrow books, Ellie. This struck a chord with many audience members and viewers at home, and a lively discussion led to a question from Angus Lawson about whether a 16-year-old girl should be allowed to attempt a solo round-the-world yacht trip - an issue that divided male and female panel members. A video question from Ashley Leahy, in Melbourne, continued the focus on John's Tomorrow series, asking him to identify the nationality of the mysterious invaders in the books. He declined but the issue sparked lively exchanges in the audience and on the web about race, national identity and nationalism. But the next issue - the sexualisation of girls and the rise of raunch - really galvanised the studio audience and viewers. Christine Winter complained about the adult-style clothing fashions for children and their depiction in the media, saying it was almost impossible for parents to prevent the sexualisation of young girls when such fashions were so prevalent. Lyndall Judd asked about the contradictions raised by females using their sex appeal to give them a sense of power but also seeking equality through individual merit. Many audience members participated in a passionate and wide-ranging discussion. The show ended with a video question from Clinton McGregor in Brisbane, who asked Anthony Ackroyd about his eerily accurate impersonation of Kevin Rudd. Anthony seized the opportunity to slip into his PM persona, to the delight of the audience and viewers around the country.",
"time": "2009-09-10T21:30+1000",
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"10663040": {
"episode_id": 10663040,
"title": "Sex and Politics",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/sex-and-politics/10663040",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663038-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Tony Burke, Minister for Agriculture; Bill Heffernan, Liberal Senator; Helen Liddell, British High Commissioner; Anne Summers, author and feminist; Tim Wilson, director, Institute of Public Affairs. The news that senior NSW Minister John Della Bosca had resigned after revelations of an extra-marital affair was a major topic of interest for Q&A viewers. Anny Friis asked about salacious reporting of the issue, while Kristian Quinan queried why people were defending a man who had deceived his family and friends. Rick Samimi suggested Australia was following the American path of destroying the careers of politicians over matters that were essentially private. A web question from a Victorian viewer named Marnie asked, on the subject of inappropriate behaviour by MPs, whether Queensland Premier Anna Bligh should have gone on the cooking program Celebrity Master Chef. A video question from Sandy Biddulph, a farmer from Cootamundra in NSW, raised the issue of applying the emissions trading scheme to agriculture, sparking an intense discussion on climate change that included an audience member calling on others to join a blockade of a coal mine near Wollongong. Audience member Sneha Balakrishnan and viewer Kyeno Peel, via email from Bungendore in NSW, then called Bill Heffernan to account over his remarks about High Court Judge Michael Kirby and Julia Gillard's childless status. Bill acknowledged he had been out of line and said he had walked around for a week with a bag over his head after the comments concerning Julia. A video question from Broome Shire councillor Chris Maher, shot on the spectacular Kimberley coastline, raised the issue of resource development and the danger it posed to pristine wilderness areas. Nick Smith brought up recommendations in a report that cigarettes and alcohol should be taxed more to improve the health of Australians while Felipe Martins, noting that the tenth anniversary of the republic referendum was approaching, asked whether a republic was inevitable. The show closed with a web question from Sydney viewer Grant Lockley, who asked Helen Liddell when the British Government was going to apologise for deporting the convicts and when their descendants were going to be repatriated.",
"time": "2009-09-03T21:30+1000",
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"10663044": {
"episode_id": 10663044,
"title": "live from the Melbourne Writers Festival",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/live-from-the-melbourne-writers-festival/10663044",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663042-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Lindsay Tanner, Minister for Finance; Tony Abbott, shadow minister for families and community services; Australian authors Richard Flanagan and Tara June Winch; and Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie. This special episode of Q&A was produced live from the BMW Edge theatre in Melbourne's Federation Square complex as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. A bumper audience of enthusiastic Victorians enjoyed a varied and uplifting program featuring a panel containing three top-level novelists and two author-politicians. Libby Taylor asked the novelists to nominate what books they thought the politicians should read and Paul Kinna asked if politicians had ever written a worthwhile book. Cameron Chu, via video from NSW, cheekily asked Tony Abbott why his daughter had described him as a 'lame, gay, churchy loser?' Emma Field asked the panel about the official and unofficial views of a nation's history and Mark Tyndall further explored the issue of national identity by asking whether Australians shied away from being implicated in the brutality of their colonial past. Chris Galtieri, referring to themes in the works of the authors, asked about the impact of Western civilisation on Aboriginal society and culture, and Don Anderson shifted the focus to Afghanistan. Referring specifically to Lindsay Tanner, he asked how a morally concerned politician dealt with the knowledge that young Australians were sent overseas to kill innocent Third World people. Lisa Aspland raised the issue of contentious cartoons depicting Mohammed being excluded, for reasons of censorship, from a collection of 'Cartoons That Shook the World.' The program ended with Susan Webster bringing up the hot potato of protectionism for Australian authors, asking what was so distinctive about Australian authors that justified this treatment.",
"time": "2009-08-27T21:30+1000",
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"10663048": {
"episode_id": 10663048,
"title": "Back to Balibo",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/back-to-balibo/10663048",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663046-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Maxine McKew, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; Tony Smith, shadow assistant treasurer; Candy Bowers, hip-hop artist; Felicity Hampel, Victorian County Court judge; Anthony LaPaglia, actor and film producer. The late inclusion of internationally renowned actor Anthony LaPaglia on the panel made it inevitable that his latest film, Balibo, the story of the Australian-based journalists killed during Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975, would dominate this episode of Q&A. Questions from Merav Bloch, Ron Ao and Adrian Wong probed such issues as fact and fiction in historical films, who was to blame for the deaths and what might be done now to help East Timor as an independent but impoverished nation. The discussion then switched to the fortieth anniversary of the Woodstock concert, with Rob Grosche suggesting the Woodstock generation were irrelevant hypocrites for, among other things, not ending poverty. Dominic Mueller asked Candy whether the hip-hop generation were more angry but just as rebellious as 60s youth. Melissa Harris raised the issue of whether popular music could have a transformative effect on public opinion and Dave Surplice asked Candy about male chauvinism in rap culture. Brynn O'Brien encapsulated the concerns of many viewers by asking about the election in Afghanistan and the Australian army's role in a country which recently changed its laws to effectively permit rape in marriage. The show ended with a web question from Marie Fox, of NSW, who also encapsulated the concerns of many viewers by asking why Anthony LaPaglia had a mohawk haircut. He replied he was a member of the Taliban.",
"time": "2009-08-20T21:30+1000",
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"10663052": {
"episode_id": 10663052,
"title": "The more things change...",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-more-things-change/10663052",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663050-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Craig Emerson, Minister for Small Business; Christopher Pyne, shadow education minister; Piers Akerman, columnist, The Daily Telegraph; Indira Naidoo, climate consultant; Sharan Burrow, president, Australian Council of Trade Unions. On the day when the Government's contentious emissions trading proposals were voted down by the Opposition and minor parties in the Senate, it was inevitable that climate change issues would dominate this episode of Q&A. As it turned out there was very little apart from the ETS that the audience, either in the studio or on-line, wanted to talk about. Stefanie Menezes queried why the Government had linked its ETS Bill to another on renewable energy, a point emphasised via video when Adelaide solar panel retailer Adrian Ferraretto said the renewables sector would collapse if the legislation was not passed. The politics surrounding climate change came up when Leith Salem raised the issue of a possible double dissolution, and Michael Ashley queried why Piers and other right-wing commentators opposed the science suggesting human behaviour was causing global warming. A web question from Karen Dennis, of South Australia, raised concerns about agriculture being included in a future ETS scheme and Queensland farmer Avriel Tyson, via video, called for a moratorium on coal mining which was destroying the rural environment. Chris Andrew then brought up the matter of the one-fingered salute delivered by Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan to Climate Minister Penny Wong during the Senate ETS debate, but audience members almost immediately returned to the issue of climate change. Bennett Sheldon and Kieran Morris raised questions concerning China, Stern Hu and human rights before Craig Bennett closed the program by asking Christopher whether he would consider becoming Liberal leader. Christopher replied he was happy being the Member for Sturt.",
"time": "2009-08-13T21:30+1000",
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"10663056": {
"episode_id": 10663056,
"title": "The Youth Show",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-youth-show/10663056",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663054-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister; Malcolm Turnbull, Leader of the Opposition; Mitch Grady, Young Liberal; Sara Haghdoosti, student activist; Linden Brownley, law student and indigenous advocate. This was a special episode of Q&A in which the leaders of the present discussed the issues of the day with the leaders of tomorrow. The entire audience and three of the panel members were in the 16-25 age bracket, and together they showed just how engaged, passionate and articulate young Australians can be. The show opened with the issue of lowering the voting age to 16, with Rochelle Rennie suggesting it was a bad idea and James Higgins, via video from the NSW Central Coast, calling it a dramatic improvement to our democracy. The panellists, with the exception of Sara, sided with Rochelle. Laurence Wainwright then asked about greatness in leadership. Linden, who had been invited to the Barack Obama inauguration, suggested the key was an understanding of society's grass roots coupled with integrity. The political issue of the moment - Malcolm's difficulties with the so-called Utegate scandal - came up via audience member Lauren Spring, a web question from Adam Abdool and a lot of enthusiastic participation from audience members. Julia said the incident raised questions about Malcolm's character as a leader while Malcolm said there were more important issues to concentrate on. Mitch, and a significant section of the audience, agreed. More vigorous audience participation followed when the discussion moved to education, with Julia as Education Minister being challenged on such things as the youth allowance (via video from Amy Sinclair in the ACT) and the education revolution, raised by audience member Jono Leonard. A question from Shariq Nabi about the need to help refugee students integrate into the Australian lifestyle ended a fascinating edition of Q&A. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or .",
"time": "2009-08-06T21:25+1000",
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"10663060": {
"episode_id": 10663060,
"title": "Queensland rising",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/queensland-rising/10663060",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663058-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Anna Bligh, Premier of Queensland; Senator George Brandis, shadow attorney-general; David Penberthy, editor, The Punch; Tania Major, Cape York indigenous activist; Simon Sheikh, executive director, GetUp!. With three prominent Queenslanders on the panel - Anna Bligh, George Brandis and Tania Major - it was always likely that issues from the Sunshine State would dominate this edition of Q&A. Recent controversies over corruption generated many questions, and Jeremy Kinross opened the program by asking whether the stench of corruption could ever be removed from Queensland politics. Anna insisted that while there would be individuals anywhere who would engage in corrupt practices, the systemic corruption of the Bjelke-Petersen era had been eradicated. George said cronyism and similar practices always arose when one party was in power for an extended period as Labor had been in Queensland. Audience member Rob Grosche then raised the issue of undisclosed political donations and engaged in an extended argument with George on this topic. Lizzie Watt raised another Queensland issue - the wild rivers legislation that has angered Cape Aboriginal communities by limiting commercial activity near rivers in the region. This sparked a long and passionate exchange between Tania (who is campaigning against the legislation) and Anna. But after a lot of disagreement there was a complete change when Joshua Groves asked about a radio scandal in which a 14-year-old girl was attached to a lie detector on air, questioned by her mother about her sex life and announced she had been raped at age 12. The panel voiced unanimous condemnation - of the announcers involved, the radio station management and the girl's mother. The program ended with a video question from Jesse Richardson in Queensland who raised a contentious court case involving a 19-year-old woman who is to be prosecuted after using an illegally imported drug to induce a miscarriage. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-07-30T21:30+1000",
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"10663064": {
"episode_id": 10663064,
"title": "Back in Town",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/back-in-town/10663064",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663062-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Nicola Roxon, Minister for Health and Ageing; Nick Minchin, shadow minister for communications; Dr Charlie Teo, neurosurgeon; Julian Morrow, The Chaser; Jessica Brown, policy analyst, Centre for Independent Studies. After a seven-week break Q&A returned to the nation's television screens in style, with a compelling and engaging program that covered a broad range of the issues that Australians care about. With Health Minister Nicola Roxon and famed neurosurgeon Charlie Teo on the panel it was inevitable that health and medical issues would be prominent, and viewers sent in questions on everything from national funding issues to their own medical complaints. In the audience a Sydney surgeon, Dr Allan Forrest, asked the central question: why hasn't the Federal Government taken over the running of public hospitals from the States? A number of other audience members had similar concerns and Christopher Michaelides wondered whether the problem was not who runs the system but the challenges of chronic disease and an ageing population. While Nick reminded viewers that Labor had promised to take over the hospital system if it did not improve, Nicola said the issues involved were vast and it was too early for her to announce the Government's intentions on Q&A. The health theme continued after a fashion when attention switched to The Chaser's controversial 'Make a Realistic Wish Foundation' skit, which was set in a children's hospital ward. Video questioner Cameron Chu asked whether the comedy team would now reconsider which groups would be the targets of satire (No, said Julian), while David Maywald and Jeanette Walsh asked about the limits of satire and the point at which comedy became offensive. Julian acknowledged that the segment had been a failure of craft but defended the Chaser team's right to continue making edgy and confronting comedy. Political battle was joined over the contentious issue of the emissions trading scheme, with David Gill wanting to know what the coalition's policy was and whether Labor had a mandate on this issue. After a series of vigorous exchanges with Nicola and several audience members, Nick said there was no doubt (despite recent suggestions to the contrary by Malcolm Turnbull) that the coalition would vote against the Government's package when Parliament resumed in August. A web question from Victorian viewer Megan Grant reflected the concerns of many viewers by raising the issue of home births and the impending removal of midwife services by government legislation. The show ended with Tatiana Ratcu asking a philosophical question: are geniuses born or made? Charlie Teo, as a brain surgeon, said it was hard to know how brain function was linked to intelligence. He noted that even when a large part of the brain was removed in surgery, for many patients it made no difference. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon. Graph With Health Minister Nicola Roxon and Neurosurgeon Charlie Teo on the show this week, viewers all around Australia asked a range of health related questions: what should we do about our hospitals? Are we paying too much for medicine? What should be done with Medicare? Is the health system too bureaucratic? And what about the government's election promise to take over our State run hospitals? Also of interest to viewers was the government's proposed changes to Home Birthing policy. Climate change and particularly the ETS took prevalence with questioners. Julian Morrow's recent \"Make A Wish Foundation\" skit generated a lot of media controversy and also sparked numerous questions about the role of satire in modern society on Q&A. And finally, employment, the internet filter and the NBN were also on the viewers' agenda. Please note, to collate this graph we have counted only the questions submitted by the audience via sms and the web during the program.",
"time": "2009-07-23T21:30+1000",
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"10663068": {
"episode_id": 10663068,
