Latest news with #StanGrant
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- The Guardian
Stan Grant: ‘I had a crazy career for someone who had been brought up the way I had'
Midway through a stroll around Adelong in the Snowy Valley, two hours west of Canberra, walkers stumble upon a sign. It points in one direction to the 'past', and in the other to the 'future'. Walking with Stan Grant, in an area steeped with personal significance for the distinguished writer and broadcaster, the sign seems particularly apt. To start with, says Grant, as he sets a brisk pace on a wintry Saturday afternoon, this is traditional country. 'This is Wiradjuri country,' says Grant, a Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi man, very much dressed for the walk in a brown coat, corduroy pants and boots. Grant grew up in the area; his father was an itinerant worker and so the family moved often throughout the region. 'I changed schools 14 times before I was even in high school,' he adds. 'When I think of home, I never think of a house – I think of a place and I think of a relationship to the place. This holds all of that.' Grant returned to Adelong after he wound up his career at the ABC (although he still has a place in Sydney, and travels frequently). He and his wife, the sports journalist Tracey Holmes, have recently finished renovating a home on the town's outskirts – they have six acres. 'I bought it without even looking at it,' Grant laughs – recalling how he did not tell Holmes before going ahead with the purchase. 'But as it happens, Tracey's family go back five or six generations here as well' – to Chinese immigrants who worked on a gold mine on the edge of town in the 1800s. After a peripatetic career – Grant has reported from over 80 countries, and spent time living in London, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Beijing – the 61-year-old is back in his place. 'It felt like returning to something that I was deeply rooted in,' he says. As Grant guides me along a path on the banks of the Adelong Creek, his connection to the landscape is palpable. 'It's the essence of me,' he says. Grant has had a remarkable career which would have seemed improbable when it began. 'I sort of fell into journalism,' he explains, as we crunch over autumnal leaves now lying on the winter footpath. 'I had no ambitions to do anything when I was younger, because no one in my family had finished high school, let alone gone to university.' By the time Grant reached his final years of schooling, his family had moved to Canberra and Grant secured a mail boy job at the Institute of Aboriginal Studies (his uncle was a janitor there). 'That introduced me to a lot of Aboriginal people doing things that I'd never seen our people do – go to university, have these professional lives,' he says. 'That really inspired me.' A career in journalism soon followed – working at home and abroad as a broadcaster, host and correspondent, including a lengthy, globe-trotting stint with CNN. In some ways it was the perfect fit for Grant. 'It really felt as if I'd found a home for all the things I loved – writing, reading,' he says (during our conversation he cites James Joyce, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Toni Morrison and William Faulkner). 'And because I'd lived an itinerant life, I didn't care about moving – I really thrived in that.' Grant won three Walkley Awards and a Logie, and has interviewed global figures from Nelson Mandela to Hillary Clinton and seven Australian prime ministers. But aspects of the trade gnawed at him – a gnawing that has only become louder now that Grant has left the grind of news journalism, he says – pausing to say hello to a passing neighbour (Adelong is a town of barely a thousand people and Grant seems to be well-known). 'I was always very wary of the exploitative nature of journalism, the blood sport of journalism, the soulless part of the craft that reduces human beings to mere avatars in some larger psycho drama – usually political,' he says. 'I never respected that part of it.' Walking along in the dappled afternoon sunlight, it is a theme Grant returns to. '24/7 news – nobody needs that.' Grant hesitates, birds chirping in the background. He seems torn by these reflections. He spent much of his career in 24/7 news outlets. 'I had phenomenal experiences – a crazy career for someone who had been brought up the way I had,' he muses. 'There was no way that was in the stars for me – and yet I had that life.' The creek gurgles beside him and for a moment Grant snaps out of these reflections. 'It's contemplative, Kieran, it's a very contemplative space here,' he muses. 'As soon as you hear water on rocks, you're taken to a different place.