Culture

Stan Grant’s Parting ‘Q&A’ Speech Is Completely Gut-Wrenching

"We in the media must ask if we are truly honouring a world worth living in. Too often, we are the poison in the bloodstream of our society. I fear the media does not have the love or the language to speak to the gentle spirits of our land.”

by Reena Gupta  23 May 2023

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Wiradjuri journalist Stan Grant hosted his final episode of Q+A last night, delivering an incredibly powerful speech as he exits the ABC for an indefinite period of time.  

In a gut-wrenching end to his tenure as host, Grant said that he’s walking away not because of the racism or social media but because he feels as though he’s part of the problem. “I’m not walking away for a while because of racism,” Grant said. “We get that far too often. I’m not walking away because of social media hatred.  I need a break from the media. I feel like I’m part of the problem. And I need to ask myself how, or if, we can do it better.”

“We in the media must ask if we are truly honouring a world worth living in. Too often, we are the poison in the bloodstream of our society. I fear the media does not have the love or the language to speak to the gentle spirits of our land.”

Grant announced in a piece for the ABC last Friday that he was walking away from the broadcaster due to a lack of support from ABC as the decorated journalist copped abuse for saying, when invited as a guest to the ABC’s coronation coverage, that the Crown was a symbol of the violence and pain inflicted on the Aboriginal people of the country. Where is the lie?

During his speech, Grant even apologised to the people who abused him in the wake of the coverage.

“To those who have abused me and my family, I would just say – if your aim was to hurt me, well, you’ve succeeded, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I must have given you so much cause to hate me so much, to target me and my family, to make threats against me. I’m sorry.”

“And that’s what yindyamarra means. It means that I am not just responsible for what I do, but for what you do. It’s not just a word – it is sacred. It is what it means to be Wiradjuri. It is the core of my being. It is respect. It is respect that comes from the earth we are born into, from God, baiame.”

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“And to those who have sent messages of support – thank you so much. But I’ll be OK. Please, send that support and care to those of my people, and all people, who feel abandoned and alone, who are wondering whether they have a place in this country and who don’t have my privileges.”

“To my people – I have always wanted to represent you with pride. I know I might disappoint you sometimes, but in my own little way, I’ve just wanted to make us seen. And I’m sorry that I can’t do that for a little while.”

Watch Stan Grant’s parting Q+A speech below.