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Steve Price: “Just because you’re a woman…”

It was a Live TV hot mess when Steve Price dismissed Q&A panelist as an "hysterical" female, and the audience looked on in horror.

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The Project commentator Steve Price drew an incredulous reaction from the Q&A audience last night following a question asked about Sam Newman’s comments defending Eddie McGuire.

Price described McGuire’s initial comments on Caroline Wilson as a joke that went too far.

“Eddie apologised immediately. If you listen to that broadcast in context, it was a bunch of blokes laughing about things they shouldn’t have laughed about,” he said.

“When it was brought to their attention that they’d said those things, all of them apologised. I think far too much was then made of it. As for Sam’s comments, who happens to be a good friend of mine on the Footy Show, I think he should regret the comments and shouldn’t have gone in to defend his great friend Eddie but I think too much was made of what was originally a joke on a football show.”

But when Guardian Australia columnist Van Badham disagreed with Price’s language as “making excuses” for their misdemeanour, he asked her to retract his name from the inference.

“Don’t tar me with their brush, please,” he said.

“Steve, do you know what you’re doing? Do you have any understanding what you’re doing? This man has given us an extremely upsetting story about what happened and you are defending yourself in the context where we have to have a conversation about cultural attitudes that treat women differently and you cannot create paradigms where there are blokes.” she replied.

“I just don’t want you to twist stories where you shouldn’t. Just because you’re a woman, you’re not the only one who can get upset. Men can be just as upset,” Price insisted.

“Thank you. You’re proving my point very excellently about the attitudes. We have to stop creating these binary ‘Men are this, women are this, masculinity is this, femininity is this, men have high status, women have low status.’ We can make jokes and it’s all jokes and, yeah, they apologised and that’s fine but on the receiving end is the ludicrous proportion of women who do endure violence.”

“I think you’re just being hysterical,” he quipped.

“It is probably my ovaries making me do it, Steve!” she replied.

Earlier in the evening Price even took aim at an audience member after a question linking him to his colleague SKY News presenter Andrew Bolt.

“I have never said Malcolm Turnbull should be thrown out of the job he was elected to do, so don’t verbal me,” he told an audience member. “You’re obviously hard of hearing and I suspect you don’t listen to our radio show anyway.”

(5:30min)

Updated: 

28 Responses

  1. Personally…..I am so over all this political correctness….It is getting so you have to think about everything before you speak….and someone can be destroyed in the blink of an eye by social media….Yes…some people say things they should not…but honestly….should they have to wear it for the rest of their lives…I have not seen any of these events…nor do I have any interest in the people concerned…..just tired of this stuff making news…people are dying in the world….?!?

    1. Yes, people are dying in the world and a proportion of those are women and children victims of domestic violence. A prominent media personality making a ‘joke’ to hold a woman underwater until she drowns says a lot about his psyche and don’t forget that Eddie has made many misogynist and racist comments in the past. Then Sam Newman has his disgusting rant, I don’t what it’s going to take to Nine to fire himself, he’s a caveman and a not very bright one to boot. This is not a PC matter, there is growing awareness of how casual bigotry infiltrates society and can lead to dire results.

      1. The problem is exactly that. We have stopped thinking before we speak. It’s why we have internet trolls, shock jocks, Gawker style media companies, it’s why we have journalists that are willing to blow someone’s life to bits without bothering to get the full story. These people want free speech but they expect it to be consequence free. The spoken word is very powerful thing and people like Eddie MaGuire and Sam Newman chose a career wielding that power, so when they abuse that power or take a laissez faire attitude to their power then absolutely it should be worn as a badge of shame. These people have been afforded a privileged position, they should be thinking before they speak.

  2. David – just curious. Some time ago you chastised me for making a comment about a My Kitchen Rules contestant. I called her a horrible woman and you told me my comment was unacceptable and wouldn’t be posted. I have now read some truly disgusting comments attacking Ms Van Badham and you have allowed them to be posted. I am offended by these comments and am confused why you think they are acceptable.

    1. Fair question. I endeavour to look at the context and the wording. Van Badham gave a robust criticism of Steve Price across the night, at varying times that was forthright, concise, on occasions sarcastic such as the “ovaries” remark. Not everyone here has agreed with her views but I don’t believe those approved have resorted to personal attacks (the “badass” comment I took to be a compliment). A handful that pushed the boundary have not been published and are welcome to discuss with me via contact. Moderating on topics like this is certainly no fun. But I try to look at what is a fair response to what’s on screen, playing the ball not the man. Not suggesting it is perfect so appreciate the feedback. Hope this helps.