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion We soon reach the midway point of our walk, the old mine near the Adelong Falls – where Grant and Holmes come to swim in the rock pools during summer. The remnants of the mine persist in rock walls – constructed by migrant Chinese miners, including Holmes' great, great grandfather. Certainly, Grant does not regret his career in journalism – which ended in 2023 after he left the public broadcaster, although he continues to pen a weekly column in the Saturday Paper. 'There's no point – it is what it is – and it wasn't as if I wasn't doing other things,' Grant says, reeling off some of his recent extracurriculars – eight books, a documentary, a doctorate in theology, in the last decade alone. In his new phase he is a regular at his local Catholic church, and next month will perform in a play produced by Melbourne's Malthouse Theatre at the Merlyn Theatre. 'I think what it is now is that I'm very aware of how I use the time I have left to be able to speak to the things that sit at the core of my soul,' he says. But Grant is more than willing to reflect on his exit from the ABC – which came after relentless criticism after his comments during coverage of the coronation of King Charles. Grant is unapologetic about his contribution to the panel, about the crown's legacy of colonialism in Australia; the broadcaster's independent ombudsman later found the network had not breached any editorial guidelines. 'I did not have a choice in that,' he says. 'I would have been a coward, and I would have been, I would have betrayed my own people who sacrificed to put me there, had I not brought my voice to that in a measured way.' For Grant, the challenge of being a high profile Aboriginal journalist was not just the public backlash, the death threats, the lack of institutional support (ABC leadership later admitted regret over its handling of the Coronation broadcast, and apologised to staff following a damning cultural safety review). It was also the cultural load. He felt it fell to him to defend, encourage and protect other Aboriginal staff or staff of colour, to be someone they turned to if they had experienced racism. 'That was an enormous burden.' The scars of Grant's career evidently linger. 'It's always there,' he admits. But walking through Grant's home town, his past and future melded together, there is a sense that being here allows him to breathe again. . 'We've passed people today who have smiled and waved at us,' he says of how he retains his optimism. 'I experience this every day. Turn off the television – don't watch the nightly news. It is not going to tell you anything about our world. Be engaged, be informed, but don't be obsessed. Put social media away – there is nothing good there. And go out and talk to people, meet people.' As if on cue, Grant passes someone else going for a weekend stroll and a dog bounds up to him. 'You should be open to that,' he laughs. 'To a little dog coming up to you and saying hello.' Stan Grant will feature in the Malthouse Theatre production of Echo: Every Cold Hearted Oxygen on 16 July at the Merlyn Theatre.
ABC News
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Coming Up: Stan Grant On Country with Indira Naidoo - ABC Religion & Ethics
Stan Grant opens up to Indira Naidoo on his deepening faith, Indigenous spirituality, his response to the Voice referendum, and the pivotal relationship with his father, a Wiradjuri elder. Filmed on Wiradjuri country in NSW. Coming up 6:30pm Sunday 22nd June on ABC TV and anytime on ABC iview. Posted 8m ago 8 minutes ago Mon 16 Jun 2025 at 5:18am
The Advertiser
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
'The world has changed': ABC axes Q+A program after 18 years
The ABC has announced the end of the political panel program Q+A after 18 years on air. The weekly staple featured politicians and other community and cultural figures directly facing questions from the audience but was plagued by declining viewership and rapidly changing hosts in the last several years. ABC news director Justin Stevens said the broadcaster was "very proud" of the show's achievements "We always need to keep innovating and renewing and in the two decades since Q+A began, the world has changed," Mr Stevens said. "It's time to rethink how audiences want to interact and to evolve how we can engage with the public to include as many Australians as possible in national conversations." He said the program's axing had "no reflection on anyone on the show". The show first aired in 2008 with host Tony Jones who departed the program in 2019 after 12 years. Hamish Macdonald was announced to replace Jones, starting in 2020, but resigned in 2021, citing social media trolling. He returned to a former role with Network 10's The Project. READ MORE: 'Loved every second': The Project axed as stars move on David Speers, Virginia Trioli and Stan Grant took over hosting on a