After having traveled to India, Indonesia and China, Q&A will be going to a very distant area in Australia's Northern Territory to broadcast live from the Garma Festival. The cost for this special will be the highest to date for the discussion panel show.
Diane Sawyer steps aside from ABC's World News >>
In addition to filming from this faraway land, the show will also include an all-Aboriginal panel during the discussion. The whole production setup will be adding up to a total price of approximately $300,000, The Guardian reported.
This edition will feature a whole different international culture that is hardly known outside of that area. "This is another country. We're taking Q&A to a completely different place," Q&A's executive producer Peter McEvoy said.
Katie Couric's probing questions kicks off prematurely >>
The panel will include the Labor senator for the Northern Territory, Nova Peris, and public intellectual Noel Pearson, as well as four other indigenous panelists. The episode will place an important spotlight on indigenous affairs to help make the rest of Australia more aware of issues surrounding the region.
"Australians tend to be a bit inward-looking and parochial and they don't focus on international or regional affairs," McEvoy explained. "Q&A is a great way to give national attention to things."
Emma Watson named Goodwill Ambassador to UN Women >>
Show crew members and equipment have been making their way to the area and a custom-built stage has been constructed especially for the show. Discussion topics will include education, forests inquiry, health issues and the future of land rights. Questions will be picked from among submissions taken from the audience, which will be seated under the night sky for the show's duration.