The ABC’s long-running panel show Q+A will end this year after 18 years on air, as the broadcaster moves to explore new ways of fostering civic engagement and national debate.
Hosted by Patricia Karvelas since 2024, the show has seen declining ratings and growing speculation about its future.
ABC Director of News Justin Stevens said the decision was “not about performance, but about relevance,” citing a need to evolve with changing audience expectations.
Karvelas, who balances hosting Afternoon Briefing, the Politics Now podcast, and contributions to Four Corners, will now take on more long-form assignments for ABC NEWS.
“Spending time with the audience members who came to Q+A late on a Monday night has been the best part of this job,” Karvelas said.
“They have always been the reason for this show and I’m forever grateful to them for coming on national TV and having the courage to ask questions of powerful people.”
Launched in 2008, Q+A became a hallmark of live political discussion and audience interaction, including the use of live tweets from 2010 onward. It featured hundreds of prominent guests, including multiple prime ministers.
The ABC will now prioritise initiatives like Your Say, which drew nearly 30,000 submissions during the last federal election, and expand its long-form documentary output, building on successful series such as The Killing Season and Nemesis.
Source: mediaweek.com.au
