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Beloved ABC presenter reveals cancer diagnosis

ABC radio listeners received some sobering news as James Valentine, the familiar voice behind the Afternoons show, revealed his battle with oesophageal cancer. The announcement, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-21/james-valentine-cancer-abc-radio-sydney-surgery-oesophagus/103603786" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made on Thursday, March 21</a>, sent shockwaves through his audience, who have grown accustomed to his wit, humour and insightful commentary over the years. Valentine's journey with cancer began approximately four months ago when he received the diagnosis. Since then, he has been thrust into a whirlwind of medical appointments and treatments. "Immediately it was meetings with oncologists, radiologists and surgeons," he recounted in a statement <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-21/james-valentine-cancer-abc-radio-sydney-surgery-oesophagus/103603786" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted on the ABC website</a>. In January, he embarked on a gruelling regimen of chemotherapy and radiation in preparation for the upcoming surgery. "Everyone's thinking it's an old man reflux kind of condition," Valentine said with his trademark candour. "I have a fun conversation with the anaesthetist about Taylor Swift and the next thing I know my eyes are opening and across the room I can see my wife, my son, my sister-in-law, and the gastro doctor." "The doctor comes over." "It's bad. You've got a 4-centimetre tumour where your oesophagus meets your stomach." The forthcoming surgery looms large for Valentine, as it represents the primary treatment option for his condition. Describing the procedure, he explained, "The surgery will remove my entire oesophagus and then stretch my stomach up and attach it to my throat." It's a daunting prospect, compounded by the expectation of a challenging recovery period. "After that, I'm very likely to feel like absolute crap for quite some time," he candidly admitted. Valentine's dedication to his audience is unwavering, but he recognises the necessity of stepping away from the microphone to focus on his health. His last radio show aired on Thursday, marking the beginning of a hiatus that could last up to three months. "I'm going to make sure I'm fully recovered and my stomach is going to stay attached to my neck before I attempt broadcasting again," he assured his listeners. Despite the optimism about his long-term prognosis, Valentine acknowledges that this experience will change him. The road ahead is uncertain, but his resolve remains steadfast. With more than 27 years of service to the national broadcaster, he is no stranger to challenges. From his early days as a reporter on Sunrise and Good Morning Australia to his recent tenure as host of Afternoons, Valentine has left an indelible mark on Australian radio. Beyond his broadcasting career, Valentine is also known for his musical talents, having toured with bands as a saxophonist. Even in the middle of his health battle, he continues to find solace in music, performing at gigs whenever possible. Valentine's absence from the airwaves will undoubtedly be felt, but his resilience serves as an inspiration to all who admire him. Here's to a speedy recovery for one of Australia's most cherished radio personalities. Image: Suddenly Senior

Caring

Why Ita Buttrose chose to leave the ABC

In her last week as the head of the ABC, Ita Buttrose has broken her silence on why she chose to step down from the role. Speaking with Stellar magazine ahead of International Women's Day, the 82-year-old journalist has clarified that her decision to leave the public broadcaster had “nothing to do with current events.” After serving her five-year term, reports have swirled that her departure is related to the December sacking of presenter Antoinette Lattouf, who was let go after she shared a social media post about the Israel Gaza war, in which she condemned the treatment of Palestinian civilians. Following the controversial sacking, more than 100 of ABC's union staff slammed managing director David Anderson triggering a vote of no confidence. Ms Buttrose supported Mr Anderson through the ordeal, declaring it’s “abhorrent and incorrect” that he showed a lack of support for independent journalists amid Ms Lattouf’s axing. Due to the chaos at the ABC, many speculated that Buttrose's departure was to escape the turmoil, but she has since refuted the claims. “I did notify the government and the minister Michelle Rowland in August last year that I was not going to seek another term,” Ms Buttrose told Stellar. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C366msrI_qc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C366msrI_qc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Stellar (@stellarmag)</a> </div> </blockquote> “Five years is quite a long time to serve the ABC. I know some chairs have gone on and done a second term, but I’m conscious that I’m a woman of a certain age. And despite [US president] Joe Biden thinking he should run another term – I don’t think he should – sometimes you need to examine yourself and say, ‘Well, I am a person of a certain age and everything’s fine, and cognitively I’m good’ but still, weigh it up. Another five years. What would it be like?" “You have to know in yourself when you need to step aside. I felt that. It had nothing to do with any current events.” Ms Buttrose went on to defend questions surrounding outside influence on the national broadcaster. “The role of independence of the national broadcaster is paramount to what we do. It’s enshrined in legislation,” she said. “The ABC and I have never been influenced by outside lobbyists, people passionate about their particular cause as politicians, commercial interests, you name it." “The ABC has never caved in. I’ve never caved in. Neither has the managing director nor the board.” Image credits: Getty Images

Retirement Life

Beloved Aussie news reader dies aged 98

Australian broadcasting veteran Arthur Wyndham has passed away aged 98. The media icon who was a program director and newsreader for ABC, among other achievements, died on October 6 according to his obituary published in the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/veteran-of-australian-broadcasting-from-the-pre-television-era-20231207-p5epuu.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sydney Morning Herald</a>. He was one of the last veterans of Australian broadcasting from the pre-television era, with a career that started in 1947. His daughter Susan Wyndham penned the obituary which read: “Arthur died in Sydney on October 6 at the age of 98. "He was one of the last veterans of Australian broadcasting from the pre-television era, as well as a pioneer in television in the 1950s, and an innovator who oversaw the introduction of the youth station 2JJ (now Triple J) with funding from the Whitlam government.” Wyndham was part of the launch of ABC TV in 1956, and also covered the Melbourne Olympics that same year. As TV was rolled out across the country, he became acting program director for each state, and achieved many firsts including first cricket telecast, football match, and orchestral concert from the Sydney Town Hall. He retired from the ABC in 1985, but continued broadcasting. Former colleagues from 2JJ have paid tribute to the media icon, describing him as “a cool dude," who was an open-minded and supportive boss. Actor Lex Marinos, who was a presenter at 2JJ said: “He unfailingly had a sparkle in his eye and a witty observation, and he always showed an interest in what I was doing.” Wyndham's daughter, Susan also paid tribute to her dad in an Instagram post. "Farewell to my dear dad, Arthur Wyndham, who died last Friday at the grand old age of 98. He had a full, interesting life as a broadcaster, traveller, father of three, grandfather of six, friend and colleague of many around the world. Love, gratitude and admiration always," she wrote, not long after his passing. Wyndham is survived by his three daughters and six grandchildren. Images: Instagram