"title": "And That's Half-Time",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/and-thats-half-time/10663068",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663066-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Kate Ellis, Minister for Youth and Sport; Brendan Nelson, former Opposition Leader; William McInnes, actor and author; Miriam Lyons, Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Development; Peter Holmes a Court, businessman and co-owner of the South Sydney Football Club. This was the final Q&A before the show takes a mid-year break, returning on July 23. A big, vibrant audience gathered in the Sydney studio to watch a star-studded panel dissect the issues of the week. Foremost amongst those issues was racism: comments by former Telstra boss Sol Trujillo (routinely parodied as a cartoon Mexican) that Australia was a racist and backward country; racial abuse of a Pacific Islander rugby league player by the captain of the Cronulla Sharks; and the use of the word 'wog' by a young woman, Clare Werbeloff, who jumped in front of a TV camera to colourfully describe a Kings Cross shooting she hadn't actually seen. Audience member Patrick Jordan asked what these events told us about where we were heading as a nation, while Tom Payten asked what message was sent when the Cronulla player fined for racial abuse was still in contention for next week's state-of-origin match. Helen Milan concentrated on the Clare Werbeloff story, asking whether glamourising 'racist bogans' encouraged others to behave in the same way, while Michael Hogan took a different tack. Noting that Ms Werbeloff had been criticised for trivialising a serious incident to get on television, he asked whether the same standards should be applied to the Prime Minister for a media strategy of construction-site visits in hard hats and props in Parliament. With the discussion now firmly fixed on the contemporary political scene, Samantha Winter made a reference to William's leading role in Sea Change where he successfully 'got the girl.' What advice could you give Brendan, she asked, on how the Opposition might successfully woo the electorate? William suggested fake tan and 'sucking in the gut.' The program ended with a discussion on climate change politics after Paul Kearney asked whether the failure to implement a climate change package reflected a failure of the political culture in Australia, and Rob Horler from Albany in WA asked via the web about the prospect of a double dissolution over emissions trading legislation. Graph Is Australia a racist country? This question took centre stage on viewers' minds this week. This was prompted by the racial abuse of a Pacific Islander rugby league player by the captain of the Cronulla Sharks; and the use of the word 'wog' by a young woman, Clare Werbeloff, who jumped in front of a TV camera to colourfully describe a Kings Cross shooting she hadn't actually seen. People asked: Is there a lack of respect in our society? Or, are we just too sensitive? The government's policies were also of interest to viewers. Questions ranged from government spending and debt to the effectiveness of this year's budget; from infrastructure building to refugees and asylum seekers. And, what role does democracy play in the government's decision making? Viewers also asked questions related to climate change. People wanted to know the future of solar power and carbon emissions. And, should we focus on producing clean water and electricity? Why not create jobs by investing in green technologies? People also asked questions about small businesses, education and health. Please note, to collate this graph we have counted only the questions submitted by the audience via sms and the web during the program.",
"time": "2009-05-28T21:30+1000",
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"10663072": {
"episode_id": 10663072,
"title": "Beyond Spin",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/beyond-spin/10663072",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663070-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Penny Wong, Minister for Climate Change; Tony Abbott, shadow minister for community services; Bob Ellis, author and political commentator; Sue Cato, public relations consultant; Wendy Machin, NRMA President and former National Party MP. The Q&A audience is constantly asking politicians on the panel to deliver more than the standard party line on whatever issues are being discussed, so it was appropriate that this week - as Q&A marked its first anniversary - the issue of spin versus truth was high on the agenda. During the week the Government had seemed repeatedly unwilling to mention the dollar value of the debt outlined in last week's Budget, a fact that did not go unnoticed by viewers and audience members. Isaac Levido noted that key words and phrases were often road tested these days by focus groups, and suggested this process diminished the quality of information we received. With leading spin doctor Sue Cato on the panel, John Dale wanted to know whether 'spin' could be defined as an intention to evade the truth. 'Come on politicians!' he demanded. 'How does that serve the public interest?' With the spotlight on the media, the topic shifted to the sex scandals engulfing the National Rugby League. Sophie Ryan asked whether football celebrity Matthew Johns had been convicted in a trial by media, and whether this was an effective use of the media's power. Joseph Power then directed a question to Tony Abbott, as both a legislator and a Catholic, on whether group sex should be criminalised. Tony prefaced his answer by stressing he was speaking from a position of great ignorance. Digby Hughes raised recent controversies over the system of allowances for MPs, asking whether voters should trust their politicians. Then the subject shifted to climate change, with Abigale Jabines, a Filipina, suggesting Australia was sending the wrong signals to the rest of the world by exporting so much coal and was a charlatan on the issue of climate change. Several audience members joined the discussion and the program ended with a video question from Carol Seiffhart, from Pymble in Sydney, asking about a fully sustainable experimental city being built in te United Arab Emirates. Why, she asked, was Australia not at the forefront on this issue? You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-05-21T21:30+1000",
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"10663076": {
"episode_id": 10663076,
"title": "Budget Special from Canberra",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/budget-special-from-canberra/10663076",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663074-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Lindsay Tanner, Minister for Finance; Joe Hockey, shadow treasurer; Misha Schubert, political correspondent for The Age; Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, director of Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art; Geoff Cousins, author and business man. For the second time this year Q&A hit the road, going to Canberra to produce a special Budget edition. An overflow audience in the splendid setting of the National Museum of Australia enjoyed a feisty, vibrant discussion centred on the overriding political issue of our times: how Australia will cope with the global financial crisis and which political party is best able to tackle it. The questions started with Emily Bernardi, who asked whether the Government would be haunted in the future by using the term 'temporary' to describe the Budget deficit. Simon Hukin turned the issue back on the Opposition, asking whether it was scare-mongering on the issue of debt. The political exchanges continued when Paul Stamatellis asked what spending cuts the Opposition would make to reduce the deficit, and viewer Sophie in WA asked via SMS who would win if a double dissolution election was called. Jamie Nichols maintained this theme, saying his family had lost a number of benefits in the Budget and accusing the Government of breaking an election promise over the private health care rebate. A video question from Mathew Iredale, aged 17, asked about the debt that future generations would have to deal with, a theme pursued by audience member Andrew Heath. Several audience members then made a range of points about the Budget and how it affected them before another video questioner, Anthony Urbanski, raised the vexed issue of changes to superannuation and the pension. Anne Cahill Lambert, who suffers from a terminal lung disease, provided a moving Q&A moment by asking about the provision of oxygen for people like herself and brought the house down by pointing out that she had used her stimulus payment to buy the beautiful red jacket she was wearing. The show ended with Karen Fitzgerald asking whether a drastic circuit breaker - something like World War II, for example - would be needed to get over the international recession. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-05-14T21:30+1000",
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"10663080": {
"episode_id": 10663080,
"title": "Taxes, Torture and the Taliban",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/taxes-torture-and-the-taliban/10663080",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663078-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Senator Mark Arbib, Parliamentary Secretary for Government Service Delivery; Sharman Stone, shadow immigration minister; Greg Sheridan, Foreign Editor, The Australian; Guy Rundle, author and Crikey.com.au blogger; Randa Abdel-Fattah, author and lawyer. The looming federal budget meant that issues relating to taxes, stimulus packages and the state of the economy were high on the list of audience priorities. Nicholas Esdaile-Watts referred to that day's surprise news of a big jump in employment numbers, asking whether confidence was returning and the economy was starting to recover. John Camino suggested that government spending could not achieve a stimulus without creating economic pain. Is it time, he asked, to put Keynes to bed? After a wide-ranging discussion that included audience questions about student poverty during the recession, the subject changed to torture. Jinho Choi raised the possibility of prosecution for US officials involved in torture during the Bush administration, while Emily Heath asked whether the Howard government was also morally complicit in illicit actions that occurred at Guantanamo Bay. Thomas Greenhalgh raised the difficult issue of the growing power of the Taliban in nuclear-armed Pakistan, and asked whether it was in Australia's interest to prevent the Pakistan Government from failing. A video question from Yasmin Zarebski, from Castle Hill in Sydney, maintained the Taliban focus by asking about the oppression of women in Muslim countries. After a question from Maha Istanbouly about peace in the Middle East, and critics of Israel being cast as anti-Semites, the Israel-Palestine conflict sparked a passionate discussion that was still raging when time ran out and the show had to end. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-05-07T21:35+1000",
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"10663084": {
"episode_id": 10663084,
"title": "green and everything in between",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/green-and-everything-in-between/10663084",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663082-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Peter Garrett, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts; Barnaby Joyce, National Party Senate Leader; Sarah Hanson-Young, South Australian Greens Senator; Pru Goward, NSW Liberal MP; Wesley Enoch, theatre director and playwright. With the spread of swine flu threatening to reach pandemic proportions around the world, many audience members were keen to hear the panel's views on this issue. Hanna Marton asked whether there was any reason to panic about swine flu seeing 3000 Australians died from normal flu strains each year, a view which panel members generally did not share. It was, they agreed, better to be overly cautious than run the risk of thousands of deaths. On another subject, Paul Johanson asked why Australia could not just get on with being a republic - a key recommendation from the 2020 summit and a Labor election promise. Emily Bek asked whether, in 20 years, the Prime Minister would be asked to apologise to indigenous people for the Northern Territory intervention. This led to a web question from Duane Preston in the Northern Territory, who prompted some introspection among panel members by asking why the music of acclaimed Arnhem Land musician Gurrumul Yunupingu had made such an impact on Australia. A remarkable video question followed from Sydney resident Marcel Leneham, who 'signed' his question to the panel with sub-titles: How do we balance theatrical productions' aim to make money with ensuring performing arts are relevant and accessible to people with disabilities? The focus then shifted to the environment, and the program ended with a spirited discussion on global warming, the Antarctic ice melt and Australia's reliance on coal. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-04-30T21:30+1000",
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"10663088": {
"episode_id": 10663088,
"title": "P.J. O'Rourke on Q and A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/pj-orourke-on-q-and-a/10663088",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663086-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: PJ O'Rourke, author and political satirist; Craig Emerson, Minister for Small Business; Julie Bishop, Deputy Opposition Leader; David Marr, journalist and author; Cindy Pan, doctor and columnist. The presence of PJ O'Rourke, America's foremost satirist and right-wing commentator, guaranteed that this would be a lively and often very funny episode of Q&A. It also guaranteed that issues involving the state of the world's economy and the role of government would be prominent. Audience member Phil Yeung set the ball rolling by asking how long it would take the 'Masters of the Universe' (high-rolling Wall Street speculators) to regain their hubris after the market crash. Following a lengthy discussion on the global financial crisis and the psychology of greed another audience member, Richard Davey, remarked that PJ often said the governments should 'get out of the way'. But what, he asked, was the role of government in a civilised society? An email questioner, Joanna Mendelssohn of NSW, picked up on a remark from PJ about the need for the rule of law to be consistent whether it was good or bad. Joanna pointed out that the Taliban was consistent, so how did they rate? The discussion moved to the hot political issue of asylum seekers. Joe Duncan asked whether Australia had a moral obligation to protect people fleeing corrupt regimes, while other audience members took a contrary view. Video questioner Louise O'Hara asked whether victims of a boat explosion being treated in Australian hospitals would now find it easier to be granted immigration access. In the political dispute that followed PJ surprised many by saying Australia was missing out on good Australian citizens by turning people away and that opening borders meant 'you don't have people smugglers'. Conservatives, he said, were getting this wrong all over the world. Two audience members, Troy Wilkie and Leah Thomson, then made reference to PJ's recent cancer scare by asking about how the prospect of death changed perspectives and the importance of remaining positive. Robyn Dalziel asked about 'left-leaning hippie baby boomers' who adopted conservatism later in life, prompting a robust exchange between Julie Bishop and David Marr to end the program. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-04-23T21:30+1000",
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"10663092": {
"episode_id": 10663092,
"title": "The John Elliot Show",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-john-elliot-show/10663092",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663090-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Chris Bowen, Assistant Treasurer; Sophie Mirabella, shadow minister for early childhood learning, women and youth; John Elliott, businessman and blogger; Catherine Deveny, comedian and columnist for The Age; and Stephen Crittenden, journalist and broadcaster. With two personalities as forceful, opinionated and ideologically opposed as John Elliott and Catherine Deveny on the panel, this episode of Q&A was always going to be one to remember. The two engaged in a robust exchange of views throughout the show, prompting a flood of email traffic from viewers who were either enraged or enraptured with one or the other. The breaking news story of the tragic fire aboard a boat full of asylum seekers, coupled with the general issue of growing asylum seeker numbers, dominated the early part of the program. Alex Dore asked whether the Rudd government's policies were attracting more arrivals while Maureen Reddie suggested Australia should be more sympathetic to those fleeing the war in Afghanistan where Australians troops were fighting. A video question from Ruth Medd in Sydney raised the issue of paid parental leave, a Labor promise widely expected to be a casualty of the forthcoming Budget.Chris Bowen declined to say what the Budget would contain. Audience member Mark Bingham raised the story of an alleged plot by Liberal MPs to depose Julie Bishop as Deputy Opposition Leader and Christina Taylor brought up two Easter-linked issues: Cardinal George Pell's endorsement of papal comments about condoms and AIDS, and comedian John Safran's crucifixion stunt in The Philippines. Nina Funnell then asked a question about manners, referring to John Elliott's widely quoted remarks about manners on his new website. John responded with a few examples of bad manners he had encountered and then denied, in response to an email question from 'Dave' in NSW, that he had ever used the expression 'pig's arse' as widely alleged. The show ended with a discussion of unemployment prompted by a video question from Tony Holland in Newcastle, NSW, an experienced manager made redundant late last year and still unable to find work. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-04-16T21:30+1000",
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"10663096": {
"episode_id": 10663096,
"title": "Banks, Bikies and Broadband",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/banks-bikies-and-broadband/10663096",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663094-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Tony Burke, Minister for Agriculture; Helen Coonan, shadow finance minister; Andrew Boe, lawyer; Jane Caro, social commentator; and John Hewson, former Liberal leader. In a week in which a cut in official interest rates was not fully passed on to home borrowers, the Q&A audience was keen to engage on this topic and there were many questions on the theme. Diane Dent noted that many restaurants were offering discounts on meals to help stimulate the economy, so why were the banks holding back on cutting rates? The banks had no supporters on the panel, with John Hewson declaring the banks were looking after share-holders at the expense of borrowers and their actions of keeping rates high and squeezing credit would lead to record business failures in coming months. Michael Jones, from Wollongong in NSW, then asked by video whether laws criminalising bikie gangs were a move towards a police state. He was supported by audience member Norrie May-Welby, who said tough laws against drugs and terror were achieving nothing except eroding civil rights, and prohibition had never worked. The big story of the week, the Government's decision to establish a giant public-private consortium to undertake a $43 billion national broadband roll-out, also aroused intense audience interest. Some thought it was a visionary, forward-looking proposal, others thought it would be an expensive failure. The scandal over a spoof sex tape made by North Melbourne Football Club players, featuring a chicken carcass, drew wide condemnation from the panel when it was raised by Meaghan Davies. Jane Caro said she thought that in many ways society was going backwards, especially the views of young women, while Tony Burke questioned the attitudes of young men. With the latest poll results showing more bad news for the Opposition, Sev Milazzo asked whether the coalition was handicapped by a hangover from the Howard years. Phillip Quinn, in the ACT, asked John Hewson if he would consider returning to politics and taking the Liberal leadership again. (He said no.) Finally John Croker, a student, asked each panel member what guidance they would give young people wanting to improve society and effect real change. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-04-09T21:25+1000",
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"10663100": {
"episode_id": 10663100,
