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 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.
EpisodeDatePanellistsLaborCoalitionMinor Parties / IndependentsOthers 1 22 May 2008 Kevin Rudd 2 29 May 2008 Tanya Plibersek Tony AbbottBob Brown Warren Mundine Louise Adler 3 5 June 2008 Tony Burke Julie Bishop Randa Abdel-FattahStephen MayneGreg Sheridan 4 12 June 2008 Joel Fitzgibbon George BrandisPru Goward Kate CrawfordCharles Firth 5 19 June 2008 Chris Bowen Christopher PyneCheryl Kernot Nick AdamsJulia Zemiro 6 26 June 2008 Bill Shorten Greg Hunt Elizabeth Ann MacgregorTim BlairAngela Conway 7 3 July 2008 Nicola Roxon Joe Hockey Marcia LangtonPeter van OnselenMiriam Lyons 8 10 July 2008 Craig Emerson Helen CoonanChristine Milne Andrew BoltLinda Jaivin 9 17 July 2008 Lindsay Tanner Alexander Downer David MarrAngela ShanahanRose Jackson 10 24 July 2008 Mark Arbib Barnaby Joyce Nick XenophonHeather RidoutChristine Jackman 11 31 July 2008 Penny Wong Malcolm Turnbull Tim FlanneryCatherine HarrisTim Wilson 12 7 August 2008 Peter Garrett Bronwyn Bishop Julian MorrowMegan DavisImre Salusinszky 13 14 August 2008 Bob Carr Julie Bishop Germaine GreerGreg SheridanMarcus Westbury 14 21 August 2008 Anthony Albanese George Brandis Blanche d'AlpugetCindy PanGrahame Morris 15 28 August 2008 Craig Emerson Sharman Stone John PilgerPeter HartcherRebecca Weisser 16 4 September 2008 Bill Shorten Christopher PyneKerry Chikarovski Eric BeecherJane Caro 17 11 September 2008 Tanya Plibersek Nick Minchin Mungo MacCallumTim WilsonLinda Jaivin 18 18 September 2008 Maxine McKew Tony Abbott Waleed AlyMargaret FitzherbertRobert Manne 19 25 September 2008 Malcolm Turnbull 20 2 October 2008 Nicola Roxon Peter CostelloCheryl Kernot David MarrTom Switzer
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.
EpisodeDatePanellistsTopicsLaborCoalitionMinor Parties / IndependentsOthers 1 12 February 2009 Peter CosgroveFiona WoodTania MajorTim FlanneryJonty Bush Australians of the Year special 2 19 February 2009 Wayne Swan Joe HockeyKate CarnellChristine Milne Paul Howes The Economy 3 26 February 2009 Bill Shorten Christopher Pyne Jonathan BigginsLeslie CannoldSabrina Houssami 4 6 March 2009 Lindsay Tanner Peter Costello Geoff CousinsRebecca WeisserSally Warhaft 5 12 March 2009 Maxine McKew Scott Morrison John SymondTanveer AhmedNoeline Brown 6 19 March 2009 Kate Ellis Tony Abbott Peter KennedyBettina ArndtBruce Wolpe 7 26 March 2009 Stephen Conroy Greg Hunt Andrew BoltLouise AdlerSusan Carland Melbourne broadcast 8 2 April 2009 Tanya Plibersek George Brandis Satyajit DasDennis AltmanRachel Fry 9 9 April 2009 Tony Burke Helen CoonanJohn Hewson Jane CaroAndrew Boe 10 16 April 2009 Chris Bowen Sophie Mirabella Catherine DevenyJohn ElliottStephen Crittenden 11 23 April 2009 Craig Emerson Julie Bishop David MarrCindy PanP. J. O'Rourke 12 30 April 2009 Peter Garrett Barnaby JoycePru GowardSarah Hanson-Young Wesley Enoch 13 7 May 2009 Mark Arbib Sharman Stone Guy RundleGreg SheridanRanda Abdel-Fattah 14 14 May 2009 Lindsay Tanner Joe Hockey Geoff CousinsMisha SchubertElizabeth Ann Macgregor Budget special from Canberra 15 21 May 2009 Penny Wong Tony Abbott Bob EllisSue CatoWendy Machin 16 28 May 2009 Kate Ellis Brendan Nelson William McInnesPeter Holmes à CourtMiriam Lyons
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.
EpisodeDatePanellistsTopicsLaborCoalitionMinor Parties / IndependentsOthers 17 23 July 2009 Nicola Roxon Nick Minchin Julian MorrowJessica BrownCharlie Teo 18 30 July 2009 Anna Bligh George Brandis David PenberthyTania MajorSimon Sheikh 19 6 August 2009 Julia Gillard Malcolm Turnbull Sara HaghdoostiMitch GradyLinden Brownley Youth special 20 13 August 2009 Craig Emerson Christopher Pyne Sharan BurrowPiers AkermanIndira Naidoo 21 20 August 2009 Maxine McKew Tony Smith Felicity HampelAnthony LaPagliaCandy Bowers 22 27 August 2009 Lindsay Tanner Tony Abbott Richard FlanaganKamila ShamsieTara June Winch Melbourne Writers Festival special 23 3 September 2009 Tony Burke Bill Heffernan Helen LiddellTim WilsonAnne Summers 24 10 September 2009 Geoff Gallop Sophie Mirabella John MarsdenAnthony AckroydMelinda Tankard Reist 25 17 September 2009 Tanya Plibersek Joe Hockey Thomas KeneallyLarissa BehrendtJohn Roskam 26 24 September 2009 Kate Ellis Alexander DownerNatasha Stott Despoja Peter SuttonMegan Lloyd Adelaide broadcast 27 1 October 2009 Christopher HitchensWaleed AlyFrank BrennanAnne HendersonSally Warhaft Spirituality special 28 8 October 2009 Belinda Neal Cory Bernardi Germaine GreerTodd SampsonJanet Albrechtsen 29 15 October 2009 Anthony Albanese Christopher Pyne Alexei SayleDeepa GuptaNikki Williams 30 22 October 2009 Craig Emerson Peter Dutton Louise AdlerAnnabel CrabbJohn Elliott 31 29 October 2009 Bill Shorten Tony Abbott Bettina ArndtCatherine DevenyJonathan Biggins 32 5 November 2009 Maxine McKewGraham Richardson Joe HockeyKerry Chikarovski David Marr
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 (only if you consider 2009's programmes to be two seasons – both Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey appeared four times in the full year of 2009 with five other panellists appeared three times that year).
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.