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10 year old Ashton defends “Q & A and the ABC. Both things I love.”

A boy from South Australia tells Q&A Tony Abbott's attacks on the ABC "scare me."

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Critics of Q & A have suggested the show show have recently posed a question via video not Live TV.

Last night the ABC did just that with a video question by schoolboy Ashton Platt from Highbury South Australia.

Platt said he had been watching World War II films during the holidays and that history teaches us much, including that dictators try to control public debate.

“I know I’m only 10 but Tony Abbott scares me when he attacks Q & A and the ABC and tries control what we see on it,” he said.

“Should we all be afraid of his attacks on Q & A and the ABC? Both things I love?”

With no sign of Malcolm Turnbull it took former Liberal Leader John Hewson to comment on the ABC, telling Tony Jones that Q & A had “made mistakes.” But he also said Tony Abbott went “over the top” on the issue.

“When you get to the bottom of a hole you stop digging,” he told Jones.

“You’re still digging.”

Hewson also said the ABC Board, some of whom were in the audience, had a responsibility to address the issue.

Filmmaker Michael Ware agreed there had been “ridiculous extremism” on both sides while Shadow Assistant Minister for Education, Amanda Rishworth, said Abbott had devoted “an inordinate amount of time micromanaging the appearances of his ministers” when there were more important issues to address.

John Hewson also noted that the opportunity for politicians to look at issues in detail in a one hour platform “you should grab it with both hands.”

29 Responses

  1. Hi David, The audience poll that Q&A producers display at the start of the show is rigged. When people register for the audience they must tick their political preferences (Labor, Greens, Coalition, Independent). Its been widely reported that local left groups at Sydney Uni (a few hundred metres away from ABC) and UTS (next door to ABC ), plus GetUp Netwown Branch (1200 metres away from ABC) and others have been lodging forms for people with the Coalition box ticked, so as to appear to have balance. There was one flyer from Sydney Uni student union doing the rounds and letting them how to complete the Q&A audience form.

    So David, its nothing even close to balance. It is completely rigged and stage managed.

  2. A google search of the surname in Adelaide reveals two people with links to Unions and another to Labor, maybe a coincidence or using a child for political advantage, and being found out

  3. Listening to a 10 year old child scares me! Virtually no real-life experience at all.
    How much tax did he pay last year?
    I’d just give him a kick up the …..

  4. Wasn’t overly comfortable with this, its this sort of “stunt” that diminishes QandA and not the govt.

    QandA is really becoming a shell of the great program it once was

    1. Sounds like a stitch up really….

      “Speaking to Fairfax Media on Tuesday, Ashton’s mother Suzi said the Platt family – including her 14-year-old daughter – were involved in writing the question. She and her daughter had been in the Q&A studio audience a few weeks before Zaky Mallah’s appearance sparked the ongoing controversy, and the family regularly watched the program, she said.”

      smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/tony-abbott-scares-me-10yearold-confronts-qa-on-freedom-of-speech-20150714-gibkhs.html#ixzz3fpqoFDYA

        1. ‘”Stitch-up may be a bit strong. The mother indicates they watch as a family. But it will be interesting to see if this creates ripples.”

          The ripples created will be about that Q&A used a 10 year old as a stunt, but then they used Mr Mallah as well, so Q&A’s producers have form on this sort of thing…..I see why this show is treated by the ABC as light entertainment, not news and current affairs

  5. I tell you whats scary, that it’s possible that adult people co-opted or conscripted this 10yo child to score obviously political partisan points, in response to a stunt pulled by Q&A

    Are we seriously suggesting that young Ashton Platt is a regular Q&A viewer concerned with issues of national security, wouldn’t he be more likely to be playing his Xbox or watching utube videos?

    If Ashton’s parents/teachers or whomever want to make a political point or ask a question about issues of the day then they are free to appear in their own video with their own words and not hide behind the image of a 10yo child in a very cynical attempt to manipulate public opinion.