Caring

Osher Günsberg slammed for "insulting Australians" over Voice defeat

Osher Günsberg has been slammed online after sharing his thoughts on the Voice to Parliament defeat, saying Aussies were "manipulated" into voting No. In the final episode of Q+A for 2023, the TV personality said that Australians should be "asking questions about who flooded the zone (with misinformation)", leading to a landslide defeat of the referendum. A tense exchange kicked off between the panellists when another guest, Liberal party activist Charlotte Mortlock, said the country needed to come together after the referendum defeat. Günsberg said during the course of the campaign, Australia went "from mostly wanting to do it" to "Oh my God the UN's coming to take my back yard". He said Australians should be "terrified of how quickly we were manipulated as a country". <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a>: What is the next step for Indigenous Australians, after the Voice referendum? <a href="https://t.co/KgSoHkRp1d">pic.twitter.com/KgSoHkRp1d</a> — ABC News (@abcnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/abcnews/status/1729098407208440254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2023</a></blockquote> "We're really lucky that it wasn't during a khaki election," he said, referring to an election held at a time of war. Ms Mortlock defended the Coalition and No voters, saying, "It's been such a divisive year... I do absolutely think that there is work that we can do to in a constructive way that is going to really unite the country and that's what we all have to focus on." Günsberg was quick to question the Liberal party's real motives behind their No campaign, asking whether she felt Opposition Leader Peter Dutton really wanted to unite the nation. "I do. I think the question really is the how," Ms Mortlock replied. Günsberg said, "I don't believe he really wants to." Günsberg and the ABC were both later slammed online for how the program went with some calling the program "insufferable". Others were quick to poke fun at Osher's impressive reality TV résumé, saying, "After the way Osher insulted mainstream common-sense Aussies I will never watch Bachelor again." Image credits: Q+A <p class="mol-para-with-font" style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; min-height: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.16px; font-family: graphik, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial;">

Legal

Stan Grant's wife Tracey Holmes quits the ABC

Veteran senior ABC journalist Tracey Holmes has announced her resignation from the public broadcaster, marking the end of an era for the network. This decision follows closely on the heels of her high-profile husband, Stan Grant, walking away from his role as host of the ABC's Q&A program, citing exhaustion due to persistent racial abuse. Holmes took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram to make her resignation public, leaving many to wonder about her future in the world of journalism. Holmes, a prominent figure in Australian journalism, has been a familiar face to ABC viewers for decades. With a career spanning over three decades, her contribution to the field of sports reporting has been nothing short of remarkable. However, as she shared her decision to part ways with the ABC, Holmes alluded to the exciting prospect of Paris 2024, which will mark her 14th Olympic Games as a journalist, reporter, and broadcaster. This time, though, it won't be under the ABC's banner since her resignation will take effect on November 30. In her heartfelt message to colleagues and listeners, Holmes expressed her gratitude and promised to continue her career in the future. "For now though, to channel a former governor of California in his former life as The Terminator, 'I'll be back,' that's a promise," she declared. Her departure from the ABC may be a farewell, but it's certainly not a permanent one. Holmes's career at the ABC began in 1989, and her groundbreaking role as Australia's first female host of the sports program, Grandstand, made her an icon in the world of sports journalism. Her trailblazing work has not only inspired countless aspiring journalists but also garnered the recognition she truly deserves. Earlier this year, she received the Australian Sports Commission's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, an accolade that cements her status as one of the most influential sports broadcasters in the country. Her decision to leave the ABC is undoubtedly a significant moment in Australian media. The circumstances surrounding her departure, coupled with her husband Stan Grant's recent exit, raise questions about the state of journalism and the challenges faced by those in the public eye. Grant cited exhaustion and racial abuse as reasons for his departure, highlighting the harsh realities that journalists and broadcasters often face. While Holmes may be bidding farewell to her long-standing role at the ABC, her departure by no means signifies the end of her illustrious career. As she prepares for her 14th Olympic Games, she's poised to continue making a significant impact in the world of sports journalism. Her resilience and determination, in the face of challenges that forced her and her husband to step away from high-profile positions, serve as a testament to her unwavering commitment to the craft. As we await her next move, the Australian media landscape is left with a void that will be hard to fill. Holmes leaves behind a legacy that future journalists can only aspire to match, and her impact on the industry will be felt for years to come. While the ABC bids her farewell, we can be certain that the world has not seen the last of this pioneering journalist. Paris 2024 beckons, and with it, a new chapter in the remarkable career of Tracey Holmes. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy7OVPzvUXF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy7OVPzvUXF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tracey Holmes (@traceyleeholmes)</a> </div> </blockquote> Image: Instagram

Why an ABC journalist named her newborn after an illicit drug

An ABC journalist has raised eyebrows after she named her newborn son after an illicit drug. Kirsten Drysdale, host of WTFAQ on the public broadcaster, has recently welcomed her third child with her husband Chris, as the couple revel in their newborn bliss bubble. However, their euphoria has been overtaken by a series of questions over their strange choice of name for the baby boy. The newborn baby’s legal name is Methamphetamine Rules. The reasons behind the unusual name are more than meets the eye, as Drysdale works on the WTFAQ program, answering burning questions from the public. ‘What can I legally name my baby?’ has come up consistently on the program, as Drysdale set out to investigate how far you can go when naming a child before the state registry steps in. While researching the story, the mum wondered what name the registry would default to if the parents’ first submission was rejected. She wasn’t getting a clear answer from the government body’s media team, and as she was about to give birth, Drysdale decided it was perfect timing to take matters into her own hands. “We thought, what is the most outrageous name we can think of that will definitely not be accepted?” Drysdale told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/abc-journalist-kirsten-drysdales-wild-name-for-newborn-son/news-story/c4568f521ee9cfb5b68179a84667d92b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a>. “Methamphetamine Rules we thought would surely get rejected, and then when it does, we can find out what name the Registrar chooses.” “It was really just a lighthearted, curious attempt to get an answer to this question.” Drysdale’s attempt at fooling the system quickly turned to horror when her initial online submission listing her son’s fake name was approved “very quickly”. Weeks after giving birth, she received her son’s birth certificate in the mail with ‘Methamphetamine Rules’ listed as her son’s given name. “I don’t know how it slipped through,” Drysdale said. “I’m not sure if someone was overworked, or if it was automated somewhere. “Or possibly, maybe they thought Methamphetamine was a Greek name. “They haven’t really given us a clear answer.” Thankfully, the Registrar admitted it was an unusual oversight, and Drysdale’s son’s real, “normal” name should be approved any day now. “Baby Meth’s real name … I’m not publicly disclosing it, because I don’t want it to be attached to this,” she laughed. “It’s a beautiful name and I can tell you it has nothing to do with class A drugs.” “We think it’ll be a very unique 21st birthday present to tell him this story.” Image credits: Kirsten Drysdale / WTFAQ: ABC

