David Speers will host a new ABC panel show called ABC National Forum, just seven months after the network axed Q+A following an 18-year run. The program will feature politicians and experts discussing pressing news topics before a live studio audience.
The first episode will explore “the lives and experiences of Jewish Australians, including issues arising from the Bondi terrorist attack”, ABC news director Justin Stevens told staff. He said listening to one another is essential to strengthening social harmony and fostering a more cohesive nation.
Speers, who hosts Insiders and was a rotating host of Q+A between 2021 and 2023, said the show would allow Australians to come together to share knowledge and experiences. ABC managing director Hugh Marks said the new show reflects the ABC’s commitment to bringing Australians together.
Marks hinted at the development in December, saying the ABC needs to get back a “town hall” format lost over Q+A’s long run. The weekly flagship Q+A launched in 2007 and was axed in June 2024, with Stevens saying the decision involved the loss of talented colleagues but was no reflection on anyone on the show.
