A group of incoming Greater Shepparton Secondary College Year 12 students travelled to Melbourne recently to help form the studio audience for the final Q&A broadcast of 2023.
The Monday, November 27 panellists were Cheng Lei, who was recently released after three years in a Chinese detention centre and men’s mental health advocate Osher Gunsberg.
Also on screen was the Victorian commissioner for LGBTIQA+ communities, Todd Fernando, former journalist and political adviser Charlotte Mortlock and singer-songwriter Anthony Callea.
GSSC student Juna Crozier said the late-night excursion to ABC’s Southbank studios provided an eye-opener into the workings of both television and politics.
“I loved being part of a live audience and experiencing what that’s like,” she said.
“Q&A is a show that I would never have thought to watch, but I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to view it live.”
Maddie Judd found the debate around bias in the media to be most thought-provoking.
“I particularly enjoyed Osher’s stance that we must acknowledge and respect others’ opinions to then consider the whole picture, not just argue senselessly.”
Q&A is national broadcaster ABC’s live weekly news program where politicians and opinion leaders are questioned about current events.