Paul Farrell’s full Q&A report has now been published, and you can read it here.
That’s all for tonight - thanks for reading!
Summary
My colleague Paul Farrell has filed this report on tonight’s show:
Australia runs the risk of becoming a “nation of bystanders” if it becomes complacent about fighting domestic violence and needs to “get real”, former chief of army and 2016 Australian of the year David Morrison has said.
Morrison appeared on ABC’s Q&A program on Monday night along with Guardian Australia’s Indigenous affairs editor Stan Grant, director of emergency at St Vincent’s hospital Gordian Fulde, director of the Sydney Store Factory Catherine Keenan and young Australian of the year finalist Manal Younus.
He told the panel he was the “most surprised person probably on the planet” when his name was read out for Australian of the year, after facing several questions about his appointment, with leading women such as former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick and transgender RAAF officer Catherine McGregor passed over for the top award.
The debate on Q&A focused primarily on issues of race, diversity, domestic violence and how Australia could both celebrate and mourn the history of its Indigenous population and colonial history.
The panel was asked about statistics that purported to show that incidents of reported domestic violence had lowered.
Morrison said: “We are as a society becoming more aware of I think the greatest social challenge we face, and that is domestic violence in this country.”
He rejected the claims about the statistics, and said: “Get real Australia. We run the risk at times of being a nation of bystanders comforted by a set of statistics.”
Updated
In an exchange that is likely to dominate write-ups of this evening’s show, Morrison said domestic violence was “the greatest social challenge we face” in Australia and was angrily scathing of a question that referred to comments from Mark Latham to level the claim that the “squeaky wheel gets the grease”:
Get real, Australia. We run the risk … of becoming a nation of bystanders, comforted by a few statistics.
Let me tell you, there are people dying and people whose lives are absolutely ruined as a result of domestic violence. And what’s more we are all as a society the victim.
That’s bullshit.
You can watch it here:
"We are all stretched to deal with it" says Morrison of family violence. Gordian Fulde says stats are soft #QandA https://t.co/WVjSGR0APY
— ABC Q&A (@QandA) February 1, 2016
Here’s Stan Grant’s maybe… response on a possible political future:
Stan Grant would consider entering politics. Our #QandA panel also responds https://t.co/958t94sb7W
— ABC Q&A (@QandA) February 1, 2016
OK, we’re biased, but Stan Grant appears to have impressed a lot of viewers tonight:
Stan Grant is interested in Federal Politics. Political leaders texting him as I type #Qanda
— PatriciaKarvelas (@PatsKarvelas) February 1, 2016
Tonight's @QandA is one of the best I've ever seen.
— Emma Jane Phillips (@emmajanereading) February 1, 2016
Can Stan Grant go into politics, please?#auspol
#qanda. Stan Grant spoke more sense in on TV program than all Politicians throughout the past 12 months.
— Gary M Tapp (@GaryMTapp) February 1, 2016
Is there room for a Muslim slam poet in politics, Jones asks Younus (that sounds brilliant, by the way).
Younus says there could be, but it wouldn’t be her.
And with that, they’re done.
How did you find this politician-free panel? Do let me know in the comments below.
Question 9: Noel Pearson, Stan Grant and politics
Should Grant enter the political stage? (Not right now, please, we want him to carry on writing for Guardian Australia.)
Pearson last week said he regretted not going into politics 15 years ago, and felt he had “hit the limit of how much influence you can have barking from the outside”.
Grant says he has an obligation to make a contribution where he can while Indigenous people still struggle with the problems he raised in his speech.
He teases us with mention of federal politics:
Yes it is in my thoughts … but it is just a thought.
Keenan says there are many ways to change the world – politics is just one of them.
Morrison, with some vehemence, says he would never stand for elected office:
I’ve seen what politicians have to do … It’s a hard grind and it’s not for me.
Updated
Grant says whoever is Australian of the Year has the right to raise whichever issues they want to raise.
He’s pro-republic but what would the model be?
Morrison cites – approvingly (perhaps boosted by Grant’s earlier friendly overture to Andrew Bolt) – an article by Chris Kenny in the weekend Australian. He just wants to have a conversation, he says.
Question 8: isn’t it divisive to call for a republic?
Another question aimed at Morrison and his acceptance speech, in which he said it was time to work towards a republic.
The questioner is a constitutional monarch and didn’t like that.
Morrison says he doesn’t think being Australian of the Year gives him the right to disrespect other people’s views.
This panel really is the most reasonable ever witnessed in the history of Q&A.
Question 7: is Mark Latham right on domestic violence?
The former Labor leader criticised those who talk about domestic abuse (notably Rosie Batty, who was due to be on tonight’s panel) of “demonising men” and making those who hit women “feel worse about themselves”.
The question seems to focus on some statistics cited by Latham, but Morrison tackles the wider issue. There is no doubt that we have to deal with domestic violence – there is no level that is acceptable.
