The producer of the ABC’s Monday night panel debate, Q&A, rang a couple of weeks ago. He said they were looking for a woman in a leadership position who was opinionated, a bit out there, a woman who wouldn’t be daunted by a live audience of a thousand or so in the Princess Theatre in Launceston. Was I up for it?
Outspoken, opinionated, out there? Moi?
When someone asks if you’d like to appear on the panel of Q&A, your first response is probably that you are flattered to have been asked, and, actually, I don’t think I’m doing anything else that night. So I said yes. Then, for the next two weeks, I agonised over the ramifications of this act of bravado.
Who else will be on the panel? What subjects might come up? Am I across them? What questions would I not like to be asked? Will I be nervous? Can I do it? What have I let myself in for?
Yes, these are the matters that kept me awake at night wondering why the Dickens I had agreed to do this.
Everybody says “go on, you’ll do it standing on your head”. Now, there’s a vision splendid.
I prepared as best I could. I read up on schools funding, the NBN, forestry, forestry and more forestry, oh yes, and James Hird. We were told that James Hird might be on the agenda.
Anyone who knows me will know that the name James Hird does not mean a great deal to me. You might as well be talking football. Oh, you are talking football.
When it was explained to me what he is supposed to have done to himself, my response is:
“So, he’s a footballer who is supposed to have taken drugs. Not so unusual.”
“No, Jan. This is James Hird we are talking about.”
Then all too soon it was Monday. I had a knot in my stomach. I didn’t hear anything anyone said for most of the day. I was distracted, thinking of all sorts of worst scenarios. At dinner, with my Chairman and a few others, I certainly wasn’t going to risk fate by having a drink!
People were lined up outside the theatre when I arrived at the back door. The producer met me and took me to the green room, where I was introduced to the other panelists. I already knew two of them – local politicians Dick Adams and Peter Whish-Wilson. The other two were well known author David Marr and Victorian Liberal MHR, Sophie Mirabella.
Tony Jones, the host, was generous and supportive, reassuring newbies like me not to be nervous and pointing out that it would all be fine once we were on the stage.
And so it was.
Launceston turned out in droves, and what a diverse and engaged audience it turned out to be. The questions were insightful and heartfelt. The time flew – and then it was over.
I did get cross a couple of times when the politicians slipped into ‘polly talk’, but I managed to make it through without foot-in-mouth disease, or falling off the stage.
So why did I do this? The obvious reason is that I was asked – and it is hard to say no. More importantly, this provided an outstanding platform to tell the story of our Tasmanian farmers to a wider audience.
Every week, I write this column for you. It is a pretty fair bet that, if you’re reading Tas Country, you have an interest in agriculture and an affinity with farmers. So, in some respects, I am preaching to the converted. Whether you agree with what I say or not almost doesn’t matter –at least you understand what I’m talking about and can make an informed assessment.
But it is harder to talk to the audience that really needs to hear what we have to say – the people in the cities, who have lost contact with where their food comes from. There is no better way to speak to them than through such a well-respected program as Q&A; and we certainly couldn’t let that opportunity pass.
Many of you contacted me before the show with issues you wanted me to raise. You were generous in your support before and after – and I really appreciate that. Importantly, lots of people from that other audience – the city people – have also been in touch to talk about some of the things that came up on the night. And that is a clear win – and one that makes those sleepless nights well worthwhile.
