Jack Houghton:
… joining me this week to discuss is Sky News contributor, Prue MacSween, and of course the Institute of Public Affairs Research Fellow, Mia Schlicht. Welcome both to the show.
Prue MacSween:
Thanks, Jack. Looking forward to it.
Jack Houghton:
Well, first time we’re having you on the desk, Prue. So let’s start with you. This story by the ABC, a brilliant report, really fascinating. I can imagine a lot of work has gone into vetting it, obtaining the videos, dealing with the courts. I know how difficult this could be. For me, I think where he went awry was when there were legitimate questions around how long it took. And then he wanted to qualify and he wanted to put his own interpretation over the motives of the attacker. And he really wanted to let people know on social media that it was more the Islamic state links and it didn’t really have as much to do with the fact that they were Muslim.
And I think that’s a disservice because it’s something, again, the ABC with Laura Tingle, after the Bondi massacre, that terror attack, she came out and said religion has nothing to do with it. It’s this misinformation.
Prue MacSween:
Well, it is. And the problem is that the ABC has been polluted by DEI and we have activists journalists working there now. And this is the problem that if it doesn’t marry with their interpretation of their ideology, they’re going to tiptoe around it. And this is what they’ve done in this case, where it’s clear that they should have been labelled as Islamist or Muslim, but because everybody tries now to avoid the M word or the I word because they’re so worried about being called out for hate speech or Islamophobia, that the interpretation is so polluted now.
Jack Houghton:
Mia, I’d love to get your thoughts on this
Mia Schlicht:
I think it’s why so many people are turning off from the ABC because they know they don’t get all the facts.
Jack Houghton:
Yeah. Look, Mia raises such a good point. There was a line in his explanation about why the ABC didn’t report it earlier. And he basically made the point, well, you needed to wait for the convictions. I’m sorry, George Pell, Christian Porter.
Prue MacSween:
That’s right.
Jack Houghton:
People have been criticised in the ABC over the inconsistencies. And if that is your editorial standard, why is it only applied to one demographic? That in itself is a problem. The other aspect of this is I went on the Imams Council, the Australian Imams Council and went to look for press releases, condemnation, not a word.
Prue MacSween:
Well, this is the problem that most Australians, non-Muslim Australians are concerned about, that there is a protection racket and we know that. And there is a scare and a fear about acknowledging that we have a problem here. And there needs to be a discussion. We need to have a discussion about whether importing people from countries with religions that aren’t going to marry with what our values are. Not all Muslims are extremists. We know that. But the problem is-
Jack Houghton:
I would like to see the ones that aren’t though being a little bit more vocal.
Prue MacSween:
Exactly. We’re finding that … The silence is deafening, isn’t it?
Jack Houghton:
That community’s not going to listen to me. It is up to that community to do a bit of self-regulation. And I don’t think that’s controversial. And I think that’s maybe where Pauline Hanson was getting with some of her comments-
Prue MacSween:
I agree with you.
Jack Houghton:
And obviously there are good Muslims out there. Now’s the time to talk and say, “Hey, do not do this and do not do this in our name.” They’re talking about Muhammad. They’re talking about God. They’re quoting scripture while they’re doing this. I don’t buy that it had nothing to do with religion. And I think that the ABC did a great body of work and they let themselves down.
Anyway, let’s move on to Grace Tame though. And Prue, just staying on you with Grace Tame. This has been an extraordinary story because Anthony Albanese, when she first went out there and was doing the intifada calls, Anthony Albanese was asked in parliament to criticise her and wouldn’t. And obviously there’s been a blow back from reasonable people saying, look, Jewish Australians obviously feel incredibly uncomfortable with calls that are associated historically with violence against Jewish people. So when he is asked at this event, this News Corp event, one word to describe her, he describes her as difficult.
Prue MacSween:
Well, the problem is that we have a prime minister who gets up in the morning and sees how the wind’s blowing, what the social media is saying, what radio talkback is saying, and of course in mainstream media. That’s how makes his policy-
Jack Houghton:
It’s Paul Murray each-way Albo.
Prue MacSween:
It really is. And in this case, he’s cornered again, like a rat. He’s come out each way, well, just using disgusting or disgraceful, whatever the word was. I mean, the man is just not acknowledging what most people feel.
Jack Houghton:
The
Prue MacSween:
Outrage we feel about this woman and how she should not be retaining the Australian of the Year privilege.
Jack Houghton:
Yep. Now let’s play a grab of how Albo tried to walk it back to make it seem like he wasn’t saying she was difficult as a person, but only she had a difficult life.
Anthony Albanese:
Grace Tame, you certainly can’t describe in one word. She has had a difficult life, and that was what I was referring to. And what Grace Tame has done is to turn that difficult experience that she had into being a strong advocate for others, which is why she received quite rightly the Australian of the Year award. If there was any misinterpretation, then I certainly apologise.