Family & Pets

Stan Grant reveals big career move after quitting ABC

Following his departure from the ABC due to racial abuse, Stan Grant has unveiled his next career move. He is now set to embark on a new journey as a journalism professor at Monash University in Melbourne. Grant made public on Tuesday his decision to resign from his permanent role at the ABC. This move comes several months after he took a leave of absence due to the racial abuse he endured. His departure from his position as the host of Q+A occurred in May, a step he took following an onslaught of "relentless racial filth" directed at him subsequent to his participation in a panel discussion centred around colonialism in anticipation of King Charles' Coronation. Monash University has now revealed that Grant has been selected to lead as the inaugural Director of the Constructive Institute for the Asia Pacific region within its Faculty of Arts. In this capacity, Grant will spearhead various projects and discussions aimed at embracing global solutions, nuanced perspectives, and meaningful dialogues within newsroom environments. Simultaneously, he will take on the role of a journalism professor. While the Constructive Institute is primarily located in Denmark, Grant is scheduled to travel there for a six-week period, commencing on Wednesday. Despite this, he will remain based in Sydney, dividing his time between Melbourne, Denmark and Sydney for his responsibilities. Expressing his enthusiasm, Grant stated, 'This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for me. It aligns with my values and draws on my 40 years in journalism, as well as my commitment to doing public interest journalism better in a way that serves the public at a time when the stakes couldn't be higher for our country and for the world." Grant's mission includes efforts to reform what he perceives as a toxic news culture. Professor Katie Stevenson, the Dean of Monash University's Faculty of Arts, praised Grant's appointment, affirming that he is ideally positioned to champion a journalism approach centred on solutions and democracy. She remarked, "Beyond the Institute's mission, our media students will have the privilege of drawing upon Stan's rich experience and knowledge of media, and his passion to change news culture for the better," Although Grant confirmed his departure from the ABC as a permanent staff member weeks prior, he emphasised that his relationship with the public broadcaster remains amicable. He conveyed his willingness to collaborate with the network in the future, citing his eagerness to pursue other endeavours. In recent weeks, the ABC announced that Grant would not be resuming his role as the host of Q+A, yet highlighted that he would be exploring "fresh undertakings" within them. Images: Q+A / Instagram

"No one cares": Kyle's ABC rant after journalist resigns

Kyle Sandilands has taken aim at the ABC, claiming no one watches the public broadcaster, after veteran journalist Juanita Phillips announced her resignation. The KIISFM radio host launched into an on-air tirade about the ABC on Tuesday, slamming the broadcaster's popularity and relevance, wondering why Phillips' resignation was something to report on. Sandilands said "anyone who watches the ABC is deluded," before claiming the "the ABC is not on anyone's radar". Kyle then challenged his co-host Jackie O to recall what Juanita Phillips looks like, with Jackie O unable to recall a single physical detail about the veteran journalist. Kyle continued to say, "No one watches that rubbish. No one cares. No one cares about the ABC," before saying Phillip's career "doesn't belong" in KIISFM news. "Never heard of her. Doesn't need to be on our news. That's ABC rubbish," he said. Juanita Phillips announced on Tuesday that she would be leaving her coveted role on ABC's 7pm news after 21 years at the helm. "Change is in the air, so it seems the right time to take the next big step in my own life," Phillips wrote on ABC News. "After 21 years presenting the 7pm news, I have decided to leave the ABC and take a break for a while." "It's my choice, and I'm excited to start the next phase of my life." Phillips gave a special mention to her viewers claiming she is "sorry to say goodbye", with her final bulletin airing on September 10th. "It's a privilege to have played a small part in something so important in people's daily lives, and I appreciate the warmth and support I've received from them over the years," the journalist wrote. Image credits: ABC News / KIISFM

News

Stan Grant's replacement announced

Months after Stan Grant's shock departure from ABC's Q+A program, his replacement has been announced to take over the coveted hosting gig. Grant walked away from the program earlier this year after a seemingly endless barrage of criticism and racism over his coverage of King Charles coronation, saying he was stepping away from the show indefinitely. On Monday morning, the national broadcaster announced his replacement, more than two months after Grant's final Q+A show. Patricia Karvelas is set to replace Grant as host of the show for the remainder of the year, as ABC confirmed Grant is still on indefinite leave. Karvelas will continue to host Breakfast on Radio National from Tuesday to Friday, and has been filling in as the program’s temporary anchor following Grant absence. The broadcaster’s director Justin Stevens said Karvelas “has been doing an outstanding job as fill-in host and we’re delighted she has agreed to continue in that role”. Stan Grant's sudden departure shocked audiences, as he called out the racist vitriol he was constantly subject to as a public figure, while also condemning ABC for not speaking up in his defence. "Racism is a crime. Racism is violence. And I have had enough,” he wrote at the time of his departure. “I am writing this because no one at the ABC — whose producers invited me onto their coronation coverage as a guest — has uttered one word of public support,” he wrote. “Not one ABC executive has publicly refuted the lies written or spoken about me." “I don’t hold any individual responsible; this is an institutional failure.” Grant will continue to stay on at ABC and contribute to “a number” of different programs, with Justin Stevens commending him as “one of the country’s finest journalists, storytellers and broadcasters”. Image credits: ABC

“Unfortunate timing” for Play School’s underwater adventure

Aussie children’s show Play School has prompted debate online after airing an episode focussed on the underwater adventure of two characters. The episode, while harmless enough on its own, caused eyebrows to raise over its timing - with ABC airing the content in the wake of <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/surprising-cause-of-death-revealed-for-missing-titan-sub-crew">the Titanic-bound Titan submersible’s implosion</a>. The segment in question, titled ‘Sea and Space: 2’, saw characters Jemima and Kiya dive deep to the ocean’s “cold and dark” midnight zone at the hands of hosts Kaeng and Rachel. Rachel was delighted to inform audiences that the dolls were “going to the bottom of the sea”, with a close-up shot showcasing the dolls’ descent in their submarine-like prop vessel. “They’ve made it all the way to the bottom of the sea floor,” Rachel went on to share, before revealing that it was “very dark” down there, and wondering whether or not the explorers would get to see any creatures. After taking a look around, Rachel sang about how “two explorers went to sea sea sea to see what they could see see see see, but all that they could see see see was …” Rachel’s fellow host, Kaeng, got involved then to show off a torch fish, and the dolls had the opportunity to check out a whole host of deep-sea creatures along with another few verses of the song. But that wasn’t the end of it, with some concerned viewers taking issue with the timing of the episode, and taking to social media to share their thoughts with like-minded users. One Reddit user shared a clip from the episode, noting that it was “bad timing for the scheduling this morning.” Another shared a screenshot from the same segment, writing that the show was “trolling with an episode this morning about submarines”. “OMG I saw this and thought the same,” one shared. “Disgusting!” someone else declared. “Play School just rubbing it in! How vicious,” another said. However, others were not so quick to condemn the network, instead suggesting that the episode - and Play School’s schedule - had been planned out months beforehand, and the timing was not intentional, just unfortunate. “Not sure this was a fresh episode probably just an unaware scheduled repeat,” one wrote. "Unfortunate timing for this morning's Play School broadcast," someone thought. And as another put it, “you do realise how far in advance these are filmed and scheduled, right?” And while social media had had plenty to offer, a spokesperson for ABC confirmed to news.com.au that they’d so far received no complaints over the episode. Images: Play School / ABC

