The ABC today announced journalist Stan Grant as the new presenter of the long-running current affairs debate show Q+A.
The 58-year-old veteran broadcaster will begin solo hosting duties with a special Q&A edition of the Garma Festival in north-east Arnhem Land, airing on Monday 1 August at 9.35pm .
“Garma is a place of conversation where the nation asks tough questions about who we are. It is an honor to take the helm of Q&A from there,” Grant said in a statement released by the ABC.
“Hosting Q+A is a huge responsibility. I feel the weight of the public’s trust in me and the show. I will approach my role with integrity, decency and humility.”
Grant’s appointment comes after a period of uncertainty for the show, which has been presented by him, David Speers and Virginia Trioli in a regular rotation since Hamish Macdonald left the host chair to return to Network Ten One year ago.
And Grant’s current stints as host have not been without controversy: In March he took the unprecedented step of ejecting an audience member live on TV after they made widely discredited pro-Russian claims about the invasion of Ukraine .
“Something has been bothering me… people here have been talking about the family suffering and the people dying. I can tell I’m not comfortable with you here. Can you please leave?” , a visibly shaken Grant said to the young man.
The headline-making incident didn’t help the show’s ratings drop, but a week later, Q&Adropped to just 175,000 viewers across the five metropolitan capitals, its lowest score to date.
Justin Stevens, director of ABC News, said in a statement released by the network that Grant was a natural choice to take the reins of Q&A permanently.
“With Stan at the helm, we will continue to explore ways to further develop ourselves Q&A, including how to further engage the public,” he said.