The questioner is really keen. He wants the right to go out and cause himself an injury if he wants to.
Keenan points out that these injuries have an impact on others too.
And it’s not just about you, pipes back Fulde. The cost of care is huge.
Grant says the nanny state is great in his book (which he’s reading tucked up in bed by 10.30pm).
Question 6: are nanny-state laws bad for Australia?
Fulde loves this question. He’s visibly cheered. Nobody is stopping you from drinking, he says – most alcohol is bought at bottle shops rather than in pubs, for a start.
But we’re sick of having young people in trouble, in fights, he goes on.
But why would an 18-year-old want to go out in Sydney, the questioner persists?
Go to the casino, Fulde flicks back. The lockout laws have made the city safer:
We saw a 25% decrease over the weekends of really serious injuries due to alcohol.
Morrison agrees with his fellow panellists.
This is perhaps the inevitable result of having a panel full of people who are big on respect. Unlike politicians, they’re very keen to listen to each other.
Sport is funded by alcohol, Grant argues – why are we surprised by the male culture that results from this?
Younus points out that it’s hard for young people to find anywhere to go in the evenings and not drink.
Alcohol culture can be destructive, she adds. We think that being friendly means having a beer with someone.
Keenan (I’m going to ignore the self-deprecating “don’t ask me about sport” start) is interested in role models. She draws a comparison between Adam Goodes and Pearce – how do we choose our role models?
Question 5: what's going on with sports stars behaving badly?
And this one moves on to Mitchell Pearce and his … unusual activities. (Catch up with those here if you must.)
Fulde, who has medical expertise on the issue of alcohol, is keen to answer this one, at last.
We have to say we won’t tolerate this, he says. Sports stars ought to be role models.
Alcohol is a feature of male bonding, and male adversarial sports, he adds. He’s particularly worried about the effects of mass advertising and sponsorship.
Fulde continues his answer-evading tactic: he doesn’t believe in labels and, as a doctor, he knows that everyone bleeds.
Morrison says he hadn’t heard about the Williams controversy. His first instinct, he admits, was to think Williams was wrong. But he’s been swayed by his fellow panellists. “And that’s a good thing.”
Question 4: should everyone stand for the national anthem?
Was Joe Williams right to stay seated during the playing of the Australian national anthem on Australia Day?
Williams said:
I don’t believe the national anthem represents me as an Aboriginal man, and I’m not the only one. Aboriginal people are far from free.
Younus says she understands why he felt conflicted and might have done the same.
Grant says Williams is his cousin, which makes this personal in more than one respect: he also talks about the conflict involved in singing the anthem as a young Indigenous boy at school.
An authorly aside: interesting though Stan Grant and David Morrison have been so far, they really have spoken far more than the two female panellists, precisely the point that Q&A has vowed to address.
That they are speaking about diversity, and – as I type – women in particular, is a little grating.
Question 3: why do men often get the credit for women's work?
This question relates directly to the link in the previous post – Morrison’s success has been criticised not least because of the influence of two other nominees for Australian of the Year (both women) on his own public statements: Catherine McGregor, who wrote his renowned 2013 speech in her role as the army’s chief speechwriter, and the former sex discrimination commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick.
Jones tries to leap to Morrison’s defence as the questioner argues that women do so much of the work for so little of the recognition, but Morrison’s having none of this gallantry: he agrees with the questioner “100%”.
Grant jumps in. Morrison has had some stick since he was named Australian of the Year (see here for example). This shows a lack of respect, he says.
Keenan says there are many voices speaking about diversity and speaks warmly of Morrison’s contribution (given the question was rather pointedly aimed in his direction).
Morrison himself says it’s a “fantastic question”:
You can talk about diversity but we should look at why we do that … Diversity is about encouraging diversity of thinking: conversations in the country, conversations in the workplace, conversations in the family.
He says we all benefit from men and women of all backgrounds having the same opportunities.
Grant talks about his column for Guardian Australia in which he spoke about the abuse suffered by Adam Goodes and how that resonated with Indigenous people.
You can read that here:
He thinks Australia is “reaching a point where we can engage with this”. The First Peoples are speaking from the heart of the country now, he says – this has been a positive outcome.
Prompted by Jones to address the columns of Andrew Bolt – who took a somewhat different view – Grant is eminently reasonable (I know he’s a colleague, but he is). This is a dialogue, he says: we are not well served when any voices are silenced.
Question 2: why are white men respected more when they speak about diversity?
Why are those recognised as diversity champions – like David Morrison – often white?
Fulde, who ducked the first question, also says he’ll sit this one out. Perhaps he hasn’t watched Q&A before.
Younus grasps it. We are often more prepared to listen to white people talking about these issues, she points out.
Updated
Catherine Keenan points out that New Zealand is able to commemorate Waitangi Day, marking the treaty between Maori people and the European settlers – nothing of that kind exists in Australia, she and Grant add.