Controversial call on Ben Roberts-Smith

Following the dismissal of Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation trial, politicians and defence experts argue that his belongings should remain in the Australian War Memorial until he is criminally proven guilty. The civil case saw Australia’s most decorated living soldier lose out to Nine newspapers due to claims he had committed war crimes, including a murder while deployed in Afghanistan. Amid the findings, <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/australian-war-memorial-urged-to-remove-ben-roberts-smith-s-uniform-from-display" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many have urged</a> Roberts-Smith should be stripped of his medals, including the Victoria Cross, and to have any mention of him removed from the Australian War Memorial. However, Liberal MP and former soldier Keith Wolahan argued that Roberts-Smith should still be featured in the memorial’s commemorations of the war in Afghanistan. He told ACB TVs Q+A program, “It’s a part of our history, but I think it should acknowledge the Brereton report and perhaps this defamation trial,” The Brereton report is the official inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force that found a culture of unlawful killings, horrid initiation rituals as well as cover-ups within the Australian military during his time in Afghanistan. Wolahan said it may not be necessary to include references to the defamation trial until criminal investigations are finalised, saying that politicians should “stay out of criminal proceedings”. “Ben Roberts-Smith still has a right to appeal and there’s a question about whether there’s a criminal charge,” Wolahan said. “He’s entitled to the presumption of innocence and due process, but I think the Brereton report belongs in the War Memorial.” Wolahan is a three-tour veteran of Afghanistan and served as an operations officer, platoon commander and deputy chief of operations. The former captain added that the Australian Army “have to hold ourselves to a higher standard”. “When you look at the Brereton report, you cannot ignore it. Yes, it’s not at the criminal standard and that defamation trial was not at the criminal standard, but you cannot ignore the findings,” he said. The Q+A panel discussed the culture within the armed forces of the West, with war correspondent Michael Ware noting that soldiers must go to a “very dark place” to face war. “It says we’ve all participated in small war crimes, I know I’ve certainly seen my share of them,” he said. “And according to the laws of war, and I have to tell you, this is a harsh reality – we in the West – we kill children. “If an eight-year-old is placing a roadside bomb, a sniper can legally shoot that child.” He then argued that despite that, there is an even worse cultural issue within the Australian Army. “All that said, there is a line you don’t cross, you've got to have a moral compass ... it does appear to me that there was a culture that developed over a period of years within the regiment where this just became a part of the way they operated and Ben Roberts-Smith is not alone.” Image credit: Getty / Instagram

Legal

Stan Grant’s new book asks: how do we live with the weight of our history?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/heidi-norman-859">Heidi Norman</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a> This month, journalist and public intellectual Stan Grant published his fifth book, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460764022/the-queen-is-dead/">The Queen is Dead</a>. And last week, he abruptly stepped away from his career in the public realm, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-19/stan-grant-media-target-racist-abuse-coronation-coverage-enough/102368652">citing</a> toxic racism enabled by social media, and betrayal on the part of his employer, the ABC. “I was invited to contribute to the ABC’s coverage as part of a discussion about the legacy of the monarchy. I pointed out that the crown represents the invasion and theft of our land,” <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-19/stan-grant-media-target-racist-abuse-coronation-coverage-enough/102368652">he wrote</a> last Friday. “I repeatedly said that these truths are spoken with love for the Australia we have never been.” And yet, “I have seen people in the media lie and distort my words. They have tried to depict me as hate filled”. Grant has worked as a journalist in Australia for more than three decades: first on commercial current affairs – and until this week, as a main anchor at the ABC, where he was an international affairs analyst and the host of the panel discussion show Q+A. The former role reflects his global work, reporting from conflict zones with esteemed international broadcasters such as CNN. His second book, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460751985/talking-to-my-country/">Talking to my Country</a>, won the Walkley Book Award in 2016. <hr /> Review: The Queen is Dead – Stan Grant (HarperCollins) <hr /> In this new book, Grant yearns for a way to comprehend the forces, ideas and history that led to this cultural moment we inhabit. The book, which opens with him grappling with the monarchy and its legacy, is revealing in terms of his decision to step back from public life. Released to coincide with <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronation-arrests-how-the-new-public-order-law-disrupted-protesters-once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity-205328">the coronation</a> of the new English monarch, Charles III, The Queen is Dead seethes with rage and loathing – hatred even – at the ideas that have informed the logic and structure of modernity. Grant’s work examines the ideas that explain the West and modernity – and his own place as an Indigenous person of this land, from Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi and Dharawal country. That is: his work explores both who he is in the world and the ideas that tell the story of the modern world. He finds the latter unable to account for him. “This week, I have been reminded what it is to come from the other side of history,” he writes in the book’s opening pages. “History itself that is written as a hymn to whiteness […] written by the victors and often written in blood.” He asks “how do we live with the weight of this history?” And he explains the questions that have dominated his thinking: what is <a href="https://theconversation.com/whiteness-is-an-invented-concept-that-has-been-used-as-a-tool-of-oppression-183387">whiteness</a>, and what is it to live with catastrophe? <h2>The death of the white queen</h2> In his account, his rage is informed by the observation that the weight of this history was largely unexplored on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s death last September. The death of the white queen is the touchpoint always returned to in this work – and the release of the book coincides with the apparently seamless transition to her heir, now King Charles III. <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1152&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1152&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1152&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> In the lead-up to the coronation, “long live the king” echoed across the United Kingdom. Its long tentacles reached across the globe where this old empire once ruled, robbing and ruining much that it encountered. The death of the queen and the succession of her heir occurred with ritual and ceremony. Small tweaks acknowledged the changing world – but for the most part, this coronation occurred without revolution or bloodshed, without condemnation – and without contest of the British monarchs’ role in history and the world they continue to dominate, in one way or another. Grant argues the end of the 70-year rule of Queen Elizabeth II should mark a turning point: a global reckoning with the race-based order that undergirds empire and colonialism. Whereas the earlier century confidently pronounced the project of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-power-of-yindyamarra-how-we-can-bring-respect-to-australian-democracy-192164">democracy</a> and liberalism complete, it seems time has marched on. History has not “ended”, as Francis Fukuyama <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-end-of-history-francis-fukuyamas-controversial-idea-explained-193225">declared</a> in 1989 (claiming liberal democracies had been proved the unsurpassable ideal). Instead, history has entered a ferocious era of uncertainty and volatility. Grant reminds us that people of colour now dominate the globe. Race, <a href="https://theconversation.com/racism-is-real-race-is-not-a-philosophers-perspective-82504">as we now know</a>, is a flexible and slippery made-up idea, changing opportunistically to include and exclude groups, to dominate and possess. Grant examines this with great impact as he considers the lived experience of his white grandmother, who was shunned when living with a black man, shared his conditions of poverty with pluck and defiance, then resumed a place in white society without him. And writing of his mother, the other Elizabeth, Grant elaborates the complexity of identity not confined to the colour of skin, but forged from belonging to people and kinship networks, and to place – which condemns the pseudoscience of <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/about/news/speeches/power-identity-naming-oneself-reclaiming-community-2011">blood quantum</a> that informed the state’s control of Aboriginal lives. This suspect race science has proved enduring. Grant’s account of the death of the monarch is a genuine engagement with the history of ideas to contemplate the reality of our 21st-century present. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>Grant argues the end of the queen’s 70-year rule should mark ‘a global reckoning with the race-based order that undergirds empire and colonialism’. Yui Mok/AP</figcaption></figure> <h2>Liberalism and democracy = tyranny and terror</h2> In several essays now, Grant has engaged with the ideas of mostly Western philosophers and several conservative thinkers to explain the crisis of liberalism and democracy. Grant argues that, like other -isms, liberalism and democracy have descended into tyranny and terror. The new world order, dominated by <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-stan-grant-on-how-tyrants-use-the-language-of-germ-warfare-and-covid-has-enabled-them-204183">China</a> and people of colour, is in dramatic contrast to the continued rule of the white queen and her descendants. In this, perhaps more than his other books and essays, Grant moves between big ideas in history – the <a href="https://theconversation.com/criticism-of-western-civilisation-isnt-new-it-was-part-of-the-enlightenment-104567">Enlightenment</a>, modernity and democracy – to consider himself, his identity, and his own lived experience of injustice, where race is an undeniable organising feature. In this story he explains himself, as an Indigenous person, “an outsider, in the middle”; “an exile, living in exile, struggling with belonging”; living with the “very real threat of erasure”. <h2>Love, friendships, family, Country</h2> In the final section of the book, Grant’s focus switches to the theme of “love”, and to friendships, family and Country. He speculates that his focus on these things is perhaps a mark of age. Now, he accounts for the things in life that are truly valuable – and this includes deep affection for the joy that emanates from Aboriginal families. Being home on his Country, paddling the river, he finds quiet and peace. The death of the monarch of the British Empire, who ruled for 70 years, should speak to the history of empire and colonial legacy and all its curses – especially in settler colonial Australia. Yet her passing – which coincides with seismic change in the global economic order with China’s ascendance and the decline of the United States and the UK, the global cultural order and the racial order – has been largely unexamined in public discourse in Australia. The history of colonisation and of ideas that have debated ways to comprehend the past have been a feature of Grant’s intellectual exploration, including on the death of the queen. As he details in his new book, the reaction from some quarters to this conversation has exposed him to unrelenting and racist attack. In this work and in others, exploration of the world of ideas to understand the past and future sits alongside accounts of the everyday; of the always place-based realities of Aboriginal accounts of self. The material deprivations and indignities, the closely held humility that comes with poverty and powerlessness - shared socks, a house carelessly demolished, burials tragically abandoned – are countered by another reality: the intimacy of most Aboriginal lives, characterised by deep love, affection, laughter and belonging. These place-based, “small” stories Grant shares sit alongside the bigger themes of modern history, such as democracy and freedom. In this latest work, Grant details his sense of “betrayal” at the discussion he sought about the monarch’s passing and the discussion that was actually had, the history of ideas and his own place in this. And now, of course, he has announced his intention to exit the public stage. Racism, we are reminded, is an enduring feature of the modern world – a world yet to allow space for an unbowing, Wiradjuri-Kamilaroi-Dharawal public intellectual.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204756/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/heidi-norman-859">Heidi Norman</a>, Professor, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/stan-grants-new-book-asks-how-do-we-live-with-the-weight-of-our-history-204756">original article</a>. Images: Q+A / ABC