    1. Oh dear, been waiting for this. Sounds just like a local Councillor who claimed “children under 18 don’t have a developed brain”, dismissing them from addressing councillors at meetings.
      Not all 10 y/olds are X-Box addicts. Brian Christopher Zimmerman was an American politician who in 1983, at the age of 11, was elected mayor of the community of Crabb, Texas. His stated goal as mayor was to incorporate the unincorporated community to avoid annexation by neighboring cities such as Houston. And… When demonstrators gathered Burlington, N.C., 12-year-old Madison Kimrey said “We young people have a serious leadership problem here in North Carolina,” Kimrey said, accusing state lawmakers of wanting to “dismiss and belittle” young people.
      Indeed.

  6. Next will be Tony Abbott trying to ban children under 18 speaking on Q&A. Don’t laugh. That was a motion put up by my local (Labor) Shellharbour Council to silence anyone under 18 from addressing Council.

    1. “Amanda Rishworth, said Abbott had devoted “an inordinate amount of time micromanaging the appearances of his ministers” when there were more important issues to address.”

      Given her experience with the Krudd, King of Micro-managers, we can discount her opinion on that topic

      1. Nothing wrong with micromanaging the economy when it needs it. Labor don’t always get it right but we were largely unaffected by the GFC thanks to the efforts of Rudd and Co. Right now, I’d settle for just some management of the economy at any level and less focus on the distractions of security and xenophobia and trying to control what people are saying.

        I cannot recall a Prime Minister who has spent more of his (the country’s) time tilting at windmills, both metaphorical and energy-generating.

        1. “Nothing wrong with micromanaging the economy when it needs it. Labor don’t always get it right but we were largely unaffected by the GFC thanks to the efforts of Rudd and Co….”

          Lets not forget the massive debt the ALP ran up, and the budget deficit it left…..Even Ken Henry in the Killing Season admitted the ALP had no clue as to the need for the massive spend-up

          1. Rudd did step into secure the securitised mortgage market and bank deposits, though that was a no-brainer. Though he did it in a way the advantaged the big banks and disadvantaged small banks and without an exit strategy. Abbott is having to fix the deposit guarantee now, when interest rates are at record lows. Shorten is of course attacking Abbott for doing so.

        2. Squirrel – the GFC in Australia was averted by a China commodity boom, better regulated Australian banks (APRA and conservative lending practises), massive Costello surplus and the RBA cutting interest rates. Even Ken Henry admited the stimulus was too big, Wayne Swans achievements solely consist of a whole head of budget deficits.

      1. Yes. Let’s not forget Labor / Green or anyone who disagrees with the government aren’t allowed to ask questions.

        Regardless if people think this 10 year old watches Q & A – that’s not the point. When I was younger I took an active interest in politics. Didn’t realise I wasn’t allowed an opinion till I was 18. But thanks for pointing out the mistake I made for 10+ years.

        1. “Yes. Let’s not forget Labor / Green or anyone who disagrees with the government aren’t allowed to ask questions.”

          Have you ever watched Q&A? All it is about is Labor / Greens whining about something….not debate/insight….This episode illustrates that yet again

          1. As opposed to the Liberals / Nationals ‘whining’ about Q&A (and 7:30, and the ABC in general, and …)?

            Funny how they don’t whine about the fearmongers and liars who back them up, despite those particular people actually being found guilty of fearmongering and lying…

          2. “Whining. You just proved my point! Thanks for the laugh.”

            Your point was that “Didn’t realise I wasn’t allowed an opinion till I was 18. But thanks for pointing out the mistake I made for 10+ years.”

            At what point did I say you weren’t allowed an opinion until you were 18? All I was saying was Q&A was a show about the ALP/Greens whining on and on about something over and over again…..

          3. If you saw this week’s episode you would have noted more Coalition members in the audience than ALP according to on screen info. I think your point has been made several times, let’s avoid rehashing thanks.

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