About this season
Hosted by Hamish Macdonald, Q&A puts punters, pollies and pundits together in the studio to thrash out the hot issues of the week. It's about democracy in action - the audience gets to ask the questions.
Episodes (43)
1. Elections, Economics & Knightmares
Aired 2 February 2015 • 60 min
Tony Jones is joined by Former ALP Treasurer, Wayne Swan; Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce; Greens Senator for Queensland, Larissa Waters; and Independent Senators, John Madigan and Jacqui Lambie.
2. Spills, Bills, Coal & Kills
Aired 9 February 2015 • 60 min
Tony Jones is joined by broadcaster Alan Jones; Assistant Infrastructure Minister Jamie Briggs; Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen, Chair of AustralianSuper Heather Ridout; and comedian and writer Corrine Grant.
3. Death, Detention and Defending Policies
Aired 16 February 2015 • 60 min
Panellists Malcolm Turnbull, Minister for Communications; Catherine King, Shadow Health Minister; Lisa Wilkinson, Journalist; Bryan Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative; & Greg Sheridan, Foreign Affairs Editor, The Australian.
4. Family Violence Special
Aired 23 February 2015 • 60 min
Panellists: Aus of the Year, Rosie Batty; Aus Ambassador for Women, Natasha Stott Despoja; Acting VIC Police Commissioner, Tim Cartwright; Indigenous anti-violence campaigner, Charlie King; & Men's Counsellor, Simon Santosha.
5. Economics, Regulations & One Word
Aired 2 March 2015 • 60 min
Panellists: Star of stage and screen, Miriam Margolyes; Assistant Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg; Shadow Assistant Treasurer, Andrew Leigh; Centre for Independent Studies, Trisha Jha; & Editor In Chief of Mamamia, Jamila Rizvi.
6. Bad Feminism: Contradictions and Careers
Aired 9 March 2015 • 60 min
To celebrate 40 years of IWD a special Q&A with guest host Annabel Crabb. Annabel Crabb guest hosts Q&A with a panel including Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop; Feminist icon, Germaine Greer; Author, Roxane Gay; CEO of Best & Less, Holly Kramer & Engineer and youth advocate, Yassmin Abdel-Magied.
7. Intergenerational Wealth and Health
Aired 16 March 2015 • 60 min
An Intergenerational Report special. Joining Tony Jones is Treasurer Joe Hockey; Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen; ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie; CEO of Australian Chamber of Commerce Kate Carnell & public policy expert John Daley.
8. When the Bush came to Town
Aired 23 March 2015 • 60 min
Live from the Royal Easter Show, Tony Jones is joined by National Party Senator Fiona Nash; Shadow Minister for Agriculture Joel Fitzgibbon; Country musician Troy-Cassar-Daley; Orchardist Robyn Clubb; and cattleman Rob Cook.
9. Depression, Drugs and Another Planet
Aired 30 March 2015 • 60 min
Host Tony Jones is joined by panellists Education Minister Christopher Pyne; Opposition Senate Leader Penny Wong; Comedian Ruby Wax; Musician and humanitarian Michael Franti & Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Brian Schmidt.
10. Political Tensions and Children in Detention
Aired 6 April 2015 • 60 min
Greek musical legend Nana Mouskouri joins Tony Jones on the Q&A panel with: Parl Sec to the Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer; Labor Member Ed Husic; Australian Financial Review Editor, Michael Stutchbury; & playwright Van Badham.
11. Vaccinations, Press Freedoms & Forced Closures
Aired 13 April 2015 • 60 min
Panellists: Journalist Peter Greste; Asst Minister for Social Services Mitch Fifield; Shadow Parl Sec for Regional Development Alannah MacTiernan; CEO Regional Aus Institute Su McCluskey; & NITV News' Malarndirri McCarthy.
12. Drinking, Depression and Deportation
Aired 20 April 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones: Journalist Derryn Hinch; Minister for Trade & Investment, Andrew Robb; Former Speaker of the House, Anna Burke; Comedian Dave Hughes; CEO of the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre, Jane Burns.
13. ANZAC Spirit, Modern Warfare and Marriage
Aired 27 April 2015 • 60 min
On the panel this week: Assistant Treasurer Arthur Sinodinos; Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek; Former deputy PM Tim Fischer; Historian Carolyn Holbrook; & Deputy Program Director, Human Rights Watch Tom Porteous.