"title": "Chinese Puzzles",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/chinese-puzzles/10663100",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663098-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Housing; George Brandis, shadow attorney-general; Dennis Altman, writer and academic; Rachel Fry, national president of the Young Liberals; and Satyajit Das, economist. With the news dominated all week by China and the G20 meeting of world leaders in London to address the global financial crisis, it was not surprising that these issues were uppermost in the minds of the Q&A audience. Audience member Ron Ao raised the issue of Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon and his links to a Chinese-born Australian business woman, Helen Liu. As might be expected, George Brandis thought the Minister should be sacked and Tanya Plibersek defended him, while Satyajit Das raised concerns about targeting Ms Liu because of her race. This theme was continued in a video question from Melbourne viewer Frank Chai, who accused the Opposition of trying to make political mileage out of the Government's closeness to China. Audience member Mark Sharma, on the other hand, said the Chinese regime sponsored terrorism and violated human rights and Kevin Rudd was too close to it. Both Tanya and George agreed it was good for Australia's prosperity and future security to maintain good relations with China. The remainder of the discussion was dominated by the G20 meeting and the state of the economy. Audience member Siraj Khan asked how the G20 could provide any answers as they hadn't seen the crisis coming in the first place, and questioned the role of central banks. Ivan de Vulder asked whether it was more important to save the planet or save the economy and Jill Yates asked how the success or otherwise of the Government's stimulus package would be measured. Other audience members joined in a vigorous discussion, with the final questioner observing that his take on current events meant he couldn't get a job or afford a house, the planet was burning up and China was going to own it anyway. Can someone, he asked, give me hope? Satyajit Das assured him that things would eventually get better and Tanya said a cause for hope was gratitude for living in a country that was much better placed than many others. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-04-02T22:30+1100",
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"10663104": {
"episode_id": 10663104,
"title": "Q and A live from Melbourne",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/q-and-a-live-from-melbourne/10663104",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663102-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Stephen Conroy, Minister for Communications; Greg Hunt, shadow minister for climate change; Andrew Bolt, columnist for the Herald Sun; Louise Adler, publisher; and Susan Carland, academic and sociologist. This episode of Q&A was recorded in Melbourne, the first time the program has moved from the ABC Sydney studios. The venture was a resounding success: an energetic and engaged local audience entered into the Q&A spirit with great enthusiasm, and the producers hope to take the program to other cities during the course of 2009. It is usually the case with Q&A that particular ministers attract questions relating to their portfolios, but never has there been anything like the deluge of questions provoked by Stephen Conroy's plan for an internet filtering scheme. More than 2000 questions came in via email, SMS and from audience members, and virtually every one of them was opposed to the filtering proposal. A question from Stephen Davies on this topic kicked off a 30-minute discussion in which Stephen Conroy was challenged repeatedly to justify the filter plan. Melbourne viewer Jim Stewart sent in a video question of such technical quality that it drew a round of applause, while Jeffery Wang, a high school student from Parramatta in NSW, sent in a question with a mask over his face and compared the Conroy proposal to official censorship and repression in China. An audience member asked Stephen whether he knew that 1984 was 'a warning, not an instruction manual?' The discussion eventually switched to repression of another kind, that imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan and regions of Pakistan. Susan Carland, an Australian convert to Islam, stressed that fanatics were not representative of her religion and its adherents as a whole. A video question from Rod Campbell-Ross in Wentworth Falls, NSW, ended the program, asking for the panel's views on recent reports of atrocities by Israeli soldiers in Gaza. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-03-26T22:30+1100",
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"10663108": {
"episode_id": 10663108,
"title": "Religion, Sex and Politics",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/religion-sex-and-politics/10663108",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663106-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Kate Ellis, Minister for Youth and Sport; Tony Abbott, shadow minister for families and community services; Father Peter Kennedy, Brisbane's rebel Catholic priest; Bettina Arndt, social commentator and author of The Sex Diaries; and Bruce Wolpe, the Fairfax Media executive who is about to join the Obama administration in Washington. They say that the three subjects that should be avoided at dinner parties are sex, religion and politics. This episode of Q&A discussed very little else. The dominant political issue of the week was the decision of the Senate to vote down the Government's attempt to increase tax on alcopops - sweet alcoholic drinks said to be favoured by binge-drinking girls. A teacher, Rodney Purves, bemoaned the culture of alcohol among the young and called on politicians to work together to combat what he called a social evil. Kate Ellis and Tony Abbott clashed over the merits of the tax proposal and two web questioners complained about the power of independent Senator Steve Fielding who had the casting vote on the issue and sided with the Opposition. Audience members engaged in vigorous discussion about the role of alcohol companies in sports sponsorship. A video questioner, Barry Donaghy, from Queensland, then challenged Father Kennedy about abandoning orthodox Catholic practice and Lucy Smith, in the audience, asked whether Jesus was the son of God. An audience member then asked about the Pope's stance on condoms in light of the HIV epidemic in Africa. A video questioner, Anne Cahill Lambert from Canberra, raised a recent case in Brazil involving a young rape victim who had an abortion and whose mother was then excommunicated while the rapist was not. Tony Abbott, a self-proclaimed conservative Catholic, defended the church inwhat he called a horrible situation, while Father Kennedy said it was being dragged down by its refusal to allow women a voice in its decisions. Audience member Amanda Fairweather brought up aid funds being used to fund Third World abortions. A web questioner, Maryanne Mukkattu of Sydney, asked whether the exposure of young people to sexual material warranted a national celibacy campaign. Tony Jones asked Kate Ellis whether she would be the face of such a campaign - she declined. Robert Hickey raised the issue of sex and love in relationships and Melissa Ran confronted Bettina Arndt about suggesting in her latest book that women had a duty to their husbands when it came to sex. A question from Arvind Modi prompted a discussion of Barrack Obama's administration in which Bruce Wolpe expressed the hope that a spirit of bipartisanship might prevail in the face of the global financial crisis. The topic quickly became embroiled in domestic politics and a series of spirited exchanges between Kate Ellis and Tony Abbott ended the program. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-03-19T22:25+1100",
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"10663112": {
"episode_id": 10663112,
"title": "A Mixed Bunch",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/a-mixed-bunch/10663112",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663110-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Maxine McKew, Parliamentary Secretary for early childhood education and childcare; Scott Morrison, shadow housing minister; John Symond, Executive Chairman of Aussie Home Loans; Noeline Brown, entertainer and Ambassador for the Ageing; and Dr Tanveer Ahmed, psychiatrist, columnist and comedian. A diverse panel attracted a diverse range of questions, starting with audience member Jane Weber's concerns about the link between gun ownership and massacres by gunmen in Germany and the US in the previous 24 hours. The panel admitted they, like most people, were stumped as to why such massacres occurred. Tanveer Ahmed and John Symond both pointed to the link between gun crime and lax gun laws and Scott Morrison questioned the overall level of violence in society. This topic led to an examination of the drinking culture in Australia's rugby codes following recent examples of bad behaviour and allegations of serious criminal acts. Noeline Brown suggested there simply 'too much testosterone in these blokes.' A video question from Chris Krishnan of Perth accused Maxine McKew of adopting a low profile since beating John Howard at the last election. She assured the audience that she was working hard as a parliamentary secretary but was still an apprentice politician. Audience member Yun Jiang and web questioner Bob Walker raised the issue of the increased grant for first-home buyers and the possible creation of a housing bubble, and Val Coy suggested that self-funded retirees were the forgotten people of the Rudd government. Jason Annabel, from Canberra, asked via video why 'Whitlamite' had become a term of abuse, bring back memories for Noeline who had been present at Gough Whitlam's 1972 campaign launch. (In this vein of nostalgia the Q&A team played an excerpt from the 'It's Time' campaign song at the end of the show.) Politics then dominated the discussion: the use of the term 'shit-storm' by Kevin Rudd on television, the need for bipartisanship in the face of the financial crisis and the problems facing Malcolm Turnbull with Peter Costello hovering in the background. John Symond had simple advice for Malcolm: tell the Liberal Party to do things his way or walk away from politics. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-03-12T22:25+1100",
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"10663116": {
"episode_id": 10663116,
"title": "TANNER and COSTELLO on Q and A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/tanner-and-costello-on-q-and-a/10663116",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663114-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner; former Treasurer Peter Costello; editor of The Monthly Sally Warhaft; opinion page editor of The Australian, Rebecca Weisser; and businessman, writer and Tasmanian pulp mill opponent Geoffrey Cousins. This enthralling episode of Q&A was keenly anticipated due to the continuing speculation about the future of Peter Costello - will he stay in Parliament, will he rejoin the Opposition front bench, does he harbour leadership ambitions? Peter did not give a lot away on those subjects, but many viewers thought that the energy he displayed and his keenness to join in the debate suggested he was not about to walk away from politics in the near future. With the Finance Minister and Australia's longest-serving Treasurer on the panel it was not surprising that the economy dominated discussion, which began with a question about Kevin Rudd's recent essay on capitalism and neo-liberalism in Sally Warhaft's magazine and moved to the issue of executive salaries. Rebecca defended executives who had recently been attacked for their pay levels while laying off workers, but Sally said she was disgusted by some executive salary packages. Geoff Cousins pointed out that he, a former head of Optus, was the only panellist with CEO experience and it was not an easy job. An audience question about the role of the media in undermining economic confidence by being too pessimistic sparked spirited discussion. Peter criticised the language used by Government ministers to describe the economic crisis, and Lindsay Tanner (who once famously said that politicians exaggerate absolutely everything all the time) said media reports always used extreme language and the word \"moderate\" was never in a headline. Audience member Rami Abdallah then raised the question of Peter's position, asking what he was waiting for and why didn't he rejoin the front bench. Peter and Lindsay traded good-natured barbs as Peter explained he had been a front-bencher for 18 years and for now was content to sit at the back and observe the Government. Lindsay said he was glad Peter was watching; Peter said the view was not pretty. Eamonn Atkinson, a 22-year-old Australian currently in Paris, sent in a video question (with Eiffel Tower in the background) saying he was about to get a $900 cash hand-out that would benefit the French economy but not Australia's. The panel debated the worth of economic stimulus packages but Lindsay rejected an audience suggestion for a national summit to examine solutions to the economic crisis. There were more exchanges over industrial relations when Taylor Auerbach asked whether the Government asked whether the Government should have retained the WorkChoices package, and then Tony Jones asked Peter about Kevin Rudd's charge that Peter was conducting a \"rolling civil war\" within the Liberal Party. Peter said Kevin was \"thinking some funky thoughts if he thinks I'm conducting a civil war.\" You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-03-05T22:25+1100",
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"10663120": {
"episode_id": 10663120,
"title": "a classic Q&A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/a-classic-qa/10663120",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663118-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, Bill Shorten; shadow education minister Christopher Pyne; ethicist and writer Leslie Cannold; satirist Jonathan Biggins; and Miss World Australia Sabrina Houssami. This riveting episode of Q&A began with a discussion of the news of the day, the decision by Pacific Brands textile manufacturers to sack 1850 workers and move its manufacturing operations offshore despite receiving tens of millions of dollars of government support in recent years. A video question from Will Armstrong in the Northern Territory raised the issue of MPs' language, specifically remarks about Christopher Pyne being a mincing poodle and Kevin Rudd a toxic bore. A Swedish audience member, Malin Dunfors, complained tongue-in-cheek about Christopher being depicted as an Abba listener. Swedish politicians, she said, would not call each other John Farnham-loving bulldogs. A young Muslim viewer from Melbourne, Felicia Shukor, asked Sabrina about the glass ceiling that kept women down in the workplace, and audience member Geoff Quinn queried why someone like Sabrina was always given the adjective \"Muslim\" while Christopher, for example, was not described as \"Catholic Liberal MP\". When the discussion switched to disability services Bill Shorten was challenged repeatedly by audience member Margaret-Anne Otton, who had confronted him on Q&A in September last year over early intervention programs for children with disabilities. Nothing had happened in the interim, she said, and it wouldn't be early intervention if something didn't happen soon. Bill urged all voters to put pressure on their political representatives to ensure that better outcomes for those with disabilities were achieved. The program ended with a web question from a viewer complaining about the massive pay-out for outgoing Telstra boss Sol Trujillo at a time when Telstra was looking at job cuts. All in all a fascinating hour of discussion that left audience members feeling entertained and informed. As one remarked: 'Intelligent, thoughtful and genuine, with appropriate humour that didn't detract or divert. It demonstrated that good TV doesn't require conflict to work.' You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-02-26T22:30+1100",
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"10663124": {
"episode_id": 10663124,
"title": "An economic time...",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/an-economic-time/10663124",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663122-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Kate Carnell, the former Liberal Chief Minister of the ACT, now CEO of the Food and Grocery Council, Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan, newly appointed Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey, Deputy Leader of the Greens, Senator Christine Milne and, the National Secretary of the Australian Workers Union, Paul Howes. This outstanding episode of Q&A sees Treasurer Wayne Swan and his new opponent Joe Hockey go head to head for the first time, and sure enough the debate is feisty. Joe Hockey famously tells Wayne Swan \"You don't know whether you're Wayne or Wendy\" in reference to the government's scrapping of its own inquiry into the emissions trading scheme and 27 year old union leader Paul Howes outs himself as a rising Labor star and someone to watch closely. Other memorable moments include Joe Hockey putting his arm around the Green's Christine Milne, just minutes after attacking her political credentials, and a fabulous question from audience member Goronwy Price who suggests to the Treasurer that having an emissions trading scheme excluding petrol is like having a hamburger emissions scheme that excludes McDonalds. This is economic and political debate at its best - timely, lively and news-breaking. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-02-19T22:30+1100",
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"10663128": {
"episode_id": 10663128,
"title": "Q&A returns with Australians of the Year!!!",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/qa-returns-with-australians-of-the-year/10663128",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10663126-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "The Victorian bushfires took centre stage when Q&A returned for its first program of 2009 with a panel of five Australians of the Year. Former defence chief, General Peter Cosgrove, burns specialist Professor Fiona Wood, Cape York indigenous leader Tania Major, scientist and author Tim Flannery, and 2009 Young Australian of the Year Jonty Bush faced questions from the audience about dealing with such a national crisis. Q&A also invited two Victorian couples who survived the tragedy, Mary and Reg Kenealy of Marysville and Peder and Kath Holton of Healesville. We screened the extraordinary footage filmed by the Holtons at the peak of the fires as their neighbours' homes burnt around them. The audience raised questions about the efficiency of early warning systems, the need to re-think how we live in the bush and potential use of our defence forces in such disasters. Peter Cosgrove agreed that the army could assist fire fighters, and advocated a voluntary national fire fighting force. Tania Major said she'd happily sign up and urged people to reflect on traditional indigenous fire practices of seasonal burn-offs. Tim Flannery supported the idea of strategic fuel reduction burning,and Jonty Bush, having lost both her sister and father to violent crime, spoke to the issues of loss and trauma. Fiona Wood, famous for her work with the Bali burns victims, emphasised the importance of governments responding with the necessary support and services. You can watch a video or read the transcript of the complete program from this page (see above) or . The Q&A video is published here at about 2am Friday morning while the transcript and iView editions are published about 2pm each Friday afternoon.",
"time": "2009-02-12T22:30+1100",
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"10662836": {
"episode_id": 10662836,
