Producers of ABC TV’s weekly public discussion program Q&A say Barnaby Joyce was warned before appearing on this week’s episode about a likely hostile response from some members of the studio audience. (main picture)
The former deputy prime minister and former National Party leader was responding to a question on Monday night about why he opposed an indigenous voice to federal parliament, but strong interjections by some in the live studio audience forced him to cut off his answer.
An ABC production staffer said before the program began he had personally forewarned Mr Joyce about the likely audience reaction.
“I told Barnaby there’d be boos during the show and he didn’t seem concerned. In fact all he said to me was: ‘Great, I’ll have a couple of schooners of Bundy and rum (sic) to start with please. Keep ’em coming too’,” the staffer said.
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Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has cut short a news conference he called to lambast what he claims to be an organised campaign by the Murdoch media against the concept of a First Nations’ voice to parliament.
After making a brief opening statement in which he said coverage by Murdoch-owned media outlets was deliberately misrepresenting the voice concept Mr Turnbull called for questions.
However, the news conference ended soon after he completed his statement when a reporter asked Mr Turnbull about his own comments immediately following the 2015 release of the Uluru Statement from the Heart when he attacked the proposed voice as a “third chamber of parliament”.
Reporters waited expectantly for an answer but Mr Turnbull pointed over the heads and yelled: “My God! What’s that?”
Media representatives quickly turned their heads in the direction Mr Turnbull had pointed but saw nothing and when they returned their gaze to where Mr Turnbull had been standing he had disappeared.
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US Senator and former Republican Party presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, has issued a clarifying statement following widespread unrest within his party about comments he made about the quality of candidates seeking its nomination to run for the White House in 2024.
Mr Romney earlier this week called on so-called no-hoper candidates to drop out of the race. (below)
“The Senator’s comment was intended to urge candidates with low poll numbers to vacate the field so that a strong candidate could oppose Donald Trump and win the nomination,” a Romney staffer explained.
“But unfortunately too many people in our party took his comments literally and feared that if every no-hoper dropped out, then the Republican Party would have no nominee come 2024.
“So we have now issued a statement clarifying Senator Romney’s remarks,” the staffer said.
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