Books

"Are you coming back?" ABC loses another host

ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland has announced he’s “taking a break” one day after criticising the public broadcaster for failing Stan Grant. Rowland made the announcement live on air that he will be “off on a break” and hosting had been “a real honour”. He later took to Twitter, writing, “Take care and see you soon”. ABC bosses have insisted Rowland is going on a “long-planned holiday” and will return to the show in a month's time. Rowland urged the public broadcaster to call out racism more quickly and effectively after Grant revealed he was leaving Q+A. Grant announced he was taking an indefinite break as host of Q+A on May 19 after he received “racial filth” on social media. Rowland said in response to Grant’s racial abuse, “It hasn't just been weeks and months, it's been years that Stan's been copping this. Racism is a scourge. “We all need to do better and that includes the ABC in calling it out and calling it out more quickly than we have in this country,” he added. That same day Rowland posted a video of Grant’s compelling monologue alongside the caption, “Racism is a scourge. We all need to do better in calling it out, and that includes the ABC.” Finance presenter on ABC News Breakfast Madeline Morris is said to join Rowland’s co-host Lisa Miller for the “next little while”. After announcing his departure, Rowland thanked viewers at home. “I just want to use this semi-regular opportunity to thank all of you, our viewers, you have been fabulous for this show in the time that I've been on the show, it's been great presenting to you,” he said. “If it wasn't for you, the viewers, none of us would be here doing what we do, so it's been a real honour.” One of his shocked co-hosts said, “That sounds kinda final. Are you coming back?", to which Rowland just smiled and didn’t respond. Lisa Millar jokingly replied, “Absolutely! And he's bringing presents because that's the rule: wherever you're travelling to, come back with gifts.” A spokesperson for ABC told Daily Mail Australia, “Michael is on a long-planned holiday and will be back on air 26 June.” TV producer Robert McKnight responded to Rowland’s announcement, saying, “Very sorry to hear this. Michael is one of the best! Good luck to you, Michael.” One Twitter user said the news was “very upsetting”. “First I lose Stan Grant on Q&A. Now I loose you getting me through my mornings,” She added, “Very angry reporters and presenters have been abandoned by their employers.” There has been no suggestion Rowland feels “abandoned” by the ABC. Rowland’s criticising of the ABC followed an appearance on the program by Ian Hamm, chair of the First Nations Foundation. “Stan does his job very well. I think he has taken on the role of poking the bear of Australia where it's uncomfortable from time to time,” Hamm said. “There is risk with that. The pushback of those who don't like it and who perhaps want Aboriginal people to be more compliant and pleasant.” He added, “Stan's not walking away. He's just taking a break as anybody should in this circumstance.” Hamm said 2023 in particular, given Australians voting on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in November would raise lingering tensions. “Australia does have race relations problems and all it takes is scratching the surface and some very unpleasant sores can be exposed.” “I have great hope for my nation, but I'm also realistic enough to know that this is not an easy journey. “He's not alone and the rest of us are behind him and like him, we're not walking away. And we intend to pursue the right place for our people in this country.” Rowland’s news led another ABC reporter to comment, “Hope you're OK”. Rowland has presented on ABC News Breakfast since 2010 when he joined Virginia Trioli on the sofa. Following his almost 13-year run as host, he’s become a fan favourite on the program. Image credit: Instagram

