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“It was overwhelming at times”

Hamish Macdonald acknowledges the pressures of hosting Q+A, but is happy back at The Project desk.

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Hamish Macdonald has expanded more on his decision to depart Q+A and return to The Project.

He told The Age, “Tommy [Little], Carrie [Bickmore], Lisa [Wilkinson], Waleed [Aly], Pete [Helliar], they are genuinely my friends. They’re people I talk to all the time, they’re people that my partner is friends with, I’m friends with their partners, we see each other on holidays. They’re a very big part of life for me, and I love working with them. And to be able to walk back into that is a genuine privilege.”

But Macdonald also acknowledged the amount of trolling, and sometimes face to face feedback, he would received around decisions made by Q+A, about the people on the show and things that people said on the show.

“I didn’t go into it naively,” he says. “I knew there would be added scrutiny. But I do think people would be surprised by the degree to which people who work in roles like that are left alone to navigate the trolling and the abuse that comes with it. It was a surprise to me.

“It was overwhelming at times,” he continues. “It became something I could not manage on my own, and I could not get away from it.”

While the abuse could be “pretty isolating”, he also told The Age his concerns were nothing compared to those who have done it tough because of bushfires, lockdowns and health.

“Sometimes, you just need to make a decision to do the thing that is going to make you happiest,” he says. “And for me, for my loved ones, and for the people around me, it was obvious, this choice. I really could not be happier.”

Macdonald, who returned to The Project last night, will still host on ABC Radio.

8 Responses

  1. Hamish appears more comfortable when he is given the space to provide his educated opinion and insights on a topic, rather than trying to sit on the fence as a gatekeeper, so The Project is a better fit. Q&A doesn’t allow room for the host to favour a side without being called out on it.

    Tommy Little was enjoying having his old pal back on Sunday night – within the first 10 minutes he dropped a comment that implied Hamish is hotter than PVO, before turning a story on “Ignorance is bliss” into references to apparent spa parties Hamish holds, which end “with a lot of Q and a bit of A”!

  2. That anyone should cop abuse for moderating a Q&A program is terrible. That said, you can see why the host of Q&A might cop it, while hosts of The Project presumably receive fan mail, cute tweet and knitted gifts. One is a serious program that tackles contentious issues with guests from both sides of the political divide. The other is fuzzy, non-threatening, mostly feel good faux news. There’s not much danger of being confronted (or informed) by The Project.

  3. I can’t believe the abuse Hamish got on Q&A. Personally, I started watching the show when Hamish started hosting and was gutted when he left. I am more than happy that he is back on The Project as a regular and that he is also happy.

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