  3. Van has a horrible habit of talking and then shouting down those who disagree with her views, she is very quick to call out “Fascism” yet doesn’t realise she is falling into what she is calling out.

    Tony Jones needs to also decide whether he is a player or umpire on QandA, because the line gets very blurry most nights

    Bit lame to have QandA set up a “gotcha” by someone who’s sister was murdered and comparing that to comments made about a journalist which I believe isn’t comparing apples with apples.

    Its #QandA not VandB

  4. Strange how many people decry perceived “personal attacks” on others by using … well, “personal attacks”.

    They’re probably the kind of person who’d tell you to play the ball, not the man – while kneeing you in the groin…

    (Yes, I know, I can see my own hypocracy well enough. I try to be fair, but I’m not always nice…)

  5. When the panalist waffles around the question rather than answering it is good that Tony tackles them. I am always baffled by those who chose to partake in a question and answer show when they don’t seem to be willing to answer the question.

  6. Loved Q and A last night. Great Show…and some good questions. Can see some of those panelists returning more often. Right from the start you could see Steve was uncomfortable sitting were he was. Van…she could certainly talk and would not stop. She was a bully like Steve can be at times. She was hysterical. Her ovaries line was just over the top. There is not need to say that.

        1. As Q&A host Tony Jones always reiterates, each panelist is given time to air their views, which both did last night. Granted it got a bit out of control last night as many panelists spoke over one another across the show. Steve Price lost the crowd the moment he took aim at member of the audience. Not in the spirit of the show.

  7. I had q&a running on a split screen on a pc so it didn’t have my full attention. From what I observed it was a bit out of control with too many people trying to talk over each other. It was not easy to follow.

    I don’t think calling a person hysterical on national television is an appropriate way to talk to someone. I also got the impression that steve price doesn’t get that regardless of the context there are times when people have a joke and that joke goes too far.

    1. Call someone hysterical and there is wailing and gnashing of teeth..yet the other side are quite happy to call the right wing commentators fascists. Which is the greater insult?

      1. Can’t comment on that because I didn’t see it. As I said in my previous comment on the episode I missed bits because the episode did not have my full attention and it was a bit all over the place.

  10. this was the first time I have ever heard of Van Badham and I doubt I will ever bother to watch, read or listen to anything else she has to say either. She comes across as a loud, bitter hypocrite who plays the victim card to shut down any discussion. She would shake her head so hard, every time she spoke, that she had to adjust her glasses multiple times. She was the most annoying person to watch. Surely you can put your point across without the aggressive vile that she kept on going on with.

    1. You can disagree with her views, but no need to be personal.
      Passionate and articulate = loud??
      Most annoying person to watch. Really – she was probably the most articulate and concise speaker they had last night. George was bland, while Tanya tended to waffle
      Aggressive vile – her ovaries perhaps offended you?

      1. It wasn’t personal, it was actually observational. There is a difference. I am allowed to be annoyed by whoever I want. I actually googled this person after seeing her on Q&A and she writes some very personal attacks on people she obviously doesn’t like, she even did it last night but because her views are considered to the left then I guess it’s ok for personal attacks. I don’t like her views and I’m allowed to express that. She may have ovaries but so do all other women and I don’t find majority of those offensive at all. It’s just nasty people I don’t like with or without ovaries. Thank you.

  11. Tony Jones seen patting the Producers on the back after the show and heard saying: “Good panel and audience tonight, that will get us some publicity tomorrow.” Actually I think I’ve been watching too much UnReal and am starting to see things in all shows now, as I sat there thinking Quinn would have been proud of that episode of Q&A.

    I’ve become a cynic.

  13. It was a pretty rabid interchange on an especially heated episode. I can’t stomach Steve Price on The Project, and he was objectionable last night too. Sticking two ideologically opposed commentators with big mouths was always going to be noisy, and it was. Not one of the program’s best – Tony lost control of the program several times. It’s always interesting to see when he wrestles back the program saying it is about the audience and the questioner, but then at other times let the guests run wild or he tackles the guest rather than get to more questions from the audience.

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