More than a month of election campaigning under a bright media spotlight produces a lot of questions to leaders. A lot of them are awful. Many are Wankley-worthy.
We present for your reading pleasure the worst of the worst. To all the journalists, radio shock-jocks, TV funny-people and shameless average punters who awkwardly tried to make our leaders look likeable (or at least human), we thank you. Each and every one of you.
Julia Gillard:
- “Dog or cat?” — James Massola from The Australian
- “When you’re laying in bed at night, does he go, ‘you know babe, you’re going to win this, you’re going to smash it?'” — Kyle Sandilands from 2DAY FM in Sydney
- “There’s some speculation you’ve had Botox. Did you know that?” — Mia Freedman from Fairfax
- “Vegemite or peanut paste?” — The Cage from Triple M Brisbane
- “Should tomato sauce be free with a meat pie?” — Blake Pattenden from 106.3 FM Townsville
- “Is the Mr Rabbit deliberate on your part?” — Jon Faine from ABC 774 Melbourne
- “Now, did you ever call Laurie Oakes, Jabba the Hutt?” — Dave Hughes from the 7PM Project
- “Would you be happy to be the first de facto couple living in The Lodge or are we to expect a prime ministerial wedding?” — a journalist at a Roxon/Gillard presser
- “So what would you say to him [Ben Cousins] if you had the chance?” — it’s all about footy at Mix 94.5 FM in Perth
- “Is it that important for every kid to have a great education? Because me, I was kicked out as a homeless kid at 15, I’ve had no education since halfway through Year 10 and here I am, still earning 10 times more than what you’re earning. Is it that important?” — Kyle Sandilands from 2DAY FM Sydney (we could have devoted an entire article to this interview)
Tony Abbott:
- “If you were married to Julia Gillard what would your pet name be for her?” — Ryan, Monty and Wippa from Nova FM Sydney
- “MasterChef last night, did you watch it after the debate, be honest?” — Labrat, Camilla & Stav from B105 FM Brisbane
- “What’s your game breaker that’s going to score the winning try in this election?” — The Grill Team from Triple M Sydney
- “You seem to be going well and are becoming more popular every day. My question is: how can I look less like Kevin, and more like you?” — a Kevin Rudd impersonator from Q&A, ABC TV
- “Latham was on the telly last night, very interesting. But the biggest news is that David Wirrpanda left, he walked off Dancing with the Stars. Can you believe that?” — The Big Couch from Mix 94.5 FM Perth
- “Boardies or budgies?” — The Cage from Triple M Brisbane
- “Did you ever smoke any dope, Tony? Did you ever smoke any pot?” — Ryan, Monty and Wippa from Nova FM Sydney
- “Tony, can we do some rapid fire word association with you? Aeroplane food. Hotel rooms. Advisers.” — Lisa Wilkinson from the Today Show, Channel Nine
- “People have said by lowering the immigration rate the economy will suffer. I was just thinking that maybe a solution that would be possible would be to ban abortion to save lives of innocent babies and therefore build a new generation instead of just having nobody to carry on.” — an audience member at the Rooty Hill forum
- “He drew a couple of cartoons of you with your ears sticking out. That was a bit rough, wasn’t it? Did you have a word with him?” — Gary, Fitzy and Mel from Radio 96FM
Did we miss any? What’s the worst interrogation you’ve seen of a leader? Let us know…
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