"title": "That's Goodbye From Us...",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/thats-goodbye-from-us/10662836",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662834-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Bill Shorten, Assistant Treasurer; George Brandis, shadow attorney-general; Randa Abdel Fattah, author and lawyer; Janet Albrechtsen, conservative commentator; and Jonathan Biggins, satirist and performer. The final Q&A for 2010 was not entirely without drama: a violent thunderstorm closed Sydney airport for much of the night and the plane from Adelaide carrying Liberal Senator Nick Minchin, one of the scheduled panellists for the evening, was diverted to Melbourne. Fortunately his colleague George Brandis was in Sydney and able to step into the breach with just over one hour's notice. After a long and action-packed year in politics there was much that the audience wanted to talk about, the behaviour of the big banks in jacking up interest rates and making enormous profits being one of them. Shayne Connell asked when there was going to be a super-profits tax on the banks and Terry Hart took Bill Shorten to task for Labor's alleged failures on social reform. The Liberals, said Terry, were leading the agenda. Michael Beare, noting the rise of the Right in America and the recent congressional elections that saw the Democrats suffer big losses, asked about links between the US Tea Party phenomenon and populist protest here in Australia. Laura McGilvray suggested that in Australia the centre ground was being abandoned by voters who were heading further to the Right or to the Greens. Panellists agreed there was a growing divide in the electorate. Randa Abdel Fattah, having just returned from the US, said the Tea Party was an anti-tax, anti-immigrant movement, but Janet Albrechtsen defended their common sense in protesting about stimulus spending. An issue dear to the hearts of the Left in Australia, gay marriage, was then raised by Tom Rosser, who noted recent complaints from within about Labor policy and asked when the policy might change. Bill said he thought a change would eventually come but that time had not yet arrived, and was supported by George Brandis while audience members entered into a spirited exchange on the issue. Perhaps appropriately, given the dominance of the issue through the year, the last subject for discussion was asylum seekers. Adriana Abu Abara, noting Tony Abbott's remarks about asylum seekers being given the red-carpet treatment, asked exactly what about detention centres the Liberals regarded as luxurious. Randa expressed her despair at the fact Australia was still having this 'toxic debate' and essentially had the last word: nobody chooses to become an asylum seeker. The audience was then treated to an end-of-year special when Jonathan joined his Wharf Revue colleagues Phil Scott, Amanda Bishop and Drew Forsythe (the four individually representing Paul Keating, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Bob Hawke) for a hilarious send-up of the ALP's problems set to the tune of What a Swell Party This Is.",
"time": "2010-11-08T22:35+1100",
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"10662840": {
"episode_id": 10662840,
"title": "Q and A goes West",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/q-and-a-goes-west/10662840",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662838-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: WA Premier Colin Barnett; Defence Minister Stephen Smith; mining magnate Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest; Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop; Greens Senator Rachel Siewert; and Indigenous business representative Tony Wiltshire from the Pilbara Aboriginal Contractors' Association. For the first time since the show started, Q&A was able to travel to Perth and present the program in the ABC East Perth studios before an enthusiastic local audience. With WA enjoying a massive mining boom and growing tensions appearing between the Barnett Liberal government and the Gillard government in Canberra, Nicole Naeser chose to raise the secession issue and Anthony Spagnolo said it was time to stop treating WA as a cash cow for the Eastern States. None of the panellists supported secession but there was a strong feeling in the room about the treatment of WA under current tax arrangements, and Twiggy Forrest suggested the State was an easy target which was about to 'cop the raw end of the deal.' Twiggy and Tony Wiltshire were asked to address Indigenous employment issues in detail with questions from Sunili Govinnage and Georgina Fraser before a double-header video question from Broome residents Jan Lewis and Fiona Bishop on the compulsory acquisition of land at James Price Point near Broome for a gas processing plant. Colin Barnett said the Government had done all it could to negotiate with the traditional owners and raised the idea of compulsory acquisition when negotiations collapsed as Indigenous groups disagreed. He said it was important for the whole State that the $30 billion project be allowed to proceed. Stephen Smith agreed that the project should proceed but said the Premier's tactics were wrong. The discussion turned to the refugee issue, with Gerrit van der Sluys suggesting that people in detention were given more help and better treatment than homeless Australians. Renee Deleuil took the opposite view, saying she felt shame and sadness to hear the hateful language used by some about boat people. The discussion centred on the Federal Government's proposal to house 1500 single men at an old army camp in the town of Northam. Colin said he was concerned about safety issues and said 1500 was just too many, 600 might have been more acceptable. He also said he believed children should not be kept in detention. The show ended with Quenten Thomas raising a remark by Twiggy that he would not leave his extensive fortune to his children. Twiggy replied that while it was a family matter his children were looking forward to making their own way in the world and had the same entrepreneurial spirit that had allowed him to succeed.",
"time": "2010-11-01T22:35+1100",
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"10662844": {
"episode_id": 10662844,
"title": "The Odd Angry Shoe: John Howard on Q and A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-odd-angry-shoe-john-howard-on-q-and-a/10662844",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662842-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "When Q&A invited former Prime Minister John Howard to appear on the program to discuss his autobiography, Lazarus Rising, no one anticipated that the show would make news around the world. Then again, no one could know that audience member and Iraq war protester Pete Gray would choose to make a point about the war by taking off both shoes and hurling them across the studio at the former PM. The act echoed the protest of an Iraqi journalist against former US President George Bush and followed another significant television moment when Mr Howard was confronted with a video question from former Guantanamo Bay prisoner David Hicks. Both events made this, for many viewers, the most memorable Q&A they had ever seen. A large and passionate audience composed of admirers and detractors of the former PM submitted a wide range of questions. Steve Walz and Upulie Divisekera asked about comments in the book about leadership rival Peter Costello, while Mitchell Nadin suggested there had been no 'real' PM since the Howard departure. Kelly Halpin and Kathleen Kyle asked about the chances of a Kevin Rudd come-back and Labor's role in saving Australia from ruin in the financial crisis. Mr Howard declared Rudd lacked enough support to return and that credit for evading the GFC should go to himself and Costello. He declared his support for the coalition's economic policies after video questioner Brenton Gillies, from Reservoir in Melbourne, suggested the current team's approach was poor, and expressed unqualified support for Tony Abbott's leadership when questioned by Antony Bowesman. In reply to Monica Kovacic he said former Liberal PM Malcolm Fraser was somewhat isolated in the modern era on economic policy. When things settled down after the Pete Gray interlude Fahmeed Kazi asked whether the Parliament, not the executive, should approve any decision to go to wars like that in Afghanistan. Sarah Wursthorn and Queensland video questioner Shannon Semenikow raised the Tampa issue and problems Mr Howard had encountered on race and refugees. John Harding-Easson suggested Mr Howard might regret not having made a formal apology to Indigenous Australians, given how well Mr Rudd's had been received. Mr Howard said he did not resile from his previous positions on any of these issues. With time running out Tim Matthews brought up Mr Howard's position on an ETS and global warming and Shiva Panchalingam asked about the influence of opinion polls on government policy. Melbourne viewer Frank Chai asked via video about the International Cricket Council's rejection of the Howard bid for its presidency, and Mr Howard said he had still received no proper explanation. Finally Victor Voets, citing Winston Churchill's wartime leadership of Britain, asked whether Mr Howard would serve again as PM in certain circumstances if called on to do so. Never ever, Mr Howard replied.",
"time": "2010-10-25T22:35+1100",
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"10662848": {
"episode_id": 10662848,
"title": "Miracles, Media and the Murray",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/miracles-media-and-the-murray/10662848",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662846-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Mike Kelly, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture; shadow climate minister Greg Hunt; scientist and climate change advocate Tim Flannery; scientist and climate change sceptic Jennifer Mahorasy; journalist with The Australian, Jennifer Hewett; and Bruce Guthrie, former News Ltd editor and author of Man Bites Murdoch. The canonisation of Sister Mary McKillop received mass media coverage around the nation and the Q&A audience had some questions. Richard Gill said he was dismayed by the 'miracle extravaganza' and the fact that a lot of public funds had been spent on the celebrations dismayed him further. Dan Ellis asked whether St Mary would lose her title if it was found that someone had prayed to her for a cure and had died anyway. Casey O'Brien then raised the decision to prosecute Australian soldiers for civilian deaths in Afghanistan and the widespread internet vilification of the prosecutor, Brigadier Lyn McDade. It was a perfect question for Mike Kelly, himself a former Army legal officer, who was supported by Greg Hunt when he pointed out the need for the independent process to be followed. Audience member Peter Cochrane, a Vietnam vet and former NSW State MP, took a different view, asking whether the Taliban would prosecute their soldiers in similar circumstances. He engaged in a vigorous exchange with Mike who pointed out that Australian troops wanted to be better than the Taliban. Jennifer Hewett and Bruce Guthrie then disputed the merits of News Ltd and its editorial policies after Andrew Fleming asked whether the group's 'conservative bias' was undermining the democratic process and Aaron Newton asked why one man was allowed to own so many publications. Two Adelaide scientists, Corey Baker and Hilary Coleman, then brought the discussion to the place it was always going - climate change. Via video they asked how the lay person could get a real understanding of the issues when they were clouded by politics, junk blogs and media misrepresentation. Almost instantly Jennifer Mahorasy, a vocal critic of the climate change lobby, and Tim Flannery, perhaps Australia's best-known advocate for countering man-made climate change, were locked in an argument that continued through several questions to the program's conclusion. Video questioner Alister Cameron, from Bayswater in Victoria, attacked Tim for his views and his credentials, and Liam Duncan challenged Greg Hunt and the coalition to work constructively on the issue. The final question, from Sunny Nguyen, raised the plan to save the Murray-Darling and criticised the Government's water buy-back proposals.",
"time": "2010-10-18T22:35+1100",
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"10662852": {
"episode_id": 10662852,
"title": "Q and A Sports Special",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/q-and-a-sports-special/10662852",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662850-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Sports Minister Mark Arbib; Liberal MHR Kelly O'Dwyer; author and journalist Roy Masters; former Test cricketer Geoff Lawson; and Olympic swimming champion Lisa Forrest. With the Commonwealth Games under way in Delhi, the Test cricket team touring India and the football finals recently completed, it was a good time for Q&A to look into the world of sport. Audience members Susan Cowell and Prashanth Shanmugan queried the cost and the point of the Commonwealth Games, though the politicians and sporting specialists defended the contest and said it was worth the cost. Antony Dubber raised the current dispute over Afghanistan between Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott, asking whether Tony's use of the term 'Macchiavelian bastardry' could be construed as sledging. Geoff Lawson, who should know, said the words had never been put together on a cricket field. Alex Brown then challenged Mark Arbib over his last Q&A appearance, or non-appearance, when at the last minute he was prevented by the PM from appearing and was represented by an empty chair. Mark explained that his leader had decided that in the tense post-election period it was best not to engage in public campaign analysis, and had personally asked him not to come on. Mark then received another short ball when Taylor Auerbach asked him how many players made up an AFL team, and he had to admit that as a rugby league follower he didn't know. The ongoing issue of sex scandals and group-sex bonding rituals was raised by Christopher Hunt, who observed that some media commentary suggested victims were at fault because they placed themselves in dangerous situations. Web questioner Michelle Bonner asked about such women being referred to as 'strays' in the media and an audience member asked whether it was hypocritical for alcohol companies to have such a prominent sports sponsorship role. A Melbourne viewer, Michael Stuchbery, suggested via video that there be a one-year moratorium on sport so we could 'detox ourselves from the culture of excess' and Ian Procter, with a web question, said the AFL's three-strike drugs policy should not be tolerated. The show closed with Louise Laverne asking what politicians and sports people might learn from each other. Mark Arbib, having received the odd sledge from Kelly O'Dwyer through the evening, said MPs could copy athletes and learn to lose gracefully.",
"time": "2010-10-11T22:35+1100",
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"10662856": {
"episode_id": 10662856,
"title": "Q and A Gets Dangerous",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/q-and-a-gets-dangerous/10662856",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662854-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: International human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson; editor-at-large for The Australian, Paul Kelly; activist and commentator Tariq Ali; journalist and author Ratih Hardjono; and columnist Lenore Skenazy. This compelling episode of Q&A was produced in conjunction with Sydney's Festival of Dangerous Ideas and brought together some of the festival's foremost international intellectuals for an hour of enthralling discussion televised from the Sydney Opera House. Geoffrey Robertson's ongoing campaign to have the Pope held accountable for systematic child sex abuse within the Catholic Church was raised by Stephanie Seaton, who asked if the church should be prosecuted for hiding offenders, and Ash Wickremasinghe, who suggested Geoffrey was engaging in 'anti-Catholic legal hucksterism'. Geoffrey outlined his case with typical eloquence and met stern resistance from an equally eloquent Paul Kelly, who maintained it was absurd to try the Pope in courts designed for war criminals. Lenore Skenazy, known in the US as America's worst mother for letting her nine-year-old ride alone on the New York subway, was asked by Hugh Sinclair whether she felt any guilt about what she had done. Lenore said it appeared she was now also Australia's worst mum, and defended her free-range approach to child-rearing. The focus then switched to international relations, with Rachael Lonergan asking whether America's reign as a global superpower was declining and Amy Coopes suggesting that the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan had led to an increase in terrorism. Ratih Hardjono said many Indonesians were disillusioned with the US and Tariq Ali suggested Middle East tensions could not be reduced while Israel retained a nuclear arsenal and nations like Iran were forbidden to have nuclear weapons. The program closed with a web question from former Northern Territory Chief Minister Marshall Perron, who asked Paul whether his opposition to euthanasia was prompted by religious belief. It was not, said Paul - his opposition was founded on secular arguments only. Ratih said the issue was simply not discussed in her country and Lenore said she was personally in favour of euthanasia because she could not stand 10 minutes of pain, let alone 10 years.",
"time": "2010-10-04T22:35+1100",
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"10662860": {
"episode_id": 10662860,
"title": "Politics, Betrayal and Sex",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/politics-betrayal-and-sex/10662860",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662858-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Communications Minister Stephen Conroy; shadow innovation minister Sophie Mirabella; journalist and author Mungo MacCallum; Independent MP Rob Oakeshott; and Fiona Patten, president of the Australian Sex Party. On the eve of the first sitting of the new Parliament, and with the major parties at war over such issues as the selection of a Speaker, the presence of key Independent Rob Oakeshott attracted a lot of audience interest to issues of governance and parliamentary behaviour in the new paradigm of cooperative democracy. David Castle noted that the main parties had reverted to old-school ruthless politics, and wondered if anything could be 'saved from the wreckage'. Rob said we would learn a lot from the conduct of parliament this week and Fiona Patten suggested the general public did not want a return to adversarial politics. Mungo MacCallum maintained that politics was always adversarial but did not have to be antagonistic, and Sophie Mirabella defended the coalition's vow to be a ferocious opposition, saying we did not want a one-party system. Audience member Karen Stingemore asked why we were surprised when politicians reneged on agreements, saying we should accept that politics brought out the basest human qualities. Mark Fischer, noting that Tony Abbott had been attacked for reneging on an agreement about the Speaker's position, suggested the Government had lied about its intentions on a carbon tax before the election. Matthew Armour raised the climate change committee on which the coalition was refusing to sit, and wondered whether there may ultimately be a double dissolution on the climate issue. At this point Stephen Conroy and Sophie engaged in some old paradigm confrontational politics, and it was time to switch the subject to sex. Andrew Hassell said he had read the policies of the Australian Sex Party and could see none that would get him more sex. Video questioner William Rollo, from Rosslyn Park in South Australia, then spoke for many in the internet community when he challenged Stephen about his proposed internet porn filter, saying it would not be passed by the Parliament. Stephen and Fiona argued the merits of the filter and Marcus Lockard raised the thorny issue of pornography, sexuality and desensitisation. The program ended with Craig Chung, noting the case of a well-known blogger who had been outed that day as a Canberra public servant, asking whether we should at all times know the identity of internet authors.",
"time": "2010-09-27T21:35+1000",
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"10662864": {
"episode_id": 10662864,
