A popular political commentator has questioned whether he was 'stitched up' by Karl Stefanovic when he walked into an interview only to face off with a rival guest.
Konrad Benjamin, 37, runs the YouTube channel Punter's Politics, which explains and analyses issues such as government corruption and gas policy. In April, Benjamin told the Senate Select Committee on Taxation of Gas Resources that Australian gas was being 'given away for free' to foreign corporations.
Senator Susan McDonald, a staunch opponent of further taxes on Australian gas, hit back with a fiery statement after attending the same hearing. 'We also saw repeated claims that Australia's gas is somehow being 'given away for free,' she wrote online. 'Yet Treasury officials themselves pushed back on that rhetoric, questioning the misuse of data and assumptions underpinning those arguments. The reality is so inconvenient for activists that they have to make up falsehoods.'
So when Benjamin arrived for the interview with Stefanovic, he was surprised to find that he would not be speaking to the former Today Show host one-on-one. Instead, he would go head-to-head with Senator McDonald, feeling like what he described as an 'underprepared university student'.
Benjamin said he only found out about his co-host on the Karl Stefanovic Show when he walked into the studio. He later realised he had received an email at 5.22pm the day before. 'I was under the impression that it was me and him. No one said they were even looking to line up another guest,' Benjamin told the Daily Mail on Tuesday.
'I roll in and, then two minutes later, Susan McDonald rolls in, and I look at Karl, I'm like, "Mate, what is going on here? Is this a stitch up?" And he looks at me like, "No, no, I would never do that. No way". And the assistant's like, "No, no, we would never do that".'
'I have someone who helps me with my emails, because I can't keep tabs on everything... and the whole show had been lined up via text and calling. Even in the call, I (asked): "What are you going to ask about, etc". Nothing was mentioned.
'I thought I was going to have a nice little bro-down sesh with Karl, like he does with all his billionaire pals who come on the show, like Clive Palmer. But no, it turned out to be a debate, so just like an unprepared university student, in I went.'
'I thought, maybe, Karl is a podcast bro now, and he's not up to some tricks to get any salacious headlines. But who knows, maybe it's part and parcel of showbiz, and I should have just always checked my email every evening before an event.'
The Daily Mail understands Stefanovic's team was 'surprised' when Benjamin didn't know the senator would be attending and gave him the chance to withdraw.
McDonald and Benjamin clashed repeatedly throughout the 50-minute interview, including when the senator accused the podcaster of providing his listeners with inaccurate information. 'This is the problem, because you have a fantastic audience and voice, you can say things that aren't true. And you never have to support it,' she said.
Benjamin said: 'Actually, have you checked any of my Instagram? Every single claim I make is cited. Every single claim has an economist from a university, a journalist who's done their research. Every single claim I make is verified. The claims you're making come directly from the gas lobby. That's where we punters can tell.'
But McDonald doubled down on her own credentials, telling Benjamin: 'So, the bit that you're missing is that I did economics at university. I'm an accountant by trade. I'm a butcher by trade. And I come from the world where things don't get explained on TikTok. This is hard stuff. This is generational stuff.'
Benjamin quipped back: 'So, the stuff you cite is too hard for silly old me.'
Despite the confusion, Benjamin said he had invited Stefanovic onto his Punter's Politics podcast 'for a nice chat'. 'He's indicated he's open to it,' he said. 'The friendship is still pending.'
Stefanovic and fellow media veteran Eddie McGuire have signed to co-host a new series, called The Long Weekend, for Australian Radio Network (ARN). The Long Weekend will see the pair, joined by guests, discuss the biggest news, sport, and entertainment moments of the week. The format promises three hours of music, banter, big personalities, big opinions, and no-holds-barred discussions that will set the tone for the weekend ahead.
