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| Q&A panellists take Tony Abbott to task for ban on frontbenchers appearing | Q&A panellists take Tony Abbott to task for ban on frontbenchers appearing |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Monday night’s Q&A panellists roundly criticised Tony Abbott’s decision to ban government ministers from appearing on the ABC program. | Monday night’s Q&A panellists roundly criticised Tony Abbott’s decision to ban government ministers from appearing on the ABC program. |
| The agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, had been due to appear on the program, only to withdraw following the prime minister’s edict. The decision followed the widely-criticised appearance of former terrorism suspect Zaky Mallah on Q&A two weeks ago. | The agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, had been due to appear on the program, only to withdraw following the prime minister’s edict. The decision followed the widely-criticised appearance of former terrorism suspect Zaky Mallah on Q&A two weeks ago. |
| Greg Sheridan, a senior journalist at the Australian and one of Abbott’s closest friends during their university years, was among the panellists who said the ban was a mistake. | Greg Sheridan, a senior journalist at the Australian and one of Abbott’s closest friends during their university years, was among the panellists who said the ban was a mistake. |
| “I think the government is mistaken to not come on this show,” Sheridan said. “The ABC made a mistake with Zaky Mallah, everyone recognises that, but the government is now in danger of making itself the issue.” | “I think the government is mistaken to not come on this show,” Sheridan said. “The ABC made a mistake with Zaky Mallah, everyone recognises that, but the government is now in danger of making itself the issue.” |
| Trisha Jha, a policy analyst at the centre-right Centre for Independent Studies, also criticised the ban, arguing that “you have to be in it to win it, that’s the only way that anything will change”. | Trisha Jha, a policy analyst at the centre-right Centre for Independent Studies, also criticised the ban, arguing that “you have to be in it to win it, that’s the only way that anything will change”. |
| Related: Q&A Barnaby Joyce ban: flick the switch back to 2010 and outrage seems familiar | Related: Q&A Barnaby Joyce ban: flick the switch back to 2010 and outrage seems familiar |
| Perhaps more predictably, the Labor and Greens representatives on the panel were also scornful of Abbott’s stance. | Perhaps more predictably, the Labor and Greens representatives on the panel were also scornful of Abbott’s stance. |
| Greens senator Larissa Waters said the move was a “huge overreaction” and a distraction from other issues. | Greens senator Larissa Waters said the move was a “huge overreaction” and a distraction from other issues. |
| “We know this government doesn’t like transparency and it likes to silence those that try to criticise it,” she said. “This is yet another example of the Abbott government not liking criticism and wanting to silence the public broadcaster for being independent and not being a champion for the Abbott government’s agenda.” | “We know this government doesn’t like transparency and it likes to silence those that try to criticise it,” she said. “This is yet another example of the Abbott government not liking criticism and wanting to silence the public broadcaster for being independent and not being a champion for the Abbott government’s agenda.” |
| Labor’s immigration spokesman, Richard Marles, said the ban was “weak”. | Labor’s immigration spokesman, Richard Marles, said the ban was “weak”. |
| “It’s fine for government ministers to have their weekly spot on [the Sydney radio show of] Ray Hadley but it doesn’t do a lot to scrutinise the policies of the government.” | “It’s fine for government ministers to have their weekly spot on [the Sydney radio show of] Ray Hadley but it doesn’t do a lot to scrutinise the policies of the government.” |
| Earlier on Monday, Joyce said he had acquiesced to Abbott’s demand to withdraw from the show due to “deference to the prime minister” but that he would have liked to have been told sooner of the ban. | Earlier on Monday, Joyce said he had acquiesced to Abbott’s demand to withdraw from the show due to “deference to the prime minister” but that he would have liked to have been told sooner of the ban. |
| “If you can’t take it on the chin, you’re in the wrong job,” Joyce said at a National Press Club lunch in Canberra. “I mean, how much do you want to put on the line for a television program?” | “If you can’t take it on the chin, you’re in the wrong job,” Joyce said at a National Press Club lunch in Canberra. “I mean, how much do you want to put on the line for a television program?” |
| It may be several months before Coalition frontbenchers appear on Q&A again. The prime minister’s office has decreed that no frontbenchers can appear on the program until the independent review by broadcaster Ray Martin and former SBS managing director Shaun Brown is completed. It is expected to take several months. | It may be several months before Coalition frontbenchers appear on Q&A again. The prime minister’s office has decreed that no frontbenchers can appear on the program until the independent review by broadcaster Ray Martin and former SBS managing director Shaun Brown is completed. It is expected to take several months. |
| Tony Jones, Q&A’s host, opened the show by saying that Joyce was “instructed to withdraw” from the panel on Abbott’s orders. Jones said he “expected” the communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, would appear next week as scheduled. | Tony Jones, Q&A’s host, opened the show by saying that Joyce was “instructed to withdraw” from the panel on Abbott’s orders. Jones said he “expected” the communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, would appear next week as scheduled. |
| Jones also thanked Buzzfeed Australia for listing the events that lasted less time than “Q&A-gate” including the Cuban missile crisis, which lasted for 13 days, and the political career of rugby league coach Mal Meninga, which ran for just 27 seconds. | Jones also thanked Buzzfeed Australia for listing the events that lasted less time than “Q&A-gate” including the Cuban missile crisis, which lasted for 13 days, and the political career of rugby league coach Mal Meninga, which ran for just 27 seconds. |
| Monday’s panel also discussed the Coalition’s policy of turning around asylum seeker boats headed for Australia. | Monday’s panel also discussed the Coalition’s policy of turning around asylum seeker boats headed for Australia. |
| Sheridan said the policy has been a “tremendous success” for the government and that any move to reverse it by Labor leftwingers would ensure Labor failed to win the next election. Marles refused to state clearly what Labor’s policy would be. | |
| Joyce was replaced on the panel by Vrasidas Karalis, professor of modern Greek at the University of Sydney. | Joyce was replaced on the panel by Vrasidas Karalis, professor of modern Greek at the University of Sydney. |