“We can be better”: Support flows for outgoing ABC host Stan Grant

Australians have banded together in support of veteran journalist Stan Grant, flocking to social media to rally behind the resigning Q+A host after his final show at the helm. Grant’s final panel discussion saw the likes of Labor member Michelle Ananda-Rajah, Liberal member Zoe McKenzie, Independent Senators David Pocock and Tammy Tyrrell, and Greens member Griffith Max Chandler-Mather. The panel of first-term parliamentarians were there to review the Albanese government’s initial year in charge following their federal election win. It marked Grant’s final discussion in the wake of his decision to step back from the show, an announcement that had come following the host’s experiences with racial abuse. The first audience question of the session cut right to the chase, with one member - Anaru August - raising the matter of the abuse directed at Grant. “I have been disgusted by the hatred and abuse that has been fired at Stan Grant because of his colour and the articulation of his professional essence,” August said, before asking the panel “what needs to happen to stop hate speech?" The question drew immediate praise across social media, from both fans of Grant and the show, to Indigenous advocates, and his colleagues at the ABC. It wasn’t the first show of support from the latter, either, with a group of hundreds gathering outside the ABC’s Sydney headquarters that same day to spread the message that “enough for enough”, and that they stood with Stan. "The line in the sand is here, and we will not tolerate our staff being subjected to racial abuse, or any form of abuse. It must stop," ABC News Director Justin Stevens said of the move. "I would say, other sections of the media that play a part in facilitating, encouraging, or drawing attention to this ... need to take a really good hard look at themselves and the role they play. "We all stand with Stan. The abuse he copped is abhorrent and egregious and needs to stop. I'm incredibly sorry that he felt let down by our organisation, that we could have done better by him in defending him. We will do all we can to make up for it from this moment. "It's important we create a safe space for Indigenous and diverse journalists." It was a message continued in feedback over the episode, with not-for-profit inclusivity advocacy group Media Diversity Australia noting that Grant was “One of Media Diversity Australia's earliest and most high-profile supporters … A mentor to countless young reporters, especially Blak reporters … Stan Grant is a tireless veteran journalist that we admire, support, and respect” along with the hashtag “#IStandWithStan”. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> 📣 One of Media Diversity Australia's earliest and most high-profile supporters. 📣 A mentor to countless young reporters, especially Blak reporters. 📣 Stan Grant is a tireless veteran journalist that we admire, support, and respect.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IStandWithStan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IStandWithStan</a> <a href="https://t.co/rPUSEZ7AfN">https://t.co/rPUSEZ7AfN</a> — Media Diversity AU (@MediaDiverseAU) <a href="https://twitter.com/MediaDiverseAU/status/1660614419859259394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2023</a></blockquote> It was a message that continued through the flood of tweets, with Seven News reporter Christie Cooper writing that racism, and “personal attacks on journalists”, were not okay. “#IStandWithStan,” she said, “and I’m so sorry Stan Grant has been so hurt by racial commentary, both in and out of the media, that it’s forced him to walk away. It’s 2023, it’s not good enough.” “Solidarity to the ABC journalists standing in support of their colleague Stan Grant and to all journalists who face racists and racism for doing their job,” one supporter added. “Look at the replies to their tweets. It's not the exception, it is the rule. “Australians need to reckon with our racism.” As Grant himself said when closing his final episode, “to those who have abused me and my family, I would just say - if your aim was to hurt me, well, you’ve succeeded. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I must have given you so much cause to hate me … I will get back up. And you can come at me again, and I will meet you with the love of my people. "My people can teach the world to love." It was a moment that resonated with viewers, with one taking to social media to share that ”history will remember this moment. A moment when Stan Grant, his passion as palpable as his pain, spoke poignant truths to Australia & bravely faced his racism with power, love & grace. Solidarity.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> "Sometimes, strength is knowing when to say stop." History will remember this moment. A moment when Stan Grant, his passion as palpable as his pain, spoke poignant truths to Australia & bravely faced his racism with power, love & grace. Solidarity. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IStandWithStan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IStandWithStan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://t.co/fVjUVvZ9GE">pic.twitter.com/fVjUVvZ9GE</a> — Sahar Adatia (@sahar_adatia) <a href="https://twitter.com/sahar_adatia/status/1660644110770814976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2023</a></blockquote> Images: Q+A / ABC

Surprise new contender to replace Stan Grant

ABC bosses have reportedly narrowed down the search to find a replacement for Q+A host Stan Grant who is stepping away from presenting duties after being targeted with racist abuse. While many contenders are familiar ABC talent, one frontrunner is perhaps less well known but has been taking on larger roles at the public broadcaster. On May 21, ABC managing director David Anderson apologised to Grant, a Wiradjuri man, who had said that “not one ABC executive” had publicly defended him. There’s no time frame for how long Grant will step down from presenting the program. He said he doesn’t know when - or even if - he will return. This means ABC will have to draft the major league presenters to fill the role in the short term while also possibly announcing a more permanent replacement. According to The Australian’s Media Diary column, the ABC is said to be wary of replacing an Indigenous man, who has stepped down due to racism, with a white man. A frontrunner to take on the Q+A role, at least on an interim basis, is RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas. Karvelas is likely to present at least two weeks’ worth of Q+A from May 29, The Australian reported. ABC Radio Melbourne presenter Virginia Trioli has previously done presenting stints on the program and would be a top tier contender to take on Q+A. However, it’s reported she’d unlikely want to take on the gig full time at present. Former ABC radio and presenter of the since cancelled show Frankly, Fran Kelly, is not believed to be in the running. One name being tossed up in the air as a longer term replacement for Grant may be less familiar to some viewers. But Dan Bourchier is highly regarded at the ABC. The Australian reported that Grant already had his eye on Bourchier as a possibility to eventually succeed him given he’s also an Indigenous journalist. Bourchier worked for National Indigenous Television before becoming Sky News’ Northern Territory bureau chief. He began presenting the ABC News in Canberra as well as the ABC Canberra breakfast show in 2017. Bourchier now appears nationwide on the ABC as a co-host of ABC’s political discussion show The Drum and is the broadcaster’s correspondent on the Voice to Parliament. It is believed that some in the ABC are on board for Bourchier to host an upcoming special Q+A from the Garma Indigenous cultural festival, held in the Northern Territory in August if Grant hasn’t returned. Grant had hosted Q+A for less than a year when he chose to step aside. In a lengthy statement, Grant revealed the breaking point was vile criticism directed at him following his discussion of colonisation on the ABC’s coverage of the coronation of King Charles. “Since the King’s coronation, I have seen people in the media lie and distort my words. They have tried to depict me as hate filled. They have accused me of maligning Australia.” He said, “nothing could be further from the truth” and his ancestors would not allow him to be “filled with hate”. “I don’t take time out because of racism … I take time out because we have shown again that our history — our hard truth — is too big, too fragile, and too precious for the media. “I am writing this not because I think it will make a difference. No doubt the haters will twist this, too, and trigger another round of racism,” he said. Grant has also called out the ABC bosses. “Not one ABC executive has publicly refuted the lies written or spoken about me. “I don’t hold any individual responsible; this is an institutional failure.” ABC director of news Justin Stevens released a statement saying Grant has been subjected to “grotesque racist abuse”, including threats to his safety particularly since the ABC’s coronation coverage. “It is abhorrent and unacceptable,” Mr Stevens said. “He was not the instigator of the program. He was asked to participate as a Wiradjuri man to discuss his own family’s experience and the role of the monarchy in Australian in the context of Indigenous history.” The ABC’s managing director David Anderson apologised to the journalist. “Stan Grant has stated that he has not felt publicly supported,” Mr Anderson said. “For this, I apologise to Stan. The ABC endeavours to support its staff in the unfortunate moments when there is external abuse directed at them.” Mr Anderson also agreed to launch an investigation of ABC's responses to racism impacting staff. “The Chair and Deputy Chair of the ABC’s Bonner Committee have asked me to conduct a review to investigate and make recommendations about ABC responses to racism affecting ABC staff, and what we can do better to support staff who face it,” he said. He said he was “dismayed” that Grant had been subjected to such “sickening behaviour”. Image credit: Instagram