Jack Houghton:
Now, Mia, bringing you back here, following on from what Prue was saying, we, I think, on the more conservative side of debates have often seen Anthony Albanese try to play both sides. Now, we played a grab from these left wing influencers who I think are starting to get a taste of what we have seen. Do you buy Anthony Albanese’s explanation that he wasn’t calling her difficult, he was merely actually honouring her and saying that she was this tough woman who had had a difficult life?
Mia Schlicht:
No, of course I don’t buy that. This is so weak from Albanese, and it’s why he’s bleeding supporters from the left and the right, because, come on, we all knew what you meant. And I actually think a fair few of people would have agreed with him. And it’s not misogynistic to call a woman difficult. I have met many of difficult men, many of difficult women. It’s not a misogynistic term. And I think if Albanese had have stood by that claim, he would have received a lot more support. But instead we see him time and time again, just pander to these elitist activists. And that’s who runs the show with Albanese, and that’s becoming more and more apparent.
But thank goodness all these feminists have finally come out from behind the scenes, I haven’t heard from them in a couple of months. Particularly, we’ve had some very significant events happen to women all over the world. My thoughts are with the women in Iran at the moment where hundreds are being persecuted. We haven’t heard from them. We haven’t heard of peep. But now they’ve all come out to defend Grace Tame because this is the worst thing that could happen to women apparently in the last couple of months. It’s just astonishing to me.
Jack Houghton:
It’s such a good point. I mean, tens of thousands of people dead in Iran and this is the women’s right issue, the phrase difficult. It’s really well put. Let’s move on because I want to talk about Jacinta Allan. And I find it repugnant the way that she has been dealing with reporters. Our team on the website went and did a top 10 moments that she has been abusing and dressing down journalism, and there were much more. It wasn’t a hard story to do.
Prue MacSween:
No.
Jack Houghton:
They went through the tapes and it’s nearly every press conference. Now, when the opposition went into parliament to ask this person who is leading a state, she’s the premier of a state, why are you attacking journalists, watch how that unfolded in parliament.
Jacinta Allan:
At the outset in answering the question, I will absolutely reject the premise of the question and the allegations, the baseless allegations that have been put in the question, Speaker. And it gives me an opportunity to reflect, Speaker, in being relevant to the subject matter that have been asked.
Speaker:
The Leader of the Nationals!
Jacinta Allan:
This is a bit much, Speaker. It’s a bit much.
Jack Houghton:
I mean, she talks about compassion and inclusion. She’s sitting there grinning. It’s rather gross. The way that she talks to these journalists, I’m going to end this press conference if you don’t retract that, this threatening nature.
Prue MacSween:
Well, the problem is she went to the Daniel Andrews School of Media Training where you attack, you obfuscate, you know, avoid, you lie or you just say, “I’m not answering that.” And this is the problem that it’s not working for her. So she’s coming out fighting, but what it’s doing is really backfiring on her. And thank goodness though, we now have a Victorian media pack that is now addressing the fact that she just has got away with murder, let’s face it. And they’re asking why. They’re wanting answers to what is going on.
Jack Houghton:
It’s all companies. No, I’m proud of the work the journalists are doing. It’s across all countries.
Now, Mia, you are our representative there in Melbourne. You’re the person that has to live under this regime, if I can call it that. What is going on? And is it a sign that she’s falling? Is it a sign that she’s under pressure when she’s taking aim at these young female journalists with such venom?
Mia Schlicht:
Yes, Jack, please send help. I’m one of those desperate Victorians. But no, this is a state in crisis. And I think seeing Jacinta Allan react with such venom, it is showing that she’s clinging on for dear life. This is a premier in absolute crisis. And I have to agree she has taken lessons for the Dan Andrews playbook, which did go very well for him. I mean, during the pandemic, the media class, everyone apart from Sky, pretty much gave Andrews the green light to act and decide on whatever he wanted. So I think she’s thought maybe it’s her time to try and use that play.
But this scandal, specifically for the CFMEU, is really different. I think this is a turning point. For a long time, Victorians have suspected there’s been some level of corruption, but we’ve never really had that evidence, so it hasn’t stuck. Now we have some pretty clear evidence that $15 billion was funnelled into the back pockets of potentially criminals. And so I think throwing her weight around with the journalists, that’s not going to let Jacinta Allan off the hook this time. It’s not going to work because we have the evidence and Victorians are sick and tired of this contempt that our leaders show
Jack Houghton:
For us. Very well said. Mia Schlicht, Prue MacSween, thank you so much for joining us-
Prue MacSween:
Thank you for having me.
Jack Houghton:
… and sharing your insights. As always, a quick-
This transcript of Mia Schlicht on The Media Show Sky News Australia from 28 February 2026 has been edited for clarity.
