The Mike Hosking Breakfast •iHeart
Steve Price: Host loses control as leaders’ debate descends into shouting match over China - The Mike Hosking Breakfast
The Mike Hosking Breakfast
Nine’s “Great Debate” format has been slammed by viewers as a “s**tshow” after Sunday’s showdown descended into a shouting match between Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese.
Furious Aussies wasted no time in slamming the debate on social media, with one describing it as the “worst debate I have ever seen”, and political commentator Ronni Salt declaring it an “insult to the audience”.
This is the worst debate I have ever seen.. Channel 9 you are hopeless .. Just disgraceful. #LeadersDebate— Politic@l Spinner (@LesStonehouse) May 8, 2022
This is an appalling shit show Channel Nine.I'm switching off. It's an insult to the audience.#LeadersDebate— Ronni Salt (@RonniSalt) May 8, 2022
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young took the opportunity to call for an Independent Debates Commission that oversees the official election debate broadcast on the ABC, while ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland also took to Twitter to point out that “It’s not too late for an ABC debate”.
Tonight’s debate was woeful and a disservice to the voters. We need an Independent Debates Commission that oversees the offical election debate broadcast on the ABC.I will move for this in the new parliament.Australians shouldn’t be subjected to this unseemly squabble again— 💚🌏 Sarah Hanson-Young (@sarahinthesen8) May 8, 2022
It's not too late for an ABC debate...If you watched last night's ch 9 encounter between @ScottMorrisonMP and @AlboMP, let us know what you thought.@BreakfastNews #auspol(pic: @ellinghausen) pic.twitter.com/pmO4rxNZ7o— Michael Rowland (@mjrowland68) May 8, 2022
Meanwhile, ABC data analyst Casey Briggs pointed out that “viewer verdicts” from public debates were “utterly meaningless”, and The Guardian’s Josh Butler also took the chance to poke fun at the nation’s “smartest minds”.
these 'viewer verdict' numbers are completely and utterly meaningless and they don't deserve to be given any credibility whatsoever— casey briggs (@CaseyBriggs) May 8, 2022
Tuning into Channel 9 to watch some of the nation’s smartest minds in square off in a ruthless battle of intellectbut now that Lego Masters is over, I’m also looking forward to watching the leaders election debate too— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) May 8, 2022
During last night’s debate, host Sarah Abo repeatedly tried to bring things back under control after the Prime Minister and Labor leader both lost their temper in a heated argument over the Solomon Islands and China.
“You both agreed to the rules,” Abo pleaded at one point, as the two men shouted over her and each other.
The ugly scenes started with Mr Morrison being asked to define what his “red line” would entail if China established a military base in the Solomons.
“It means that was something Australia believes would be completely against our national interest, and we also believe it will be against the Solomon Islands’ national interest, and we share that view in a similar language with the United States,” he said.
Asked by host Chris Uhlmann how Australia would enforce such a “red line”, Mr Morrison said it would be “very unwise for any government to speculate around these issues”.
“What is the point of talking about a red line if we don’t know what you mean by it?” Uhlmann asked
“What it means is, everyone has a clear understanding about what the positions are … people understand that we would work with partners to ensure that the outcome would prevent it,” Mr Morrison said.
Mr Albanese then chimed in that it had been a “massive foreign policy failure”, the “biggest since the Second World War”.
“The government said they would have the Pacific Step Up. Instead, it is a Pacific stuff-up,” he said. “We know China is more aggressive and forward...
Furious Aussies wasted no time in slamming the debate on social media, with one describing it as the “worst debate I have ever seen”, and political commentator Ronni Salt declaring it an “insult to the audience”.
This is the worst debate I have ever seen.. Channel 9 you are hopeless .. Just disgraceful. #LeadersDebate— Politic@l Spinner (@LesStonehouse) May 8, 2022
This is an appalling shit show Channel Nine.I'm switching off. It's an insult to the audience.#LeadersDebate— Ronni Salt (@RonniSalt) May 8, 2022
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young took the opportunity to call for an Independent Debates Commission that oversees the official election debate broadcast on the ABC, while ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland also took to Twitter to point out that “It’s not too late for an ABC debate”.
Tonight’s debate was woeful and a disservice to the voters. We need an Independent Debates Commission that oversees the offical election debate broadcast on the ABC.I will move for this in the new parliament.Australians shouldn’t be subjected to this unseemly squabble again— 💚🌏 Sarah Hanson-Young (@sarahinthesen8) May 8, 2022
It's not too late for an ABC debate...If you watched last night's ch 9 encounter between @ScottMorrisonMP and @AlboMP, let us know what you thought.@BreakfastNews #auspol(pic: @ellinghausen) pic.twitter.com/pmO4rxNZ7o— Michael Rowland (@mjrowland68) May 8, 2022
Meanwhile, ABC data analyst Casey Briggs pointed out that “viewer verdicts” from public debates were “utterly meaningless”, and The Guardian’s Josh Butler also took the chance to poke fun at the nation’s “smartest minds”.
these 'viewer verdict' numbers are completely and utterly meaningless and they don't deserve to be given any credibility whatsoever— casey briggs (@CaseyBriggs) May 8, 2022
Tuning into Channel 9 to watch some of the nation’s smartest minds in square off in a ruthless battle of intellectbut now that Lego Masters is over, I’m also looking forward to watching the leaders election debate too— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) May 8, 2022
During last night’s debate, host Sarah Abo repeatedly tried to bring things back under control after the Prime Minister and Labor leader both lost their temper in a heated argument over the Solomon Islands and China.
“You both agreed to the rules,” Abo pleaded at one point, as the two men shouted over her and each other.
The ugly scenes started with Mr Morrison being asked to define what his “red line” would entail if China established a military base in the Solomons.
“It means that was something Australia believes would be completely against our national interest, and we also believe it will be against the Solomon Islands’ national interest, and we share that view in a similar language with the United States,” he said.
Asked by host Chris Uhlmann how Australia would enforce such a “red line”, Mr Morrison said it would be “very unwise for any government to speculate around these issues”.
“What is the point of talking about a red line if we don’t know what you mean by it?” Uhlmann asked
“What it means is, everyone has a clear understanding about what the positions are … people understand that we would work with partners to ensure that the outcome would prevent it,” Mr Morrison said.
Mr Albanese then chimed in that it had been a “massive foreign policy failure”, the “biggest since the Second World War”.
“The government said they would have the Pacific Step Up. Instead, it is a Pacific stuff-up,” he said. “We know China is more aggressive and forward...
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
00:0000:00