One down, many to go at ABC

PoliticsNow: Peter Dutton says there’s a “cultural problem’’ with Q&A, and calls for terror victims to be heard over academics.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, thinks the ABC’s Q&A show is a waste of taxpayer money. Picture: Gary Ramage

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says there is a “cultural problem” with the ABC and its panel show Q&A, as he called for victims of terrorist attacks and their families to be heard over “some academics”.

The condemnation came after US physicist Lawrence Krauss told the program on Monday night that Americans and others were more likely to be killed by a fridge falling on them than a terrorist.

Q&A host Tony Jones added: “If you’re a young black American, you’re more likely to be killed by policeman.”

Mr Dutton, who is often critical of the ABC, Fairfax and the Guardian, said Q&A was a “waste of taxpayer money” and the board “needs to deal with it”.

“Tony Jones, who is obviously a well credentialed, experienced journalist, I mean his behaviour in that instance I think is a disgrace,” Mr Dutton told 2GB radio.

“You can muse about it and carry on, the reality is as we’re seeing now victims as young as eight, those families who have allowed their children, young children, teenage children to go to a music concert as all of us have done over a long period of time, travel out to a public place, go on a bus, go on a train, whatever it might be, those people, those victims of that crime and those families that are left behind frankly I think they’re the people and their voices should be heard, not the voices of some academics or people that seek to get their face on Q&A.

“I actually think there is a fundamental problem with the ABC, particularly around Q&A, the composition of the audience, the selection of these people on the panel and the direction it’s given by Tony Jones. You’re right you’ve raised my blood pressure.”

Mr Dutton also said the axing of Muslim activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied’s show on the ABC was a “good start” but there were more employees who should be dismissed.

“One down, many to go,” he said.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott temporarily banned cabinet ministers from appearing on the “lefty lynch mob” Q&A after producers allowed a former terrorism suspect to join the live studio audience.

The ABC reviewed the decision to allow Zaky Mallah to ask a question and admitted it had made an error.

The ABC declined to comment on Mr Dutton’s remarks.