rotating basis until July 2022, when Grant was appointed as a permanent host. Stan Grant left the program in 2023, after taking a break from his media roles when he faced racist trolling and abuse over the ABC coverage of King Charles' coronation. He accused the broadcaster of not providing him with sufficient of support during this time. The ABC ombudsman cleared the broadcaster of breaching editorial standards its coronation coverage. Patricia Karvelas filled in hosting duties during this time, before being permanently appointed to host in 2024. The show innovated audience engagement and was among the first to introduce an on-screen Twitter feed to allow home viewers to contribute to the discussion. In later years, it added live audience polling on the topics discussed. Debates on the program often became heated between the panellists, and sometimes even the audience, with protests and interruptions taking place across the show's lifetime. The most famous is the 2010 appearance of former prime minister John Howard, when an audience member, activist Peter Gray, threw a pair of shoes at Mr Howard over his responses about the Iraq War. Mr Gray died of cancer six months later, but he had requested that the thrown shoes, which the ABC still held, could be auctioned to raise funds for the Red Cross. Both the program and Mr Howard supported the idea, and the auction was announced on the program and sold for $3650. Patricia Karvelas said that she had immensely enjoyed being part of the program. "Spending time with the audience members who came to Q+A late on a Monday night has been the best part of this job," she 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." The ABC said it will focus on new programs, including more news documentaries and making their federal election initiative Your Say a permanent part of coverage. The ABC has announced the end of the political panel program Q+A after 18 years on air. The weekly staple featured politicians and other community and cultural figures directly facing questions from the audience but was plagued by declining viewership and rapidly changing hosts in the last several years. ABC news director Justin Stevens said the broadcaster was "very proud" of the show's achievements "We always need to keep innovating and renewing and in the two decades since Q+A began, the world has changed," Mr Stevens said. "It's time to rethink how audiences want to interact and to evolve how we can engage with the public to include as many Australians as possible in national conversations." He said the program's axing had "no reflection on anyone on the show". The show first aired in 2008 with host Tony Jones who departed the program in 2019 after 12 years. Hamish Macdonald was announced to replace Jones, starting in 2020, but resigned in 2021, citing social media trolling. He returned to a former role with Network 10's The Project. READ MORE: 'Loved every second': The Project axed as stars move on David Speers, Virginia Trioli and Stan Grant took over hosting on a rotating basis until July 2022, when Grant was appointed as a permanent host. Stan Grant left the program in 2023, after taking a break from his media roles when he faced racist trolling and abuse over the ABC coverage of King Charles' coronation. He accused the broadcaster of not providing him with sufficient of support during this time. The ABC ombudsman cleared the broadcaster of breaching editorial standards its coronation coverage. Patricia Karvelas filled in hosting duties during this time, before being permanently appointed to host in 2024. The show innovated audience engagement and was among the first to introduce an on-screen Twitter feed to allow home viewers to contribute to the discussion. In later years, it added live audience polling on the topics discussed. Debates on the program often became heated between the panellists, and sometimes even the audience, with protests and interruptions taking place across the show's lifetime. The most famous is the 2010 appearance of former prime minister John Howard, when an audience member, activist Peter Gray, threw a pair of shoes at Mr Howard over his responses about the Iraq War. Mr Gray died of cancer six months later, but he had requested that the thrown shoes, which the ABC still held, could be auctioned to raise funds for the Red Cross. Both the program and Mr Howard supported the idea, and the auction was announced on the program and sold for $3650. Patricia Karvelas said that she had immensely enjoyed being part of the program. "Spending time with the audience members who came to Q+A late on a Monday night has been the best part of this job," she 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." The ABC said it will focus on new programs, including more news documentaries and making their federal election initiative Your