14. Assault, Altruism and Emissions
Aired 4 May 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones on the panel: Philosopher & ethicist, Peter Singer; Environment Minister, Greg Hunt; Shadow Environment Minister, Mark Butler; Broadcaster & commentator, Amanda Vanstone; & US performer, Adrienne Truscott.
15. Struggle Street on Budget Eve
Aired 11 May 2015 • 60 min
Panellists: Clive Palmer, Leader of the Palmer United Party; Christian Porter, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister; Nakkiah Lui, Playwright; Jason Clare, Shadow Communications Minister; and Jennifer Hewett, Political journalist.
16. Death Cults, Brains & Migration
Aired 18 May 2015 • 60 min
On the Q&A panel this week, we feature some of the brightest stars from this year's Sydney Writers' Festival: Norman Doidge; Caitlin Doughty; Douglas Coupland; Mohsin Hamid and Christina Lamb.
17. Joe Hockey on the Tradies vs Ladies Budget
Aired 25 May 2015 • 60 min
This week Tony Jones is joined by the Treasurer of Australia, Joe Hockey to face a LIVE studio audience & respond directly to their post-budget questions.
18. War Cries, Citizenship & Crime Prevention
Aired 1 June 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones LIVE on the panel: Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg; Shadow Minister for Infrastructure Anthony Albanese; Actor and elder Jack Charles; Policy analyst Miriam Lyons; and Businesswoman Judith Sloan.
19. Revolutionary Christianity, Citizenship & Incarceration
Aired 8 June 2015 • 60 min
Panellists: Christine Forster, City of Sydney Councillor; Dr Cornel West, Scholar and Poet; Philip Ruddock, Special Envoy for Citizenship; Katy Gallagher, Senator for the Australian Capital Territory; and Bates Gill, CEO of US Studies Centre.
20. Magna Carta Magna QandA
Aired 15 June 2015 • 60 min
Q&A marks the 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta with an episode from Parliament House in Canberra. Joining Tony Jones on the panel are Bronwyn Bishop, Noel Pearson, Gillian Triggs, Luca Belgiorno-Nettis & Bret Walker.
21. Terror, Poverty & Native Titles
Aired 22 June 2015 • 60 min
Panellists: singer ANOHNI Hegarty; Parl. Sec for Foreign Affairs Steve Ciobo; Shad Min. for Agriculture Joel Fitzgibbon; lobbyist Grahame Morris; Advertising director Dee Madigan; & anti-poverty campaigner Linda Tirado.
22. Radicalisation, Religion & Recognition
Aired 29 June 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones on the panel: Dep Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek; Editor-at-large The Australian Paul Kelly; Cosmologist Lawrence Krauss; Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson; counter-terrorism expert Dr. Anne Aly.
23. Greece, Gags & Grazing Land
Aired 6 July 2015 • 60 min
On the panel: Vrasidas Karalis, Professor of Modern Greek; Shadow Minister for Immigration Richard Marles; Greens Senator Larissa Waters; policy analyst Trisha Jha & foreign affairs editor Greg Sheridan.
24. Peace, Ideology & Free Speech
Aired 13 July 2015 • 60 min
On the panel: Former Liberal leader John Hewson, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education Amanda Rishworth, war correspondent Michael Ware, scholar John Stackhouse, and Director of Polling at the Lowy Institute Alex Oliver.
25. Choppers, Coal & Community
Aired 20 July 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones on the panel: Former Deputy PM, Tim Fischer; Broadcaster, Alan Jones; Senator, Jacqui Lambie; Shadow Environment Minister, Mark Butler & Mining and development strategist Katherine Teh-White.
26. Culture of Change
Aired 27 July 2015 • 60 min
Joining Virginia Trioli LIVE from Brisbane: QLD Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk; Catholic Archbishop Mark Coleridge; Fmr Nats Senator Ron Boswell; Policy Analyst Prof Anne Tiernan; Innovation Strategist Monica Bradley.
27. New Frontiers & Next Bold Missions
Aired 3 August 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones on the panel: Director of NY's Hayden Planetarium Neil de Grasse Tyson; Oncologist and author Ranjana Srivastava; Broadcaster and maths geek Adam Spencer; and Marine ecologist Beth Fulton.
28. Perks, Penalty Rates & Life in Space
Aired 10 August 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones: astronaut Chris Hadfield; Assistant Minister for Vocational Education Sharon Bird; author/feminist Anne Summers; Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and journalist Joe Hildebrand.