"title": "euthanasia in a hung parliament",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/euthanasia-in-a-hung-parliament/10662864",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662862-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Immigration Minister Chris Bowen; shadow education minister Christopher Pyne; ethicist and author Leslie Cannold; editor of the Australian Women's Weekly, Helen McCabe; and comedian Craig Reucassel from The Chaser. A decision by the Greens to use their new-found political clout to put the vexed issue of euthanasia back on the national agenda dominated the opening segment of this Q&A episode. Jarred Baker asked if this was a sign of the influence to be wielded by the Greens and Glen Jackson went to the morality of euthanasia itself, asking why a government in a secular state opposed the right of citizens to choose when and how to die. The debate put the politicians on the spot, with Chris Bowen saying he would weigh up all the arguments before deciding how to vote and Christopher Pyne saying he would remain opposed to any relaxation of the law. Oliver Townshend set out to turn the tables on the irreverent crew from The Chaser, suggesting to Craig Reucassel that the cast needed to hand over to people who were younger and ruder. Craig said it was curious they were still referred to as 'boys', and said he would not miss getting up at 5am to wait outside Christopher's house dressed in a chicken suit. Lee Pawlak shifted the discussion back to politics, saying Tony Abbott had called for a kinder, gentler politics straight after the election but had reverted to conflict and attack since failing to form a government. With a new Immigration Minister on the panel, and with the tragic news from earlier in the day of an asylum seeker's suicide at Villawood Detention Centre, it was inevitable that this issue would arise. John Redman noted that some would use the Villawood tragedy to highlight how badly asylum seekers were treated, and compared boat arrivals to people jumping the back fence and kicking the door down. As usual the issue provoked a passionate audience response and dominated discussion until Q&A's time was up.",
"time": "2010-09-20T21:35+1000",
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"10662868": {
"episode_id": 10662868,
"title": "A new political paradigm",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/a-new-political-paradigm/10662868",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662866-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "On the panel: Clive Palmer, Tanya Plibersek, Warren Truss, Sarah Hanson-Young and Lenore Taylor. A week after Labor formed government with the independents, Q&A discussed the new political paradigm. Robert Johnson opened the show with a question about the longevity of the new government and said bookies were predicting an election before 31st December 2011. Tanya Plibersek and Sarah Hanson-Young refuted the prediction while Clive Palmer and Warren Truss thought it was accurate. Bill Kriketos asked Tanya why Julia Gillard didn't stand down given Labor won fewer seats than the coalition and received a lower primary vote. Brad Harvey then asked what laws had been broken to render the minority government illegitimate, as it was characterised by its political opponents. Frank Alvaro sparked a discussion about voting for other parties' policies with a question about whether the coalition will work with the government or simply be a \"wrecking crew in suits\". And Jonathan Davey asked if the panellists could imagine a situation where the Greens, coalition and independents all worked together. Liz Thorpe questioned the legitimacy of the National Party given the recent achievements of the three independents for rural Australia. Warren responded by listing a raft of rural measures the National Party had achieved when they were in government. Two questions on the mining tax from Todd Hillsley and Barbara Clarke saw Clive Palmer concede for the first time that there was a need for a resources rent tax. Ashley Borg then asked whether the Government should be linking the mining tax to a sovereign wealth fund. The show ended with a question from Matthew Nobel who asked Tanya what Labor had learnt from their near defeat. She said that they would need to sell their policies better in the future.",
"time": "2010-09-13T21:35+1000",
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"10662872": {
"episode_id": 10662872,
"title": "Bob Katter joins Q&A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/bob-katter-joins-qa/10662872",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662870-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Independent MP Bob Katter; Greens Senator Christine Milne; former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie; Liberal Senator Nick Minchin; and social researcher Rebecca Huntley. Sixteen days after the election, with Australia still waiting to see where the three Independent MPs would place their support, one of those Independents - Queenslander Bob Katter - was an instant hit on the Q&A panel. Even those viewers who disagreed with his politics found his passion and commitment enthralling. From the start, when Peter King challenged the right of three individuals to decide the future of the Australian government, Bob showed he was not about to take a backward step. He also showed he was not about to let slip which side he intended to support. The election theme dominated the program: Jessica Braude asked if it took this long to form a government, how long would it take to pass legislation, and Silvia Malki asked Peter Beattie about his own experiences of forming a minority government in 1998. Morgan Smallbone challenged Bob on his remarks about there being no gays in his electorate. Bob replied it was a minority issue in northern Queensland and of no consequence in comparison to the fate of farmers hit by deregulation. Beverley Griffiths challenged Christine Milne over the new taxes sought by the Greens and Penelope Parker suggested that Tony Abbott had done well during the election campaign but not so well in negotiating to form a government. Mandy Pfeiffer then started a furious debate over tariffs by asking Bob whether their elimination threatened the survival of Australia's major agricultural industries. Bob, a lifelong campaigner against tariff cuts, launched a blistering attack on the record of the major parties and was met head-on by Nick Minchin, who declared that tariffs did nothing for anybody except put up the price of food. [Despite the intensity of this conflict, Bob announced the next day he was supporting the coalition.]",
"time": "2010-09-06T21:35+1000",
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"10662876": {
"episode_id": 10662876,
"title": "Q and A at the Melbourne Writers Festival",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/q-and-a-at-the-melbourne-writers-festival/10662876",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662874-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser; author Jessica Rudd; author and political historian John Keane; biographer and commentator Christine Wallace; and Chris Berg, research fellow with the Institute of Public Affairs. This episode of Q&A was meant to have taken place with an election result already known and Australians looking for a break from politics. No such luck: with a minority government a certainty, Q&A went to air with both major parties involved in marathon negotiations with independent MPs and this was the only subject that the audience of several hundred Melburnians in the BMW Edge theatre wanted to talk about. Kass Hall suggested it was time for a fresh election - no panellist agreed - and Bill McIntosh asked which party should be given the chance to form a government if seat numbers were tied. Zoe Jones challenged Malcolm Fraser on the constitutional legacy of the Whitlam dismissal and Matthew Lesh asked why both parties pandered to the lowest common denominator. Santa Pastricha, in a similar vein, accused both major parties of directing their messages to a narrow band of voters, a sentiment roundly applauded by the audience. Julia Henkel asked Jessica Rudd how the events befalling her father - former PM Kevin - had affected the family, and whether she might enter politics herself. Chloe Sesta Jacobs asked whether Jessica was disillusioned by politics and whether she thought Labor under Kevin would have done better in the election. Jessica replied that she believed in moving forward, but defended her father's record against attacks from Chris Berg. Sam Fisken then asked Malcolm whether political realities would force Tony Abbott to compromise his conservative policies, and Scott McCloud raised Malcolm's pre-election comments that the coalition was not ready to govern. Natalia Antolak-Saper then asked about proposals by Independent MP Rob Oakeshott for a non-partisan, 'mix and match' unity government, a concept the panel was not ready to embrace.",
"time": "2010-08-30T21:35+1000",
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"10662880": {
"episode_id": 10662880,
"title": "Where's Mark Arbib?",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/wheres-mark-arbib/10662880",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662878-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull; Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young; political commentator Graham Richardson; Independent MP Tony Windsor; and conservative columnist Janet Albrechtsen. This Q&A post-election special ended up with no representative from the Government when late in the afternoon Prime Minister Julia Gillard instructed Senator Mark Arbib - the Minister for Employment Participation and the right-wing powerbroker from NSW behind the overthrow of Kevin Rudd - and other ministers not to take part. Her reason, she said, was to keep the focus on the Government's positive agenda and not on the recent election campaign. With an empty chair in the place where Senator Arbib would have sat, the remaining panellists canvassed a broad range of crucial issues raised by the likelihood of the first hung Parliament in 70 years. A web question from John Kendall in Bathurst NSW raised Mark's absence and its implications for public accountability. Malcolm Turnbull had fun anticipating what Mark would have said had he been there, Janet Albrechtsen speculated that the decision to stay away was Mark's, not the PM's, and Graham Richardson tried sticking up for his NSW Labor friend while not endorsing the decision to stay off the program. Troy Quinn then drew considerable applause when he criticised the poor quality of the campaign from both sides of politics and ask that the electorate be treated with more respect. Evan Solomons asked what reforms might revitalise the political system and Lyndy Lipman challenged the three Independents (including Tony Windsor) who are likely to decide which party forms the next government. What guarantee, she asked, did the public have that the three would act in the interests of the majority? Tony insisted that these issues were uppermost in the minds of all three and any decision would be made with a view to what was best for the country as a whole, not narrow sectional interests. Ryan Stubna followed up with a question about how much Labor's broadband policy would influence any decision (not much, Tony replied). Louise Easson, an ALP member who handed out how-to-vote cards on election day, said the Kevin Rudd dismissal had cost Labor a lot of support. William Blake asked Tony about climate change and the need for an emissions trading scheme, and whether this issue would influence his decision about which side to support. The program ended with a focus on the Greens as Mandy Logan asked whether Labor and the Greens could form an alliance and Dana McMullen wondered whether greater political leverage would cause policy compromise by the Greens. Sarah Hanson-Young acknowledged this may be a difficult issue but declared the Greens were capable of using power responsibly and would retain their ideals. Janet said the new Senate, with the Greens holding the balance of power, would force the party to be accountable. Graham suggested the Greens would have to work out whether they wanted to be a mass party or a purist party and Malcolm Turnbull revived a Gough Whitlam quote: there are none so pure as the impotent.",
"time": "2010-08-23T21:35+1000",
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"10662884": {
"episode_id": 10662884,
"title": "Tony Abbott joins Q and A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/tony-abbott-joins-q-and-a/10662884",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662882-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Election Special: Tony Abbott on Q&A This week Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's got the chance to face the questions of genuine voters, live and unscripted. With polling day less than a week away Q&A returned to the Casula Powerhouse in western Sydney, a key regional battleground containing several marginal seats that may decide which side comes out on top in the election. The first question, from Rebekah Ruth Morrison, deplored the negativity of the campaign and invited Tony to outline the biggest reason why voters should elect him. Xenogene Gray challenged the Opposition Leader on his broadband policy before video questioner Fraser Tustian, from Thornleigh in NSW, asked Tony to imagine he was in an earlier century and having to choose between a national rail network and a national tram network. In response to a question on the school building program from Teresa Ragusa, Tony suggested a judicial inquiry might be needed to investigate waste and mismanagement. Geoff Thomas, describing himself as Vietnam veteran with a 37-year plumbing business and a gay son, said he had overcome his ignorance about gay marriage and asked when Tony would do the same. Malay Rana and Kathleen Kyle asked Tony how he would tackle another global recession and how he planned to cut spending, and Sydney video questioner Louise Ann Barker asked about the fairness of the coalition's parental leave scheme. Paul Hunt, a Kevin Rudd look-alike, earned a laugh when he complained he was no longer as popular as he used to be and asked how he could be more like Tony. That, said Tony, was an impossible transformation. A number of issues were covered in questions on climate change, the debate over campaign debates, GP super clinics and the legality of sending back asylum-seeker vessels. Melbourne viewer Rob Monson, by video, challenged Tony over the Liberal Party's willingness to take donations form tobacco companies, and wheel-chair bound Lee-Ann Bryant asked about the coalition's disability policies. Chris Albany, a priest, raised the 'race to the bottom' on asylum seekers and Abdul Saad asked how better relations might be fostered between Muslims and the wider community. A video question from Frank Dasent raised the issue of arts policy and Elizabeth Dakash closed the show by asking whether Tony's faith would influence his political decision-making. No, said Tony. He felt his religious convictions should not be held against him any more than Julia Gillard's lack of convictions should be held against her.",
"time": "2010-08-16T21:35+1000",
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"10662888": {
"episode_id": 10662888,
"title": "Q and A Population Debate Special",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/q-and-a-population-debate-special/10662888",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662886-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "looks at the future of Australia's population. Where do you stand? Discussing the issue in this Q&A special are: Tony Burke, Minister for Sustainable Population Scott Morrison, Shadow Immigration Minister Bob Brown, leader of the Greens John Elliott, former leader of the Liberal Party Tony Shepherd, Chairman, Transfield Services Dr Tim Flannery, scientist and author Dr Nikki Williams, Minerals Council of NSW Dr Suvendrini Perera, Curtin University Steve Perryman, Mt Gambier Mayor Dr Tanveer Ahmed, columnist",
"time": "2010-08-12T20:20+1000",
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"10662892": {
"episode_id": 10662892,
"title": "Julia Gillard joins Q and A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/julia-gillard-joins-q-and-a/10662892",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662890-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Election Special: Julia Gillard on Q&A In the face of widespread criticism that the election campaign by both sides had been conducted in a play-safe manner that avoided contact with the public, Prime Minister Julia Gillard decided to enter the lion's den. She faced an audience of 300 genuine voters, carefully chosen to balance supporters and opponents, in the ABC's Adelaide studio for an hour of live, unscripted and unforgettable television. From the get-go the PM was confronted with one of Labor's big handicaps in the election campaign - the termination of Kevin Rudd's leadership. Asked by Shaun Dwyer whether she had apologised, she replied that it was not an issue requiring an apology and the ultimate decision to replace Mr Rudd had been made by her. Ashley Church asked whether the Liberals were correct in saying the policies of the previous government had saved Australia from the financial crisis. Samantha Prendergast asked whether Howard-era policies would be pursued by an Abbott government while Emily Sutherland, noting that Tony Abbott had described himself as the political love child of John Howard and Bronwyn Bishop, asked about Julia's political parentage. Andrew Zobel, in reference to the exploits of a former Labor Opposition Leader in confronting Julia on the campaign trail, asked 'how big a tool is Mark Latham'? Some things, Julia replied, cannot be measured. Min Han raised the issue of the PM having no children and several audience members asked about a range of policy issues - mental health funding, the school hall and roof insulation schemes, cost of living pressures, tax reform and the Labor proposal for a community forum on climate change policy. Some more personal issues were also brought up, with web questioner Timothy O'Leary asking about Julia's accent, Brett Jenkins submitting a very funny video question about red-heads and Richard Szkup bringing up the more serious question of religious belief. David Clark asked why the Government did not support sending asylum seekers to Nauru and Jackie Beard brought a personal dimension to the program by asking about education for special-needs children such as her daughter with Down Syndrome. To end this special edition of Q&A Kylie Porter challenged Julia to justify her stance against same-sex marriage and respected indigenous leader Lowitja O'Donohue said there had been a lot of noise in the campaign about various issues but nothing about Australia's first people.",
"time": "2010-08-09T21:35+1000",
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"10662900": {
"episode_id": 10662900,
"title": "Q and A Goes to Brisbane",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/q-and-a-goes-to-brisbane/10662900",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662898-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Craig Emerson, Minister for Small Business; Barnaby Joyce, National Party Senate Leader; Peter Dutton, shadow minister for health; Larissa Waters, lead Queensland Senate candidate for the Greens; and Madonna King, ABC Brisbane radio presenter. With Queensland regarded as a crucial battleground State whose many marginal seats could decide the outcome of the federal election, Q&A convened an all-Queensland panel and a big and enthusiastic local audience at the Brisbane Powerhouse theatre. All the passions of the election campaign were on display as the central protagonists battled for supremacy. The most recent campaign news events - Julia Gillard's decision to throw out the rule book and campaign as 'the real Julia', and the offered debate on the economy accepted by Julia and refused by Tony Abbott - dominated early questions by Andrea Frost and Tristan Smith. Barnaby Joyce and Craig Emerson squared off against each other from the get-go, and for a while conducted the debate on the economy that their leaders won't have. Chris Lehmann raised the overthrow of Brisbane local Kevin Rudd, an issue which Madonna King - a ringside observer of the campaign in Queensland - said was a really big issue in the State. Ross Chrystall asked about Tony Abbott's documented backflips on several issues (Peter Dutton said his leader's views had 'matured') and Grant Machell and Mark McDonald challenged Barnaby over the National Party policy on industrial relations and paid parental leave. Justin Lynch stirred up sections of the audience by suggesting Julia Gillard's support from female voters was falling in the polls because of her life choices with regard to marriage and children, a view which Larissa Waters forcefully rejected. Patricia Petersen asked why the coalition wasn't listening to regional Australia's demand for high-speed broadband and Bobby Whitfield, from the Liberian Association of Queensland, complained that his community of migrants was being used unfairly as a political football in debates over asylum seekers and population growth. To close the show Ian Ainsworth summed up the feelings of many voters when he suggested the campaign was a policy-free and leaderless zone. The first debate had been a depressing waste of time, he said, and wondered if a second would be any better.",