Say a permanent part of coverage. The ABC has announced the end of the political panel program Q+A after 18 years on air. The weekly staple featured politicians and other community and cultural figures directly facing questions from the audience but was plagued by declining viewership and rapidly changing hosts in the last several years. ABC news director Justin Stevens said the broadcaster was "very proud" of the show's achievements "We always need to keep innovating and renewing and in the two decades since Q+A began, the world has changed," Mr Stevens said. "It's time to rethink how audiences want to interact and to evolve how we can engage with the public to include as many Australians as possible in national conversations." He said the program's axing had "no reflection on anyone on the show". The show first aired in 2008 with host Tony Jones who departed the program in 2019 after 12 years. Hamish Macdonald was announced to replace Jones, starting in 2020, but resigned in 2021, citing social media trolling. He returned to a former role with Network 10's The Project. READ MORE: 'Loved every second': The Project axed as stars move on David Speers, Virginia Trioli and Stan Grant took over hosting on a rotating basis until July 2022, when Grant was appointed as a permanent host. Stan Grant left the program in 2023, after taking a break from his media roles when he faced racist trolling and abuse over the ABC coverage of King Charles' coronation. He accused the broadcaster of not providing him with sufficient of support during this time. The ABC ombudsman cleared the broadcaster of breaching editorial standards its coronation coverage. Patricia Karvelas filled in hosting duties during this time, before being permanently appointed to host in 2024. The show innovated audience engagement and was among the first to introduce an on-screen Twitter feed to allow home viewers to contribute to the discussion. In later years, it added live audience polling on the topics discussed. Debates on the program often became heated between the panellists, and sometimes even the audience, with protests and interruptions taking place across the show's lifetime. The most famous is the 2010 appearance of former prime minister John Howard, when an audience member, activist Peter Gray, threw a pair of shoes at Mr Howard over his responses about the Iraq War. Mr Gray died of cancer six months later, but he had requested that the thrown shoes, which the ABC still held, could be auctioned to raise funds for the Red Cross. Both the program and Mr Howard supported the idea, and the auction was announced on the program and sold for $3650. Patricia Karvelas said that she had immensely enjoyed being part of the program. "Spending time with the audience members who came to Q+A late on a Monday night has been the best part of this job," she 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." The ABC said it will focus on new programs, including more news documentaries and making their federal election initiative Your Say a permanent part of coverage.
West Australian
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
ABC rumoured to be ready to axe longstanding TV show Q+A after 17 seasons
Longstanding ABC series Q+A is rumoured to be getting the chop after 500 episodes and 17 seasons. Reports in Nine newspapers said the future of the ABC current affairs panel program had been decided with sources saying the ABC had decided 'to pull the plug'. Q+A went on its annual hiatus in May after the federal election and was scheduled to return to its 9.35pm Monday timeslot in August. The show first aired on ABC in May 2008, and follows a similar format to the BBC's Question Time. The show is currently hosted by Patricia Karvelas, who took over the role from Stan Grant in 2023. NewsWire has contacted ABC for comment. More to come.
Perth Now
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
ABC tipped to axe Q+A panel show
The ABC is set to put the longstanding panellist discussion show Q+A on the chopping block after 17 seasons on air. ABC Credit: ABC Longstanding ABC series Q+A is rumoured to be getting the chop after 500 episodes and 17 seasons. Reports in Nine newspapers said the future of the ABC current affairs panel program had been decided with sources saying the ABC had decided 'to pull the plug'. The ABC is rumoured to be axing the longstanding panellist discussion show Q+A after 17 seasons on air. ABC Credit: ABC Q+A went on its annual hiatus in May after the federal election and was scheduled to return to its 9.35pm Monday timeslot in August. The show first aired on ABC in May 2008, and follows a similar format to the BBC's Question Time. The show is currently hosted by Patricia Karvelas, who took over the role from Stan Grant in 2023. NewsWire has contacted ABC for comment. More to come.