Manal Younus says she is uncomfortable celebrating Australia Day – she sees it as the start of racism in this country. Indigenous people should be at the forefront of deciding any alternative date.
Stan Grant says Indigenous people find it very tough to celebrate a day that marks “the dispossession of our people”.
And yet other proposed dates have their problems, too, he points out.
Celebrating “the survival and resilience of Indigenous people” is important, Grant argues. But he says he doesn’t want to diminish the rights of Australians to celebrate.
Can the nation at the same time celebrate and mourn, asks host Tony Jones.
Grant says he thinks that is possible.
First question: Australia Day
Should we be celebrating our national day on a day that marks the invasion of the lands of Australia’s first people?
David Morrison is up first. He says the day is one of “emotional conflict”, but says he doesn’t feel qualified to answer. He says a government would have to decide – though this feels like a bit of a cop-out. Surely we don’t usually expect Q&A panels to be rewriting the statute books.
Who are the Q&A panellists?
David Morrison – more fully, Lieutenant General David Morrison, the former chief of army for the Australian Defence Force – was last month named as 2016 Australian of the Year.
Morrison hit the headlines in 2013, after his address to armed forces, in which he lambasted members who turned a blind eye to sexism, harassment and abuse of women in the ranks:
On all operations, female officers and soldiers have proven themselves worthy of the best traditions of the Australian army.
They are vital to us maintaining our capability now and into the future. If that does not suit you, then get out.
Professor Gordian Fulde, 2016 Senior Australian of the Year, was heralded for his work as the director of emergency medicine at St Vincent’s hospital and Sydney hospital over more than 30 years.
Catherine Keenan – a late replacement for Rosie Batty, the 2015 Australian of the Year who has had to drop out of tonight’s panel due to illness – is a former journalist and editor, named Australian Local Hero for 2016, for her work as a youth educator and as the co-founder and executive director of the Sydney Story Factory, which offers free writing workshops to young people, particularly those who are marginalised or disadvantaged.
Manal Younus, South Australian finalist for Young Australian of the Year 2016, is the assistant director of Welcome to Australia, which describes itself as “coordinating a positive welcome for asylum seekers, refugees and new arrivals to Australia”.
Stan Grant, Guardian Australia’s Indigenous affairs editor, will no doubt be asked tonight about his extraordinary speech – delivered last year but published online to mark Australia Day in January – in which he argued that racism is at the heart of the Australian dream:
The Australian dream. We sing of it and we recite it in verse: Australians all let us rejoice, for we are young and free.
My people die young in this country. We die 10 years younger than the average Australian, and we are far from free.
We are fewer than 3% of the Australian population and yet we are 25% – one quarter – of those Australians locked up in our prisons. And if you’re a juvenile it is worse, it is 50%. An Indigenous child is more likely to be locked up in prison than they are to finish high school.
The full version has been watched over 300,000 times on YouTube and close to 1.4 million times on Facebook.
Updated
Viewers might notice a few differences to Q&A this year – not least an attempt to resolve the vexing “where are the women?” problem – Guardian Australia’s media correspondent, Amanda Meade, reports:
The ABC’s Q&A program will be broadcast live across the country when it returns on Monday night, just one of many changes made to the panel show after an independent editorial review.
During the Christmas break the show was moved from the television division to the news division and is now answerable to the director of news, Gaven Morris.
In line with the recommendations made in the editorial review by Ray Martin and Shaun Brown last year, the program will spend more time on the road to escape being too Sydney-centric and to allow access to more prominent women in other locations.
Martin and Brown found the program did not have a “leftwing anti-Coalition bias” and was equally a challenge to both sides of politics.
However, the report did find that women were significantly outnumbered by men and were given fewer questions and less time to speak.
A minimum of 16 of the 43 episodes this year will be broadcast from outside Sydney, from locations including Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and regional centres.
Read the full story here:
Who's on the Q&A panel?
Perhaps it’s a sign that summer is over, but tonight marks the return of the oh-it’s-a-bit-dark-outside-let’s-stay-in TV schedules, and that means Q&A is back.
The ABC stalwart had a, shall we say, turbulent 2015. (See here. Also here. And here. Fortunately we have First Dog to put things into perspective.)
Kicking off its 2016 run, then, Q&A has scooped up a panel of people who are, in one form or another, lauded as Australians of the year:
- Stan Grant, Guardian Australia’s Indigenous affairs editor
- David Morrison, Australian of the year 2016
- Gordian Fulde, senior Australian of the year 2016
- Catherine Keenan, Australia’s local hero 2016
- Manal Younus, SA finalist, Young Australian of the year
I’ll be live blogging throughout the show and tweeting key bits and pieces via @Claire_Phipps. You can also chat to us below the line and on Twitter to me and @GuardianAus.