"time": "2010-08-02T21:35+1000",
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"10662904": {
"episode_id": 10662904,
"title": "Where's the Passion?",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/wheres-the-passion/10662904",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662902-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Penny Wong, Minister for Climate Change; Greens Senator Christine Milne; Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull; former Labor minister Graham Richardson; and Tom Switzer, editor of The Spectator Australia. As the election campaign entered its second week many audience questions reflected disillusionment with the play-it-safe approach of both parties and the lack of vision and inspiration being shown by the leaders. The previous night's sole campaign debate was cited by many as a prime example of this malaise, and Natalie Jozelich lamented the flood of superficial statements and asked whether there was any real difference between the two parties. Fortunately for Q&A viewers there was no corresponding lack of passion on the panel, where the participants entered the fray willingly, assisted by a lively and engaged audience. The Government's climate change policy attracted the bulk of the questions, with Nicki Bowman querying the proposed citizens' assembly to find a national consensus and Owen Kavanagh accusing both sides of inadequate leadership. An interjector accused the Greens of sabotaging Labor's emissions-trading plans, sparking a spirited response from Christine Milne and a war of words between her, Penny Wong and Graham Richardson. Malcolm Turnbull noted that Labor didn't actually have a policy, just a notice for a meeting, and known climate sceptic Tom Switzer said the climate change debate was like the Da Vinci Code - a grain of truth and a mountain of nonsense. John O'Donnell raised the issue of high-emitting power stations before Kuppal Palaniappan asked what Kevin Rudd would be feeling if Julia Gillard lost the election. Some glee, said Richo. Schadenfreude, said Malcolm. Danielle Raffaele then spoke for many in the audience when she asked Penny how she could support Labor's opposition to gay marriage. Laura Scrivano asked whether the coalition policy to cut immigration could impact on economic growth and Luke Brand summed up what many in the electorate were thinking by decrying the lack of vision on display and asking where the great visionaries were.",
"time": "2010-07-26T21:35+1000",
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"10662908": {
"episode_id": 10662908,
"title": "And They're Off!",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/and-theyre-off/10662908",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662906-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek; Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop; political analyst Waleed Aly; newspaper columnist Piers Akerman; and ALP strategist Bruce Hawker. With Julia Gillard having called the election two days earlier, it was not surprising that the political temperature rose sharply in this first Q&A of the 2010 campaign. A highly-credentialed panel of political participants and observers clashed repeatedly as the major issues of the campaign were thrashed out. Audience member Erica Ferguson asked about campaign slogans, saying they were simple-minded and obscured more complex issues that should be discussed. Luke Mortimer brought up Tony Abbott's attempts to distance himself from the previous government's unpopular industrial relations policies and Neil Henderson raised the big news of the day, a preference deal between the ALP and the Greens. Julie Bishop declared that this deal made the Greens a faction of the Labor Party. Revelations of a secret agreement between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd were brought up by Daniel Kelso, who asked whether the PM was obliged to disclose all conversations with her predecessor. Piers Akerman said she should, Tanya Plibersek said there was a confidentiality agreement and Bruce Hawker (who was in Mr Rudd's office on the night in question) said there was no deal. Julie Bishop attacked Labor over its treatment of Kevin Rudd but was immediately challenged by a video question from Rodney Hall, in Tweed Heads NSW, about her own position of remaining deputy as successive Liberal leaders were despatched. With time running out Helen Hajduk raised one of the big issues facing Australia, population growth and the level of services and infrastructure, sparking a discussion that showed how contentious this issue can be.",
"time": "2010-07-19T21:35+1000",
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"10662912": {
"episode_id": 10662912,
"title": "Fear, Loathing and the East Timor Solution",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/fear-loathing-and-the-east-timor-solution/10662912",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662910-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Chris Evans, Minister for Immigration; Christopher Pyne, shadow education minister; journalist and author Lenore Taylor; Scott Ludlam, WA Greens Senator; Victorian County Court Judge Felicity Hampel; and John Elliott, business man and former Liberal Party president. Saturation news coverage of the Government's attempts to negotiate with East Timor over the establishment of a regional processing centre for asylum seekers was reflected in the questions to this week's Q&A. Overwhelmingly audience members wanted this issue to be discussed by a panel that included Immigration Minister Chris Evans, the man with responsibility for asylum seeker policy. Audience members Oskar Mezgailis, Frank Carbone and Jenny Burrill raised different aspects of the debate and video questioner Chris Byrne, from Melbourne, asked why some people could be so compassionate towards boat arrivals while ignoring the plight of Australian citizens suffering deprivation in their own country. There was considerable passion displayed by panel members, particularly the politicians - no surprise with an election expected soon and asylum seekers likely to be a central issue. Lou d'Alpuget then annoyed opponents of the Government's proposed internet child-porn filter by citing high sex-abuse rates in Australia and demanding that the Government proceed with its filter immediately instead of deferring it for a year. The next questioner, James Lucek Rowley, raised election timing, suggesting Julia Gillard should call the poll soon 'before she exposes herself to any further embarrassing blunders.' John Elliott sought a $20 bet with Chris Evans that the election would be called in the next fortnight, but Chris declined the offer. Dominic Adams brought up the issue of climate change, on the eve of an expected policy announcement by the Government, before Kelly Xiao ended the show with a reference to Paul the so-called mystic octopus which correctly predicted the outcomes of soccer matches in the just-completed World Cup. Kelly suggested the major parties should make Paul an advisor because he always seemed to be right.",
"time": "2010-07-12T21:35+1000",
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"10662916": {
"episode_id": 10662916,
"title": "New PM & Population",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/new-pm-population/10662916",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662914-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Tony Burke, Minister for Sustainable Population; George Brandis, shadow attorney-general; Annabel Crabb, journalist and commentator; Cheryl Kernot, former Labor MP and Leader of the Australian Democrats; and Grahame Morris, political commentator and former Liberal staffer. The rise of Julia Gillard and the demise of Kevin Rudd again dominated the Q&A agenda. The first question, from audience member Graham Craig, quoted an Annabel Crabb article in which she referred to the PM as a political killing machine who was possibly unstoppable. To underline the point Q&A played an excerpt from a new GetUp! advertisement depicting leading contemporary politicians as modern-day gladiators engaged in mortal combat. Annabel suggested that what Julia did to Kevin showed the 'killing machine' analogy was correct. Craig Chung then asked about the role of factional bosses in the ALP, sparking a stoush between George Brandis and Tony Burke about the Labor leadership. Tony said the change was in the national interest and George said it was undemocratic. Mark Harrington, from Cowes in Victoria, asked by video why ministers had not moved against Kevin Rudd earlier if the Government was as dysfunctional as some claimed. After Marinela Currie, from Mount Colah in NSW, asked via the web why Kevin Rudd was a loner, Tony Burke objected that the former PM should be spared amateur psychoanalysis. The topic changed to asylum seekers, with Fran Corner asking about Labor's forthcoming policy announcement and Tony suggesting there was no magic solution to the problem. Paul Marter asked whether recent policy changes indicated that the Government was leaning towards the right and Mukesh Tejwani suggested a cost-benefit analysis showed the arrival of asylum seekers was not contributing to sustainable population increase. On the same topic, Michael Collier, from Port Melbourne, asked via video whether the recent name change of Tony Burke's ministerial title - adding the word 'sustainable' - actually meant anything. The show ended with a question from Nicole Robinson, who asked whether Julia Gillard would be a more unifying national leader because of her self-proclaimed status as an atheist.",
"time": "2010-07-05T21:35+1000",
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"10662920": {
"episode_id": 10662920,
"title": "The Gillard Coup",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-gillard-coup/10662920",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662918-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Bill Shorten, Parliamentary Secretary for Disability Services; Barnaby Joyce, National Party Senate Leader; Christine Wallace, political biographer and journalist; Magda Szubanski, actor and comedian; Harold Mitchell, advertising guru and philanthropist; and Janet Albrechtsen, columnist for The Australian. After the spectacular events in Canberra that saw Julia Gillard replace Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister, there was a woman in charge of the nation and also a woman in charge of Q&A as News Breakfast host Virginia Trioli stood in for usual presenter Tony Jones. The Gillard ascendancy was the only subject that the audience wanted to talk about in a show that featured one of the chief architects of that historic event, Bill Shorten. Lyrian Fleming summed up the feelings of many audience members by asking how future leaders would be able to govern knowing they might be one bad poll away from being dumped. Dimitri Zantidis, via video from Melbourne, asked what Bill had to say about a Prime Minister being taken down in a coup by a few factional union leaders, and Laura Giltrap said the Rudd farewell speech was the best she had seen him make. With the exception of Barnaby Joyce the panel was overhwelmingly supportive of the sudden changes at the top, with the conservative writer Janet Albrechtsen praising the way Labor had achieved its leadership transition and Harold Mitchell quoting Churchill: lead, follow or get out of the way. Christine Wallace, currently writing a biography of Julia Gillard, said if the Liberals had shown the same guts and clear-sightedness they would not have lost in 2007. Barnaby was scornful of Labor's cold-bloodedness and said any Prime Minister deserved to contest a second election. But Bill argued that the Government had lost its way over several months, and said for members of the Labor caucus it was the hardest decision they had been required to make in their political lives. The focus shifted when Alex Jessup asked about the importance of humour in political discourse, prompting Magda Szubanski to bring out the red wig she wore as Sharon in Kath and Kim and attempt to put it on Barnaby. Erin van Krimpen and Lance Westerberg raised issues concerning the perception of women in politics, and Lee-Anne Hall asked whether remarks by Ms Gillard on sustainable population were actually a dog-whistle to voters about immigration. Barney Smeaton asked whether the level of political debate had been made too shallow by the demands of the media, and Daniel Noll asked Magda how she might impersonate the new PM. Sadly she declined to attempt it there and then.",
"time": "2010-06-28T21:35+1000",
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"10662924": {
"episode_id": 10662924,
"title": "Greens in the Spotlight",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/greens-in-the-spotlight/10662924",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662922-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Craig Emerson, Minister for Small Business; former Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull; Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young; Labor legend and former Senator Graham Richardson; and Jessica Brown, policy analyst from the Centre for Independent Studies. With the Federal Government continuing to languish in the polls and the NSW State Labor Government having just received a record swing against it in a by-election in Penrith, the current political agenda was always going to dominate this politics-heavy panel. But the late-breaking news that three more Australians had been killed in Afghanistan prompted Zeb Muller to ask why Australia was involved in that conflict and how many more would die before the troops were brought home. Jason Bradshaw then asked about the federal implications of the Penrith result (none according to the Labor panellists, a lot according to Malcolm Turnbull) and Daniel Keogh challenged Malcolm about the conflict between himself and Tony Abbott over the Emissions Trading Scheme. Craig Emerson took the opportunity to quote from a book launched earlier in the day that detailed the internal treachery that saw Malcolm deposed as leader late in 2009. The attention then turned to the Greens, whose fortunes have surged in recent polls. Boris Brkic asked Sarah Hanson-Young why the Greens had helped destroy Labor's ETS, suggesting that an imperfect scheme would be better than nothing at all, and Ralph Panebianco asked how the Greens would feel if their campaigning and preference deals put Tony Abbott into the Lodge. Sarah's answer prompted Malcolm to suggest she was sounding like one of the mainstream politicians the Greens always said they were not. Graham suggested the problem with the Greens was their absolutism - they demanded everything they wanted and would not settle for less. And would it be an irony if Tony Abbott, whose opposition to an ETS triggered the defeat of Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal leader, became Prime Minister as a result of Greens preferences? Absolutely, said Malcolm Turnbull.",
"time": "2010-06-21T21:35+1000",
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"10662928": {
"episode_id": 10662928,
"title": "For Lovers of Animals",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/for-lovers-of-animals/10662928",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662926-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Peter Garrett, Minister for Environment Protection; Peter Singer, philosopher and ethicist; Helen Coonan, Liberal Senator; David Marr, author and journalist; and Jayashri Kulkarni, professor of psychiatry. What's so special about whales? Audience member Jacob Hunt summed up the thoughts of many when he asked why so much effort was put into protecting whales and not into the welfare of farmed animals. Although Peter Garrett said the Government had a range of measures to safeguard livestock from cruelty and neglect, noted animal-rights supporter Peter Singer said the facts about inhumane animal treatment could not be denied. John Hancock asked if there was a relevant difference between whales and chickens and Chiang Lim sparked a passionate Twitter and email response from viewers by raising Peter Singer's documented support for euthanising severely disabled newborn babies. Max Milgate then asked about David Marr's recent essay in which he concluded that Kevin Rudd was driven by anger, causing psychiatrist Jayashri Kulkarni to castigate David for making a diagnosis on the PM he was not qualified to make. Lei Gao asked whether the PM, accused of cowardice for deferring an emissions trading scheme, was showing courage by fighting for the mining super-profits tax, and Chris Andrew raised the so-called Robin Hood tax on financial transactions advocated by Peter Singer and others to alleviate world poverty. NSW viewer Deidre Baker, via the web, then brought up an article in which Peter Singer challenged the taboo on humans having sexual relations with animals. Please explain, she asked, and Peter did. Amid the tumult that ended the show Helen Coonan announced that she owned two beautiful golden retrievers.",
"time": "2010-06-14T21:35+1000",
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"10662932": {
"episode_id": 10662932,
"title": "Q and A Goes West",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/q-and-a-goes-west/10662932",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662930-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Financial Services Minister Chris Bowen; Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison; AFL legend Kevin Sheedy; NSW Liberal MP Pru Goward; youth representative and human rights activist Samah Hadid; and lawyer and community worker Heath Ducker. Q&A went to the heartland of suburban Australia for this special episode, which was broadcast live from the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre on Sydney's south-western fringe. An audience of more than 300 drawn from the western suburbs ensured a lively program in which the six-person panel was confronted with a broad range of issues of concern to middle Australia. Given the Government's recent plunge in the polls it was no surprise that many questions were about politics. Andrew Walker summed up the views of many by asking what happened to Kevin07, suggesting Kevin10 was a completely different person. Web questioner Marta Balan asked if the ALP had a plan B and Father Antonios Kaldas raised the issue of sneaky political word-games, asking why did politics have to be so political? Felicity Chew turned the tables by suggesting she was no longer a Liberal supporter because Tony Abbott wanted to cut services and oppose Labor's tax plans. The topic changed to immigration and multiculturalism when Andrew Barrs challenged both Scott Morrison and Chris Bowen on their asylum-seeker policies and Yang Li suggested the new Liberal policy would be expensive to implement. Amir Dedic, a young Muslim, questioned whether Muslims were as alienated in Australia as some claimed, and David Miskov asked if some immigrants found it hard to integrate because they did not want to be fully Australian. This earned a sharp rejoinder from Samah Hadid, who asked what being fully Australian meant. The presence of Kevin Sheedy, coach of the new Greater Western Sydney AFL team, meant a discussion about rival football codes was inevitable. Will Mathews asked about Aussie Rules as a force for social change, allowing Kevin to cite the many multicultural and indigenous programs implemented by the AFL. Lance Westerberg raised the poaching of Rugby League players and suggested the money spent on high-profile signings (such as NRL star Israel Folau for a rumoured $4 million or more) should go to junior sport instead. Kevin replied that Folau had already engendered more than $10 million worth of publicity and the AFL had spent $120 million on development in Western Sydney already.",
"time": "2010-06-07T21:35+1000",
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"10662936": {
"episode_id": 10662936,