29. Ethics, Equality & Evasion
Aired 17 August 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones on the Q&A panel: Greens leader Richard Di Natale; Parl Sec to the Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer; Labor Senator Sam Dastyari; British Editor Brendan O'Neill; and Traditional marriage advocate Katy Faust.
30. Public Life & Political Memoirs
Aired 24 August 2015 • 60 min
Joining Virginia Trioli from the Melbourne Writers Festival, publisher Louise Adler; Former Qld Premier Anna Bligh; Former Howard Cabinet insider Peter Reith; Former Independent MP Tony Windsor; & author Annabel Crabb.
31. Cheating, Climate, War & Democracy
Aired 31 August 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones live from the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Sydney Opera House: Climate activist Naomi Klein; Christian philosopher Miroslav Volf; Tariq Ali; Feminist Laurie Penny & American Review Editor Tom Switzer.
32. Drowning in Desperation to Dying with Dignity
Aired 7 September 2015 • 60 min
Panellists: NSW Premier, Mike Baird; Shadow Treasurer, Chris Bowen; Pres of Business Council of Aus, Catherine Livingstone; Human Rights Lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson & International Editor of The Economist, Helen Joyce.
33. A New Prime Minister, New Leadership
Aired 14 September 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones on the panel: Folk legend Joan Baez; Former Liberal leader John Hewson; Labor member for Griffith, Terri Butler; World Vision CEO Tim Costello; and Editor of The Spectator Australia, Rowan Dean.
34. Bill Shorten in Ballarat
Aired 21 September 2015 • 60 min
Live from Ballarat. This week we dissect the policies of the federal opposition, when Tony Jones is joined on the panel for a special one on one with Bill Shorten, the leader of the Australian Labor Party.
35. Conservatives, China & Chris Brown
Aired 28 September 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones on the panel: Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce; Shadow Health Minister Catherine King; Journalist David Marr; Museum Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor & Executive Director of the IPA, John Roskam.
36. Shine a Light on Depression
Aired 5 October 2015 • 60 min
Mental As Q&A shines a light on depression - one of the most common yet misunderstood mental illnesses in Australia. On the panel: Ian Hickie; Wayne Schwass; Professor Pat Dudgeon; Fay Jackson; and Dr. Roderick McKay.
37. Social Cohesion, Offshore Detention & Factions
Aired 12 October 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones on the panel: Australia's first indigenous Federal Minister Ken Wyatt; Labor Senator Lisa Singh; Greens MP Adam Bandt; Muslim Community Leader Sheikh Wesam Charkawi; and soprano Tania de Jong.
38. Friends and Allies in Foreign Policy
Aired 19 October 2015 • 60 min
A foreign affairs special panel: Former Foreign Minister Bob Carr; CEO Lowy Institute Michael Fullilove; Former diplomat Alison Broinowski; Director Of Advocacy, Human Rights Law Centre Emily Howie; Melbourne Uni's Sow Keat Tok.
39. Country Life, CSG and Cannabis
Aired 26 October 2015 • 60 min
Live from Toowoomba with guest host Tom Ballard. Panellists: Rural Health Mininister Fiona Nash; Shadow Minister for Agriculture Joel Fitzgibbon; Southern Qld Uni's Jan Thomas; Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio; Singer Katie Noonan.
40. GST, Gonski, Population and Diversity
Aired 2 November 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones on the panel: ecologist & biologist Paul Ehrlich; Minister for Education & Training Simon Birmingham; Shadow Finance Minister Tony Burke; Comedian & Broadcaster Wendy Harmer & Businesswoman Dai Le.
41. Facing Death
Aired 9 November 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones are Broadcaster Andrew Denton; doctor/author Karen Hitchcock; palliative care specialist Ralph McConaghy; terminal cancer patient Ana Lamaro & doctor/euthanasia advocate Rodney Syme.
42. Paris, Syria & South Australia
Aired 16 November 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones in Adelaide: French Ambassador Christophe Lecourtier, security consultant Andrew MacLeod, Federal Minister Christopher Pyne; Shadow Minister Kate Ellis; Sen. Nick Xenophon & youth advocate Holly Ransom.
43. Racists, Extremists and Economists
Aired 23 November 2015 • 60 min
Joining Tony Jones are Environment Minister Greg Hunt; Anthony Albanese; Geraldine Brooks; Former Finance Minister of Greece Yanis Varoufakis; Judith Sloan & from the Australian Muslim Women's Centre Tasneem Chopra.