“Insensitive to the point of ghoulish”: ABC slammed over ‘intrusive’ interview with bus crash saviours

An ABC interview with two bystanders who rushed to help injured children trapped in a horrifying Melbourne bus crash has been blasted by viewers as “insensitive” and “ghoulish”. On May 17, a school bus full of 45 children was hit from behind by a truck, leading it to overturn, and <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/several-children-to-undergo-amputations-after-melbourne-school-bus-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trapping several children</a> inside at the Eynesbury intersection in Melbourne’s west. Victorian tradesmen Cameron Chalmers and Dean Eastway were heading home from work when they witnessed the accident, they shared their heartbreaking experience with reported Sarah Ferguson on an episode of 7.30. The interview came after Royal Children’s Hospital chief executive Bernadette McDonald gave a chilling update to the media the following day, revealing a number of children had “partial” amputations of arms and one underwent a “complete amputation” due to the severity of their injuries. “We ripped the sunroofs off and found all these kids in the bus. That was horrible,” Mr Chalmers told 7.30. “The kids were screaming and there was smoke and dust. And we just started pulling out as many kids as we could out of those sunroofs.” Eastway noted the children were “obviously terrified, they were trapped and yelling out, ‘I don’t want to be in a bus again. Where’s Mum?’ All sorts of stuff, and there were all sorts of injuries. It was just terrible.” Mr Chalmers estimated he and Mr Eastwood had rescued around 30 children from the wreckage and began helping those who remained trapped inside the bus. “We just kept talking to them and held their hands and just looked after them,” he said. “We sat there and we asked them their names … and just tried to keep them calm, just talking to them and reassuring them,” Mr Eastway added. Both men stayed on the scene until all children were freed, and said the reality of the traumatic incident was hard to process. However, social media users were quick to slam the interview, accusing the ABC of acting insensitively by airing the interview and Ferguson for her rapid-fire questioning and “seeming lack of empathy”, including her asking for details about individual children, like their names and state of their condition. “The bus crash looked horrific and I’m sad for all involved. I’m also disturbed by this interview with Sarah Ferguson and the men who assisted … How is this OK?” one person wrote on Twitter. Another added, “The two rescuers from the Victorian bus crash are so dignified and respectful in responding to the insensitive and highly intrusive questioning by Sarah Ferguson … even asking them to describe the individual children they rescued. It’s unethical and wrong.” “The men who helped at the bus crash scene are heroes. They deserve more respect than to be asked ongoing inconsiderate, unfeeling questions about the kids, only to relive their trauma for Sarah Ferguson,” one wrote. Another chimed in, “I have great respect for Sarah Ferguson – and also, given the gravity of the bus crash incident, it was in poor taste to seek details so intrusive and sensitive of the children’s trauma. “The rescuers, indeed heroes, are likely traumatised themselves. Dismayed, ABC.” One more wrote, “The two men did a great job. Your interview of them was belaboured and insensitive to the point of ghoulish.” While another said, “#abc730 trying to get victims names in the bus crash is unforgivable Sarah Ferguson!” Image credit: ABC 7.30

Caring

ABC threatened with legal action over coronation coverage

The Australian Monarchist League have threatened to take legal action against the ABC over their coronation coverage, specifically the comments made on their hour-long special The Coronation: A discussion about the Monarchy in 2023. The programme, focussed on the monarchy’s relevance to Australia, featured The Drum’s Julia Baird and Jeremy Fernandez as hosts, with a panel that included the likes of Q&A host Stan Grant and Australian Republic Movement co-chair Craig Foster. Julian Leeser - a Liberal MP and monarchist - and Teela Reid - a Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman - were also involved. The coverage, which broadcast in Australia three hours before King Charles III’s coronation, faced a wave of criticism from the Australian Monarchist League, as well as 3AW radio host Neil Mitchell, ABC audiences, and Liberal MPs. And now, the AML have announced their intention to take their complaints further, with a statement from AML national chair Philip Benwell declaring that their “legal advisers are preparing a formal complaint to the board of the ABC in regard to the production and airing of Saturday's extremely biased pre-Coronation programme specifically designed to attack the Constitution and the Crown. Our Executive and others are meeting this week to formalise our approach. “So vitriolic are their attacks on the King, the monarchy, the British settlement and everything that came thereafter that they forget that they are the very people who want our vote for their Voice to the Parliament.” Brenwell noted that they were inviting “pertinent comments” regarding the broadcast to help compile their formal complaint, specifying that these should “include specific comments made during the programme by interviewers and panellists”. Neil Mitchell, radio host for 3AW, had a lot to say about the coverage too, noting his opinion that it had “misread the mood”, as well as his desire for the ABC to see the broadcaster held accountable. “Somebody in the ABC needs to be accountable for this,” he declared, “as the national broadcaster it should have been the place you go to see the coverage of the coronation, instead you see all this bitterness about our Indigenous history.” He also took the opportunity to point out that the panel had featured four individuals, with “three of them republicans”. The fourth - and only monarchist - Julian Leeser agreed that the broadcast had gotten “the balance wrong” when it came to their panel compilation. As Mitchell added, “to have only one of four panellists as supporters of our existing constitutional arrangements meant there was little opportunity for a panel discussion that reflected the warmth and respect Australians have for King Charles.” Images: Q&A

“It’s not binary”: ABC host weighs in on The Voice

‘Australia’s boyfriend’ and ABC host Tony Armstrong has weighed in on Australia’s The Voice referendum, as people all across the nation prepare to head for the polls in late 2023. The referendum, in which Australians will be given the opportunity “to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution through an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice”, has been explained by the National Indigenous Australians Agency as an “independent, representative advisory body for First Nations peoples. “It will provide a permanent means to advise the Australian Parliament and Government on the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on matters that affect them.” Additionally, it is intended to act as part of the government’s commitment to implementing the full scope of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. However, as the time to vote draws closer, opinion has divided in the parliamentary and public eye, with many voicing their take from both sides of the discussion. And now, Tony Armstrong has become the latest to discuss the vote, all while stressing that the situation was more complex than people had assumed, and that he didn’t know which way it was going to go. “I truly don’t know if it will be passed or not,” he confessed to Stellar’s Sarrah Le Marquand. “What I think people need to remember with the Voice is that a vote for ‘yes’ and a vote for ‘no’ can both be good things. “It’s not binary. We aren’t in a world where ‘no’ is ‘bad’ and ‘yes’ is ‘good’. Aboriginal people should be the ones talking the most about this; this is about what’s best for Aboriginal people. I don’t know diddly squat. I’m leaving it to the people who actually know their cr*p to give advice on it. But what I do think is lost in the conversation is the fact it’s not binary.” Armstrong went on to note his understanding that a ‘yes’ vote could potentially hold the nation back, and that a ‘no’ vote could push it forward - “and vice versa. We don’t know.” He then explained that the public discourse had framed it as a binary issue, but that the entire situation is “far more nuanced and complex than that. “I’m going to follow in the path of my leaders; it’s just so complex and becomes another red-hot year for blackfellas, even more so where our very identity will be ripped apart and pulled apart and examined. “The irony, regardless of whichever way it goes, will be: it’s not necessarily going to be the blackfellas whose vote makes a difference. I’ve never been able to define irony, but I reckon that’s in the ballpark.” Images: Getty