"title": "Backlash in Bennelong?",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/backlash-in-bennelong/10662936",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662934-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panelists: Maxine McKew, member for Bennelong; Liberal senator Cory Bernardi; law student and political aspirant Mitch Grady; Miriam Lyons, Director of the Centre for Policy Development; and singer and song-writer Clare Bowditch. Breaking news about a deadly raid by Israeli forces on a flotilla of ships seeking to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza prompted a question from Trish Marinozzi about whether the UN should intervene in the Gaza crisis. But for this episode most audience interest centred on the Government's proposed tax on mining profits and its decision to launch a $38 million advertising blitz to counter the anti-tax campaign being funded by the mining industry. Maxine McKew, who holds the Sydney seat of Bennelong by a slender margin after defeating former PM John Howard in 2007, bore the brunt of audience hostility over the contentious tax issues and had to contend with some rowdy barracking from pro-Liberal audience members. Phil Kelly confronted her directly by asking whether Labor was so desperate to cover for its mistakes that promises no longer mattered, and John Fryer sparked some angry exchanges when he cited the benefits of Norway's 78 per cent resource tax. Anna Trefely provided some relief from the heat of political debate by asking about the possible downsides of Facebook and other social networking sites before Adam Sacca raised Cory Bernardi's recent call for the burqa to be banned in Australia for security and cultural reasons. James Butchers from Brisbane, via video, finished the program by asking Mitch Grady, a former member of the Young Liberals, about reconciling the shift towards conservatism in the Liberal Party with the progressive attitudes of most young people. This episode ended with Clare Bowditch and backing vocalists performing one of her best-known songs, Bigger than the Money.",
"time": "2010-05-31T21:35+1000",
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"10662940": {
"episode_id": 10662940,
"title": "Democracy, Death and Taxes",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/democracy-death-and-taxes/10662940",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662938-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Acclaimed authors Peter Carey, Lionel Shriver and John Ralston Saul; Indigenous academic Marcia Langton; and former Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. It is a recurring theme in the writing and lectures of Peter Carey that education is the basis for democracy and that contemporary society - in Australia and in America where he now lives - is being 'dumbed down' to the point where large sections of the population are incapable of making informed decisions about politics. This issue was canvassed by audience member Megan Orrin and then by Mandy Truong, who asked whether Sarah Palin might become US President - a prospect most panellists greeted with horror. Laura Major then brought up the idea of truth in politics, based on recent contentious remarks by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott who suggested some of his pronouncements should be treated more as gospel truth than others. Paul Sherrington then asked Malcolm Fraser to choose which was best, the current Labor government or the Whitlam government. Malcolm said the appropriate term was 'least worst' and the Rudd government was guilty of gross administrative failures. Melinda Mann-Yasso asked by video from Brisbane about the mining super-profits tax, specifically its impact on the benefits now enjoyed by Aboriginal communities with mining operations on their land. Marcia Langton said while she agreed in principle with the tax there had been an inadequate debate about the effects on Indigenous communities, while Malcolm suggested the timing of the tax proposal - given international economic uncertainty - was stupid. The program ended on a sombre note with a question from Morelle Bull about the ethics associated with treatment of the terminally ill.",
"time": "2010-05-24T21:35+1000",
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"10662944": {
"episode_id": 10662944,
"title": "Budget special",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/budget-special/10662944",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662942-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Lindsay Tanner, Minister for Finance; Joe Hockey, Shadow Treasurer. With the Budget delivered and an election due in a few months the political intensity has gone up several notches, as was shown in this passionate and at times fiery episode of Q&A. Lindsay Tanner and Joe Hockey demonstrated they were willing and able to slug it out for their respective sides on that all-important electoral battleground, the economy. A big studio audience submitted a deluge of questions on all aspects of the Budget. Arthur Paras got the ball rolling by questioning the Prime Minister's credentials as a self-proclaimed economic conservative and Natasha Omar asked why voters had to wait to see the Opposition's alternative economic policies which Tony Abbott chose not to unveil in his budget reply speech. Robert Atanasov queried the benefit for business of a cut in company tax and an increase in the superannuation levy and Jacqui Lennon asked how the coalition would fund future pensions if they opposed the higher levy rate. Jon Harris and web questioner Melanie Higgs, from Gympie in Queensland, raised the Opposition's parental leave plan and then Jean-Marie Fricot brought up the dominant post-Budget issue, the proposed tax on mining super-profits. While he suggested the proposal would be bad for the industry and the country, Brian Concannon said the resources were owned by all Australians and the benefits should be shared. Selina Springett asked whether there was a Plan B in case the China economic bubble burst and Guy Grinham challenged both sides to commit to wholesale reform of the taxation system. The show ended on a political note when web questioner Bruce May, from Adelaide, suggested that the Rudd-Swan duo should be replaced before the election by a Gillard-Tanner team. Lindsay thanked him for the implied compliment but insisted the existing leadership arrangements would not change.",
"time": "2010-05-17T21:35+1000",
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"10662948": {
"episode_id": 10662948,
"title": "Censorship in Cyberspace",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/censorship-in-cyberspace/10662948",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662946-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Kaiser Kuo, internet consultant; Brendan O'Connor, Minister for Home Affairs; Sophie Mirabella, shadow minister for innovation; columnist and commentator Helen Razer; and Brett Solomon, Executive Director of Accessnow.org. A sharp rise in dissatisfaction with the Government over recent policy reversals prompted audience member Daniel Guerra to ask what choice there was for voters who wanted real progressive change, and web questioner Joe Kunnel to wonder whether Kevin Rudd would remain as leader should Labor be returned. But the focus for most viewers and the studio audience was on the internet and attempts to control, regulate or censor its content. Video questioner Thomas Karpiniec, from Hobart, asked whether the internet had its own sovereignty and if any nation had the right to impose regulations upon it. This notion was popular with Brett Solomon, Helen Razer and the audience, but Kaiser Kuo, a China resident with extended experience of Beijing's oppressive censorship regime, described it as a techno-utopian fallacy. Greta Coll asked Kaiser about his views on the range of choices offered by the net and the tendency for users to have their beliefs reinforced rather than challenged by it. The co-founder of child protection group Childwise, Bernadette McMenamin, via video from South Melbourne, brought up the Government's proposed anti-pornography filter. She said service providers should be held accountable for the dissemination of child pornography and the filter idea should be supported. Brendan O'Connor argued the Government's case in the face of great hostility from Brett, Helen and several audience members. A viewer call via Twitter for a show of hands in the audience showed overwhelming opposition to the filter. Trish Maranozzi then raised the issue of the sacking by The Age of columnist (and occasional Q&A panellist) Catherine Deveny for her Logie night Twitter activities which caused considerable offence. Helen described why she had ceased using the medium because she was too outspoken, and audience members queried why the media concentrated on extremes and suggested the focus should be more on rights and less on restrictions.",
"time": "2010-05-10T21:35+1000",
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"10662952": {
"episode_id": 10662952,
"title": "Emissions Trading, Taxation and Trust",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/emissions-trading-taxation-and-trust/10662952",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662950-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Climate Change Minister Penny Wong; Liberal Senator Nick Minchin; Deputy Greens Leader Christine Milne; John Symond of Aussie Home Loans; and Paul Howes, national secretary of the Australian Workers' Union. The Government's decision to defer its proposed ETS (emissions trading scheme) for at least three years, and its announcement in the wake of the Henry tax review that super-profits in the mining industry would be subject to a new tax, dominated this feisty, highly-charged episode of Q&A. Audience member Graeme Smith was supported by all panellists except Penny Wong in calling for the mining tax receipts to go into a sovereign wealth fund, and Paul Howes - vehemently rejecting the assertion by web questioner Robert Jenkins that the tax would cost jobs - won applause for declaring that the minerals belonged to the whole country, not just the mining companies. It was too much for Nick Minchin, who passionately denounced the tax and said the Government was a danger to the nation. John Symond was cheered when he said the problem with the tax system was too much government, and called for the States to be abolished. Michael Chen then cited the ETS decision and a number of other recent policy reversal and asked why voters should re-elect the Government. Penny defended the Government's climate change record, sparking a series of sharp exchanges with both Christine Milne and Nick. Two young Adelaide scientists, Corri Baker and Hilary Coleman, kept the climate change discussion going by asking via video why politicians ignored the views of expert scientists, prompting Nick to raise the Climategate emails and Penny to accuse him of thinking global warming was a left-wing conspiracy. Nick continued to be at the centre of proceedings: when Dana McMullen raised old comments of his defending the tobacco industry he said smokers were not a major drain on the health system because they died early; when Lei Gao brought up Malcolm Turnbull's decision to remain in Parliament after previously saying he would quit, Nick earned an unkind round of applause from some audience members by declaring that his own decision to retire from politics would not be changed. Reinilda Delima closed the show by suggesting the Government's response to the Henry review was timid and politically-driven.",
"time": "2010-05-03T21:35+1000",
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"10662956": {
"episode_id": 10662956,
"title": "Anzac Day Special",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/anzac-day-special/10662956",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662954-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Former Defence Force Chief General Peter Cosgrove; author and feminist icon Germaine Greer; Brigadier Alison Creagh; historian Professor Henry Reynolds; and Peter FitzSimons, author and journalist. With the national debate over the true meaning of Anzac Day to modern Australia showing no sign of letting up, Q&A assembled an eminent and diverse panel to examine the issue in detail. A starting point for the discussion was a collection of essays co-edited by Henry Reynolds entitled What's Wrong With Anzac? The Militarisation of Australian History. Audience member Emma Cardwell went straight to the heart of the matter when she suggested that the Anzac legend reflected the values of men from a bygone era, and asked how those values were relevant today. Some of the natural divisions on the panel quickly became evident when Germaine Greer asked if we actually needed an army. Career soldiers Peter Cosgrove and Alison Creagh suggested we probably did. History teacher Chris Lindsay, citing allegations that war historian Charles Bean had sought to omit some parts of the Anzac story that did not reflect well on Australian troops, asked whether the legend was a half-truth or perhaps a lie, then Jean Hart captivated the audience by recounting the story of her war-damaged husband and asking whether we could construct a more positive legend for future generations built on peace. Michael Ham, via video from Queensland, expressed concern that the Gallipoli story overshadowed the feats of Australians in other battles, a point taken up with vigour by Peter FitzSimons who has published books on Tobruk and Kokoda. Carmel Caggegi queried why there was so little recognition of Aboriginal soldiers and Frances Mao questioned the relevance of Anzac to younger generations, especially those from migrant backgrounds. The discussion moved to the issue of nationalism when former One Nation candidate Bob Vinnicombe raised security issues associated with Muslim immigration and James Brettell asked whether an over-emphasis on the Anzac legend had promoted such events as the Cronulla race riots and the anti-immigrant Aussie Pride movement. The final questioner, Susan Ann Bisson, asked the panel about celebrations for the Anzac centenary in 2015. None of them agreed with her suggestion that at this point the commemorations should cease.",
"time": "2010-04-26T21:35+1000",
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"10662960": {
"episode_id": 10662960,
"title": "Premiers, Population and the Politics of Fear",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/premiers-population-and-the-politics-of-fear/10662960",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662958-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Bob Carr, former NSW Premier; Scott Morrison, Opposition immigration spokesman; Heather Ridout, chief executive of the Australian Industry Group; national director of GetUp, Simon Sheikh; and communication consultant Shimrit Nothman. As Premier of the biggest State for ten years, Bob Carr knows a thing or two about Federal-State relations. So when Alex Brown asked about the Commonwealth's bid to remove a large slice of health funding and responsibility from State control, he had an idea: implement a 10-year national plan to reduce the size of State governments dramatically, giving them no more than five ministers and making them essentially a part-time operation. How the States respond to this suggestion remains to be seen. Glen Turner asked about Christine Nixon, former Police Commissioner, going to dinner during the Black Saturday bushfire tragedy. Heather Ridout was applauded by the audience for backing Ms Nixon and Bob said he enjoyed seeing the campaign against her 'fall flat on its face'. Carolyn Cash asked about the glorification of criminals on the Underbelly TV series and Dikla Blum picked up on comments by Heather about women in the corporate world, asking whether women needed to be 'blokier than the blokes'. Robust discussion of population, migration and asylum seekers then dominated the program. Gordon Hocking raised population growth rates and asked what was an appropriate figure for Australia. Heather defended the need for a bigger Australia but this was disputed by Bob and Simon Sheikh on sustainability grounds. She and Scott Morrison clashed over the provision of essential infrastructure under the Howard government and Scott insisted that the oft-quoted correlation between economic growth and population growth did not exist. Well-known businessman Dick Smith, of Dee Why in Sydney, asked via video about skills shortages and said Australian workers should be trained before migrants were brought in. Joy Goodsell, from Scott's Sydney electorate in the Sutherland Shire, sparked a spirited response from her local member when she accused him of fear-mongering over Muslim immigration. The program ended with a web question from Sivanantham Kugananthan, a Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seeker currently in Sydney's Villawood detention centre. Claiming he would be tortured and killed if repatriated, he asked why the UN regarded him as a refugee but Australia did not.",
"time": "2010-04-19T21:35+1000",
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"10662964": {
"episode_id": 10662964,
"title": "The American Ambassador on Q&A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-american-ambassador-on-qa/10662964",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662962-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "The panel includes: Greg Sheridan, Joe Hockey, Tanya Plibersek, Jeff Bleich and Lucy Turnbull.",
"time": "2010-04-12T21:35+1000",
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"10662968": {
"episode_id": 10662968,
"title": "Tony Abbott on Q and A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/tony-abbott-on-q-and-a/10662968",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662966-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "A veteran of many Q&A panels since the program's earliest days, Tony Abbott this time faced the audience alone as Leader of the Opposition. A sharp and well-informed audience put him through the hoops on issues across the policy spectrum, and Tony kept his answers brief enough to allow room for well over 20 questions from those in the studio and from others around Australia via video and the web. From the outset he was required to outline his position on such contentious issues as population growth and asylum seekers, with web questioner Brenton Anthony from Canberra asking, in relation to boat people, what Jesus would have done. Tony replied that Jesus would not have 'put his hand up to lead the Liberal Party' and that Christ had not 'said yes to everyone.' A number of questioners asked about his leadership style, his conservatism and his combative nature, with Townsville resident Dorothy Pottyondy chiding him via video for his recent debate performance and earning an acknowledgement that he had misjudged the tone of the event. Audience member Andrew Creagh challenged him over his attitudes on homosexuality, sparking some dispute within the studio audience, and Ron Ao and Adrian Zanetic sought the opinions of Tony - well known to be a devout Catholic - on sex abuse scandals within the Church. Tony admitted to being uncomfortable answering such questions. A number of other issues were canvassed, including health funding, the economy, policy back-flips, industrial relations, internet censorship and a move to restrict the display of soft-porn magazines in shops. Tim Lee asked what the Howard government might have done differently before the last election, and Tony conceded that ratifying the Kyoto Protocol and apologising to the stolen generations would have been a good idea. The program ended with a question from Alex James on the republic issue. Tony was asked if he could see himself ever being leader of a republican Australia, and he replied that his political career was not going to last that long.",
"time": "2010-04-05T21:35+1000",
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"10662972": {
"episode_id": 10662972,
