List of Q+A panellists
Q+A is an Australian television current affairs panel show, in which members of the Australian public question a panel of five public figures, usually including politicians, on a range of public interest topics. It is broadcast on two channels of the ABC Television network, and as of 2024 hosted by journalist Patricia Karvelas.
Hosts and description
Q+A was hosted by Stan Grant from 1 August 2022 until May 2023. Prior to 2020 the show was hosted by Tony Jones, then by journalist Hamish Macdonald until mid-2021, and then by a series of rotating hosts.The program focuses mainly on politics, but also covers a range of other issues. Questions are submitted to the panel by the studio audience or via video question from ordinary members of the Australian public, and the program is broadcast live. Part of the aim is to "hold to account politicians and key opinion leaders in a national public forum". Tweets containing commentary from viewers are shown on screen throughout the discussion. There are usually five panellists, most often including at least two politicians from different parties, but occasionally there is a focus on something completely different, such as science, or the special editions from the Garma Festival, with a panel to suit the content.
Season 1: 2008
This was the first season of the program, comprising 20 episodes. The most any one person appeared in this series was twice. The first episode featured Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as the only guest, and was announced as a one-off special. However, on episode 19, Q&A again featured just one panellist, the new leader of the Liberal Party Malcolm Turnbull, who had won a leadership ballot just 9 days before.Season 2a: 2009
This was the second season of the program, totalling 42 episodes. As with season one, no panellist appeared in this season more than twice. Episode 7 of this series was broadcast live from Melbourne, the first time the program was filmed outside its Ultimo studio in Sydney. Episode 14 was also broadcast from another location, this time from the National Museum of Australia in Canberra for an Australian federal budget special with the finance minister and shadow treasurer.Season 2b: 2009
The second half of season two of Q&A began on 23 July 2009. Episode 22 was broadcast from the Melbourne Writers Festival with three writers on the panel. Episode 26 was broadcast from Adelaide. Episode 27 had no politician on the panel.Season 3: 2010
The third season of Q&A began on 8 February 2010, and will be a full season consisting of 40 episodes on the new night, Monday, on ABC1. Episode 1 was broadcast from Old Parliament House, Canberra, with an audience of 16- to 25-year-olds. Episode 4 was broadcast from the Adelaide Festival of Arts, and had a total of 6 panellists making it the largest panel in the program's history. The following episode also had 6 panellists.Episode 9 featured Opposition Leader Tony Abbott as the only panellist. Episode 12 was a 'politician-free' episode, where no current or former politicians were on the panel. Also in episode 12, a Twitter feed was introduced, where selected tweets discussing Q&A are shown on screen. Episode 18 featured six panellists and was broadcast from Casula in south west Sydney. On episode 24, Tanya Plibersek became the first panellist to appear on Q&A more than twice in one season.
Episode 27 and 28 each featured the two leaders alone on the panel, in the final two episodes before the election. Episode 29 was the first episode following the election, and was controversial in that at the last minute Julia Gillard pulled Mark Arbib from appearing on the panel, and an empty chair was left on the panel for the entire episode. Episode 30 was broadcast from the Melbourne Writers Festival.
Episode 37 featured former Prime Minister John Howard as the only panellist, co-inciding with the launch of his memoirs, Lazarus Rising. Episode 38 was the first time the program was broadcast from Western Australia in Perth.
Nick Minchin was originally supposed to be the Coalition panellist on the season finale, but bad weather prohibited his plane from landing in Sydney on time. Minchin was replaced on the panel by George Brandis.