Legal

“He yelled the N-word”: Stan Grant speaks out on racist attack

Q+A host Stan Grant has opened up about the time he faced unprovoked racist abuse from a stranger outside of the ABC’s headquarters, just days after <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/there-is-no-excuse-for-what-i-saw-stan-grant-calls-on-the-abc-to-do-better">calling for the broadcaster to “do better”</a>. Grant, a Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi man, was attending the national summit on Aboriginal child safety in Adelaide when conversation turned to the incident involving a passerby and “the N-word”. “I was standing outside the ABC filming … and a young man and his girlfriend walked past me and, as they got close to me, he yelled the N-word loudly at me, right at me,” Grant explained. “So what if I’m on television, so what if I stayed in the White House with [former US President] Barack Obama …. so what if I can phone the Prime Minister [Anthony Albanese] and he’ll pick up the phone, so what? In that moment, that’s what I was to that person. “We don’t know when someone’s going to say that. No matter how successful you are, someone can always cut you down. “Racism can touch us anywhere.” When breaking the story, Grant was addressing an audience of approximately 250 individuals from across Australia - primarily First Nations experts and frontline workers - at the summit hosted by KWY. The group is a South Australia-based Aboriginal organisation who, according to their official website, “cover domestic and family violence, child protection, youth work, kinship care, disability, mentoring, Aboriginal education outcomes, perpetrator intervention, and cultural training and consultancy” across Adelaide and other regional centres. During the summit, Aboriginal Children’s Commissioner April Lawrie called on the South Australian government to take action against the rising rates of Aboriginal children who were being taken into state care, declaring that, “we’re removing [children] but we’re not supporting [families].” “It’s a telling story when [I] go into a school community to engage with young fullas … to find that I couldn’t take a photo because most of the Aboriginal children in that school community were a child in care [and can’t be identified]. “That speaks more than what you see in data. That is the compelling story about what is going on in our Aboriginal communities, what is the relationship of the state with our Aboriginal families.” Reportedly, South Australia has a budget in excess of $500m, and only spends roughly $69m per year on early help services for families. As South Australia’s Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard said, the Malinauskas government intends to commit $3.2m to creating a new committee, while increasing the overall budget for family services by $13.4m. “We know that the current system is not working for Aboriginal families and children,” she stated. “Listening to the wisdom and experience of Aboriginal people is utterly fundamental to building a better approach. “This includes our government acknowledging how that legacy of colonisation and experiences of intergenerational trauma and racism influence the issues Aboriginal people face.” Images: Q+A / Youtube

News

“There is no excuse for what I saw”: Stan Grant calls on the ABC to do better

Stan Grant, host of the ABC’s Q+A, has condemned his own network for its lack of diversity during its NSW election coverage. Grant, a Wiradjuri man, wrote a letter to ABC’s managing director David Anderson asking “in 2023, how is it at all acceptable that an election night coverage features an entire white panel?” In the letter, which Crikey shared portions of, Grant stressed that he was not criticising his “well qualified” colleagues for featuring on the panel, but instead that he was tired of how the ABC had “nurtured and promoted white staff at the exclusion of others”. The panel in question was led by David Speers and Sarah Ferguson, with NSW treasurer Matt Kean and Labor frontbencher Penny Sharpe joining them. ABC’s coverage also saw state political reporter Ashleigh Raper, Jeremy Fernandez (who is Malaysian-born), and other reporters across key electorates. However, Grant was far from pleased with the “cameo” roles given to the journalists of colour - despite Fernandez in particular appearing in the network’s promotional material - stating that “the fact that any journalists of colour in our coverage were ‘off Broadway’ in support roles, reporting from the suburbs, only adds to the insult.” “There is no excuse for what I saw on air last night,” he said. “None. I have worked at organisations around the world and nowhere would what we presented last night be tolerated.” Grant called on the ABC to “do better”, and admitted keeping them honest feels like a responsibility on his shoulders. But as he explained in his letter, he doesn’t do any of it for himself. “I have had my career,” he wrote, “but I don’t want to wait another decade for things to change.” According to The Guardian, the ABC’s news director Justin Stevens has responded to Grant’s honest take, stating that “ABC News takes on board any criticism and welcomes constructive discussion.” Stevens went on to note that he agreed with Grant that the network is “not yet where we want to be”, before sharing a series of recent appointments within the ABC. “We will continue to do all we can to elevate the work of Indigenous employees and ensure our coverage and workforce are truly representative of Australia,” he said. “We respect Stan enormously. For decades he has been one of the highest-profile First Nations journalists in this country and with that he has carried the burden of fighting for the advancement of his First Nations and culturally diverse colleagues. “That responsibility is on all of us to carry at the ABC and not him alone.” Images: Q+A / Youtube

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Beloved ABC presenter reveals cancer diagnosis

Why Ita Buttrose chose to leave the ABC

Beloved Aussie news reader dies aged 98

Osher Günsberg slammed for "insulting Australians" over Voice defeat

Stan Grant's wife Tracey Holmes quits the ABC

Why an ABC journalist named her newborn after an illicit drug

Stan Grant reveals big career move after quitting ABC

"No one cares": Kyle's ABC rant after journalist resigns

Stan Grant's replacement announced

“Unfortunate timing” for Play School’s underwater adventure

Controversial call on Ben Roberts-Smith

Stan Grant’s new book asks: how do we live with the weight of our history?

"Are you coming back?" ABC loses another host

“We can be better”: Support flows for outgoing ABC host Stan Grant

Surprise new contender to replace Stan Grant

“Insensitive to the point of ghoulish”: ABC slammed over ‘intrusive’ interview with bus crash saviours

ABC threatened with legal action over coronation coverage

“It’s not binary”: ABC host weighs in on The Voice

“He yelled the N-word”: Stan Grant speaks out on racist attack

“There is no excuse for what I saw”: Stan Grant calls on the ABC to do better

Our Partners

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Beloved ABC presenter reveals cancer diagnosis

Why Ita Buttrose chose to leave the ABC

Beloved Aussie news reader dies aged 98

Osher Günsberg slammed for "insulting Australians" over Voice defeat

Stan Grant's wife Tracey Holmes quits the ABC

Why an ABC journalist named her newborn after an illicit drug

Stan Grant reveals big career move after quitting ABC

"No one cares": Kyle's ABC rant after journalist resigns

Stan Grant's replacement announced

“Unfortunate timing” for Play School’s underwater adventure

Controversial call on Ben Roberts-Smith

Stan Grant’s new book asks: how do we live with the weight of our history?

"Are you coming back?" ABC loses another host

“We can be better”: Support flows for outgoing ABC host Stan Grant

Surprise new contender to replace Stan Grant

“Insensitive to the point of ghoulish”: ABC slammed over ‘intrusive’ interview with bus crash saviours

ABC threatened with legal action over coronation coverage

“It’s not binary”: ABC host weighs in on The Voice

“He yelled the N-word”: Stan Grant speaks out on racist attack

“There is no excuse for what I saw”: Stan Grant calls on the ABC to do better

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