"title": "Greens, budgies and staffers...",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/greens-budgies-and-staffers/10662972",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662970-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Craig Emerson, Minister for Small Business; Kelly O'Dwyer, Liberal MP; Sue Cato, spin doctor; Nick McKim, Leader of the Tasmanian Greens; and Graham Richardson, lobbyist and former Labor minister. Who on the panel observed Earth Hour and switched off their lights on the previous Saturday night? That was the question from audience member Teri Mrena, and as it turned out Nick McKim was the only panellist who had symbolically plunged his house into darkness. (Sue Cato supported the idea but admitted to being in a bar at the time in question.) The green theme continued when the recent record-breaking performance by the Greens in the Tasmanian election was discussed. Alex van Vucht raised possible federal implications and Lorraine Bower asked Nick where he would make compromises if asked to form a government with either of the major parties. Both Graham Richardson and Craig Emerson were sceptical about the big State Green vote having federal ramifications, and Kelly O'Dwyer pointed out that the Greens had done poorly in the Higgins by-election won by her last December. The colour scheme changed when Graeme Jones asked about the pink lycra worn by Tony Abbott during his Ironman feat and the political pros and cons of the Opposition Leader's extreme fitness regime. Web questioner Rob Fountain, from Erina in NSW, asked Craig whether Labor criticisms of this activity were based on jealousy. Calum Davis then brought up the previous week's Rudd-Abbott health debate, and asked whether the use of 'the worm' to monitor audience reaction was at odds with the democratic process. Kelly then found herself playing a lone defensive role after Matthew Rodd accused the Opposition of using 'dehumanising and cynical' descriptions of asylum-seeking boat arrivals. The program ended with Anshu Wijeyeratne asking about the increase in political staffers entering politics, and whether this was a good thing. With all panellists having at one time or another worked as political staff, they all agreed this was not a problem and it was the quality of the candidate that counted, not his or her job.",
"time": "2010-03-29T22:35+1100",
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"10662976": {
"episode_id": 10662976,
"title": "The Health of the Nation",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-health-of-the-nation/10662976",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662974-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Nicola Roxon, Minister for Health; Baroness Valerie Amos, United Kingdom High Commissioner to Australia; Greg Hunt, Opposition environment spokesman; John 'Rampaging Roy Slaven' Doyle, broadcaster and playwright; and Tim Wilson, from the free-market think tank the Institute for Public Affairs. On the eve of an unprecedented debate on health policy between the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader, and with Nicola Roxon on the panel, the state of Australia's health service was always going to dominate this episode of Q&A. After audience members Daisy Correa and Lei Gao quizzed the panel on the fate of Australian-Chinese businessman Stern Hu, on trial in China for bribery, Luke Broadhurst asked what the average Australian might take out of the leaders' debate on health care. Stephen Lowndes asked Nicola about the prospects for reform beyond funding issues and Neil Miley raised the taxpayer-funded subsidy to the private health industry. Victorian viewer Sally Hulse asked via video about the vexed issue of reform in the mental-health sphere, citing her own circumstances as having a parent with chronic paranoid schizophrenia. This led both John and Greg to speak about their own family experiences of mental illness and disability. Gerald Kelly, from Lenswood in South Australia, generated both humour and introspection by asking by video about modern politics and the rise of spin doctors, with several panellists and audience members regretting the dominance of the quick sound bite in contemporary political discourse. Ben Sewell then changed the tone by raising the popularity of 20/20 cricket, causing certain panellists to out themselves as non-fans of cricket and prompting John Doyle to suggest that the fast game was the sporting equivalent of the superficial political sound bite referred to in the previous question.",
"time": "2010-03-22T22:35+1100",
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"10662980": {
"episode_id": 10662980,
"title": "Conservatives, Comedians and Political Correctness",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/conservatives-comedians-and-political-correctness/10662980",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662978-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Miranda Devine, conservative columnist with The Sydney Morning Herald; Catherine Deveny, comedian and anything but conservative columnist with The Age; Waleed Aly, politics lecturer; Bill Shorten, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities; and Peter Dutton, shadow health minister. With the latest in the Quarterly Essay series being a detailed analysis of contemporary conservativism by Waleed Aly, and with Miranda Devine making her long-awaited Q&A debut, issues relating to conservatism were always likely to dominate this episode. They found early expression in the subject of the Opposition's most recent political foray, a condemnation of the widespread practice at official functions of acknowledging traditional indigenous inhabitants. A question from Micaela Callan raised this issue in conjunction with the use of prayers to open Parliament, and sparked an extended discussion about tokenism, atheism and political correctness. Web questioner Andrew James Brown asked Peter Dutton to explain why he had walked out during the Parliament's apology to the stolen generations and many enthusiastic audience members joined in the debate. After a video question from Beverley Swarley about the Opposition's parental leave scheme, Melanie Kembrey noted that the scheme had been supported by the Greens, feminists and trade unions. What, she asked, was going on in conservative politics? Waleed contended that classical conservatism was different from the neo-liberalism exhibited by many on the Right in Australia, and Laura Ryan asked Miranda what it meant to be conservative and whether she enjoyed having that label. The show ended with a question from David Whitcombe about climate change, and specifically the distinction between science-based sceptics and politically-motivated denialists. Waleed suggested that few people really understood the science and most chose to accept those arguments that supported their own world view.",
"time": "2010-03-15T22:35+1100",
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"10662984": {
"episode_id": 10662984,
"title": "God, Science and Sanity",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/god-science-and-sanity/10662984",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662982-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Richard Dawkins, author, evolutionary biologist and atheist; Patrick McGorry, mental health expert and Australian of the Year; Rabbi Jackie Nino; Family First Senator Steve Fielding; Julie Bishop, Deputy Opposition Leader; and Tony Burke, Minister for Agriculture. The presence of Richard Dawkins on this fascinating episode of Q&A ensured that the issues of interest to viewers overwhelmingly centred on God, atheism and spirituality. Almost from the start of the program, when Arthur Lith asked whether one could believe in both God and evolution, Richard and the evangelist Christian Steve Fielding displayed their differences on the fundamental question of evolution versus creationism. Dan Anderson asked whether religious belief could be a form of mental illness and Cassandra Devine, via the web from Victoria, suggested Richard was like an adult telling children that Santa Claus was not real. Richard responded that eventually children grew up. The religious theme continued when Renee Brasier and web questioner David asked about teaching religious studies and intelligent design in schools, then Hamzeh Qureshi challenged Richard on whether an atheist could have absolute morality. A question from Andrew Kollington on the punishment for homosexuals demanded in sections of the Bible led to a terse exchange between Richard and Tony Burke, with the latter - a committed Catholic - suggesting the views of believers deserved respect not ridicule. With time running out there was a discussion of asylum seeker policy after a question from Dennis Colombo, then Queenslander Patrick O'Shea asked via the web whether panellists hoped for an afterlife. Richard declared there was no such thing and Tony suggested that Richard would enjoy the afterlife in which he did not believe.",
"time": "2010-03-08T22:35+1100",
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"10662988": {
"episode_id": 10662988,
"title": "Art, Power and Passion",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/art-power-and-passion/10662988",
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"teaser": "Panellists: Peter Garrett, Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts; Chris Pyne, Opposition education spokesman; Jin Xing, choreographer and dancer; Eddie Perfect, comedian and performer; Brenda Croft, artist and curator; and Paul Grabowsky, Director of the Adelaide Festival. This was a special edition of Q&A, presented in the famous Spiegeltent from the heart of the Adelaide Festival, with the emphasis on arts and culture. But the presence of Peter Garrett, at this point the most controversial minister in the Rudd government because of the furore over his bungled home-insulation scheme, meant that ministerial responsibility and related issues would inevitably be addressed. Audience member Sanjay Kumar summed up the views of many questioners by asking why Peter should remain in the Cabinet. Patrick McCabe also touched on a common theme by asking whether Peter was able to effect more change for the better in the ALP or Midnight Oil. Georgia Goldsworthy then asked about the role of the arts in acting as a watchdog of government, and Sarah Tomlinson wondered why the arts community was Labor-inclined and how the conservatives might set about wooing its vote. Mark Dodd queried why the arts should receive public funding at all - a proposition that was unanimously rejected by the panel - and Lia Sivlans made the panel think quickly by asking what was the role of sex in art. The program ended with an animated discussion on censorship, specifically the Bill Henson controversy, prompted by a question from Josephine Gillespie. Kevin Rudd's comments on that issue were condemned by several panellists, but Chris Pyne defended the PM's right to speak on the matter and Peter suggested the arts community had 'missed the point about Henson' which was all about context.",
"time": "2010-03-01T22:35+1100",
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"10662992": {
"episode_id": 10662992,
"title": "Turnbull Returns",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/turnbull-returns/10662992",
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"teaser": "Panellists: Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek; former Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull; veteran political commentator and humorist Mungo MacCallum; publicist and advertising consultant Jane Caro; and conservative advocate John Roskam from the Institute of Public Affairs. Having avoided media appearances since losing the Liberal leadership late last year, Malcolm Turnbull chose the Q&A panel - where he has been a distinguished guest since the program's early days - to return to the spotlight. His appearance attracted considerable attention with a large number of viewers keen to know his plans for the future, but the initial focus was the plight of beleaguered Environment Minister Peter Garrett and whether he should resign or not. Christopher Ma and Ross Mitchell sought the panel's views (which were sharply divided) on ministerial responsibility and how much Garrett was to blame for deep-seated problems in the Government's roof-insulation stimulus scheme. The next questioner, Tim Matthews, provoked a startling array of responses by raising the issue of Tony Abbott announcing he would give up sex for Lent, then Katherine Waldron and Michael Chen brought up emissions trading and whether the Liberal Party's policy represented an abandonment of the party's core principles. Malcolm, who had lost his leadership on the issue, outlined why he had chosen to defy his party and vote with the Government on this issue. A number of questioners - Robyn Dalziell by video, Tim Emery on the web and Daniel Richardson in the audience - then quizzed Malcolm about his future: would he start a new party, join the ALP, become NSW Premier, try again for the Liberal leadership? Malcolm declined the offer to spell out his plans. Louise Easson raised Tony Abbott's decision to end bipartisan support for the Government's targets on homelessness, and Kazzie Kennedy offered to take the Opposition Leader with her to meet homeless people and ask them whether they were homeless by choice.",
"time": "2010-02-22T22:35+1100",
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"10662996": {
"episode_id": 10662996,
"title": "Tanner and Joyce Go Head to Head",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/tanner-and-joyce-go-head-to-head/10662996",
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"teaser": "Panellists: Lindsay Tanner, Minister for Finance; Barnaby Joyce, shadow minister for finance; Melinda Tankard Reist, author and advocate; Satyajit Das, financial consultant and former banker; Rebecca Huntley, social researcher. Q&A's first full panel for 2010 brought Lindsay Tanner and his Opposition counterpart, Barnaby Joyce, together to thrash out the big economic and political issues facing Australia in this election year. Audience member Craig Chung made early reference to some difficulties encountered by Barnaby in his new portfolio, then Victorian viewer Garry Juggins challenged Lindsay about his admiration for Gough Whitlam and Australia's debt level. Trish Cassimatis asked about the political value of self-proclaimed 'straight-talking' politicians and Robin Sproule raised the media focus on Tony Abbott's action-man image. Rhiannon Carter wondered whether Australia was relying too much on China and its commodity reserves to sustain it economically. Audience member Bear Stanley advocated a flat tax rate but got no support from either Lindsay or Barnaby, then Peter Thornton voiced the concerns of many veterans about the mechanism for increasing pensions for retired defence force personnel. The program ended with a question from Natalie Lammas about 'whorish' children's clothes and whether government regulation was required to prevent the sexualisation of young girls.",
"time": "2010-02-15T22:30+1100",
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"10663000": {
"episode_id": 10663000,
"title": "The PM on Q and A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/the-pm-on-q-and-a/10663000",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662998-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Q&A made a triumphant return for 2010 with a special program from Old Parliament House in Canberra featuring Kevin Rudd and an audience of 200 young Australians aged 16-25. Program producers were inundated with hundreds of excellent questions from this group. Steven Lee tried (unsuccessfully) to extract Labor's next election slogan from the PM - the follow-up to 'Kevin 07' - and Matthew Laing and Angela Samuels challenged him vigorously over broken election promises. Fleur Cribb and Linna Wei raised the issues of poor driving and excessive drinking by teenagers, prompting Mr Rudd to admit he would prefer a higher drinking age. In response to a question from Georgia Lourandos he indicated he was not in favour of banning the wearing of the burqa, and told Jeff Shen that the foreign student program was not simply a revenue raiser and their contribution was greatly valued. The PM expressed shock and anger over an episode of racism related by Indian student Om Perkash Batra, and in answer to another question on racism from Moses Aduot said racism had no part in modern Australia. Ceridwen Radcliffe raised the issue of internet piracy of music and movies, and the PM said he was not aware of any plans to legislate in this area. An in-depth discussion of climate change followed, with Nicky Vreugdenhil, Blaise Joseph and Kane Wishart seeking the PM's views on such matters as the emissions trading scheme, discredited scientific data and the desirability of a carbon tax. Kate Campbell asked about the correlation between lower socio-economic conditions and lower school performance, and the show ended with John Casey asking about Mr Rudd's hopes for Australia's future. His aim was for an Australia that had a strong and productive economy, modern infrastructure and was sustainable in terms of the environment, tolerance, harmony and national unity.",
"time": "2010-02-08T22:30+1100",
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"10661874": {
"episode_id": 10661874,
"title": "Malcolm Turnbull, Jessica Rudd, Ray Martin, Kate Ellis and Peter Reith",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/malcolm-turnbull-jessica-rudd-ray-martin-kate-ellis-and-peter-re/10661874",
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"teaser": "Malcolm Turnbull, Shadow Communications Minister; Jessica Rudd, novelist; Ray Martin, journalist and author; Kate Ellis, Minister for Employment Participation; and Peter Reith, former Howard Government Minister.",
"time": "2011-11-07T22:35+1100",
"download_url": "https://abcmedia.akamaized.net/tv/qanda/vodcast/qanda_2011_ep39.mp4",
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"10661906": {
"episode_id": 10661906,
"title": "A Musical Q and A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/a-musical-q-and-a/10661906",
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"teaser": "Panellists: Allan Asher, outgoing Ombudsman; Richard Gill, Music Director of the Victorian Opera; Anne Summers, author and feminist; Tanveer Ahmed, psychiatrist and commentator and Rebecca Weisser, Opinion Editor of The Australian.",
"time": "2011-10-31T22:35+1100",
"download_url": "https://abcmedia.akamaized.net/tv/qanda/vodcast/qanda_2011_ep38.mp4",
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"10661954": {
"episode_id": 10661954,
"title": "Pope of trash and princess of pop",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/pope-of-trash-and-princess-of-pop/10661954",
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"teaser": "Panellists: John Waters, American filmmaker; Tanya Plibersek, Human Services Minister; Christopher Pyne, Opposition education spokesperson; Kate Miller-Heidke, singer songwriter; Graham Richardson, political commentator and strategist; Judith Sloan, economist and business woman.",
"time": "2011-10-24T22:35+1100",
"download_url": "https://abcmedia.akamaized.net/tv/qanda/vodcast/qanda_2011_ep37.mp4",
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"10661994": {
"episode_id": 10661994,
"title": "Q and A live from Darwin",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/q-and-a-live-from-darwin/10661994",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10661992-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Paul Henderson, Chief Minister NT; David Tollner, Country Liberal Party MP; Rosalie Kunoth-Monks, Central Australian Aboriginal elder; Fiona O'Loughlin, comedian and author; Stuart Blanch, Director, Environment Centre NT; Luke Bowen, Exec Director Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association.",
"time": "2011-10-17T22:35+1100",
"download_url": "https://abcmedia.akamaized.net/tv/qanda/vodcast/qanda_2011_ep36.mp4",
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"10662030": {
"episode_id": 10662030,
"title": "Kevin's Comeback",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/kevins-comeback/10662030",
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"teaser": "Panellists: Bill Shorten, Assistant Treasurer; Julie Bishop, Deputy Liberal Leader; Richard Flanagan, celebrated novelist and essayist; Ron Merkel, prominent barrister; and Caroline Overington, News Ltd journalist and author.",
"time": "2011-10-10T22:35+1100",
"download_url": "https://abcmedia.akamaized.net/tv/qanda/vodcast/qanda_2011_ep35.mp4",
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"10662062": {
"episode_id": 10662062,
"title": "A Very Dangerous Q&A",
"link": "https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/a-very-dangerous-qa/10662062",
"image_url": "https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10662060-16x9-large.jpg?v=2",
"teaser": "Panellists: Slavoj Zizek, firebrand philosopher; Kate Adie, BBC Foreign Correspondent; Jon Ronson, writer and psychopath expert; Mona Eltahawy, Egyptian born democracy activist; and Greg Sheridan, The Australian's foreign editor.",
"time": "2011-10-03T22:35+1100",
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