The Sketch: Let’s talk about Eric: aiding and Abetzing the ABC’s hard questions

Eric Abetz featured on Hard Quiz, with host Tom Gleeson.

Eric Abetz and the ABC. It’s one of the great political love stories of our time.

The latest chapter unfolded just after 8pm on Wednesday during an episode of game show Hard Quiz. “G’day Peter,” host Tom Gleeson said. “Now your expert subject is the senator, Eric Abetz.”

“Yes,” Peter replied.

“Are you a massive fan of his point of view?” Gleeson asked.

“No,” Peter responded, to laughs. “Well, don’t suck up the ABC audience,” Gleeson said with a smile. “So you just chose this topic rather cynically, did you?”

“I just went brain: strategy and comic material. And brain went, ‘Eric Abetz,’ ” Peter replied.

“OK, so you went Eric Abetz ’cause you thought no one’s going to steal that topic because he’s so boring, no one would know anything about him?” Gleeson ­declared.

We asked the Tasmanian Liberal if he’d tuned in for a bit of “this is your life”. He didn’t.

Abetz told us: “Clearly the ABC has an excess of funds if it can broadcast an episode of Hard Quiz with me as a topic (as worthy as the topic may be). That said, it is not my intention to raise the expenditure at Abetzimates — a few bigger fish to fry.”

Abetzimates is Canberra bubble slang for when he appears at Senate estimate hearings.

I know what you’re thinking: how did Peter go? Spoiler alert! He beat his wife, Michelle (her topic was Barbarella), in the final round to become a Hard Quiz champion; although he got a few questions wrong along the way.

So for you political tragics out there, how about a bit of Friday fun with an ABC Abetz Examination!

Let’s play. HARD!

Q1) At the age of three, after his father obtained work on the hydro scheme, Eric Abetz emigrated from Germany to what Australian city?

Q2) Abetz was the minister for employment at the establishment of which royal commission?

Q3) When arrested over war crimes in 1945, Eric's great-uncle Otto Abetz said he believed in the survival and impending return of which high-ranking Nazi?

Q4) Gleeson played a clip of Abetz in Senate estimates saying: “And that is the issue of a bias, and favouring one point of view over another.” Alleged bias at which ­organisation?

Q5) In May 2019 Abetz presented Scott Morrison with a portrait of who made of what?

Q6) Abetz gained an interest in politics while studying law at the University of Tasmania, where he joined the Liberal Party because of outrage over what compulsory ­requirement?

Q7) Despite being available free online, in 2018 Abetz defended his purchase of 200 copies of a book with what title?

Q8) Invited by the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex to send a message to another planet in 2009, Abetz outlined his dream to be free of what?

Q9) In 2017 Abetz raised concerns over the pride flag being flown in the lobby of which government building?

Q10) Abetz asked 85 commonwealth departments and agencies to, and I quote, “Provide the messages, if any, sent to staff” on which four occasions?

Q11) In 1999 Abetz was one of only a handful of parliamentarians who attended a screening held to review the classification of which film?

Click here for the answers!