30 May 2005
Three high school students from around Australia will put ABC TV interviewer Andrew Denton in the interviewee's hot seat in a Talkback Classroom forum to take place at Abbotsleigh School in Sydney on Wednesday.
The panel plans to question Denton, host of the award-winning interview program Enough Rope, on a range of media and youth issues.
The students set to quiz him are: Jennifer Sharp, Year 11, Abbotsleigh School, Wahroonga, NSW; Petra Blagojevic, Year 11, Killester College, Springvale, Victoria and Jesse Doyle, Year 12, Renmark High School, Renmark, SA.
WHAT: Talkback Classroom with Andrew Denton
WHEN: 12pm, Wednesday, 1 June, 2005
WHERE: The Sound Studio, Abbotsleigh School, 1666 Pacific Highway, Wahroonga
Talkback Classroom gives students access to key politicians and public figures as part of the national civics curriculum. Usually guests are interviewed by student panels at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
'Interestingly, this is the first time in five years that Talkback Classroom has taken place in a school,' said David Arnold, manager of the Museum's schools program. 'This may be the forerunner of taking the program to more schools around the country.'
Student preparation for Wednesday's interview includes briefings with a staff member from the office of the Minister of Communications, Helen Coonan; a former guest on Enough Rope; and a member of the Friends of the ABC.
Other guests in 2005 include the Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia, Diana Bryant; and the Labor Member for Kingsford Smith, Peter Garrett. Two international Talkback Classroom sessions were held earlier this year, with links to the Smithsonian Institution in the United States and Te Papa Museum in New Zealand.
The Andrew Denton interview will be edited and broadcast on ABC Radio National's Life Matters program.
For interviews, images or more information please contact Leanda Coleman on 02 6208 5338, 0438 620 710 or Sandy Forbes on 02 6208 5351, 0409 916 481 or email media@nma.gov.au