Prime Minister Scott Morrison just took part in a “kids-only, adult-free Q&A session” about the coronavirus pandemic, and it’s actually pretty interesting.
On Sunday, the PM went on the Squiz Kids podcast to answer questions from children around Australia.
The kids asked a bunch of questions that have been looked over in many of the PM’s press conferences, including whether or not students will have to repeat a year due to missing classes (“hopefully” not), how long it will be until we can go on holidays again (“there’ll be other camping trips in future”), and if he likes being called ScoMo (“I think that’s just fine”).
The main message of the interview was for children not to panic.
“I know people are feeling anxious, but we will get through this because Australia is one of the safest places in the world for you to be,” Morrison said.
“We’re very much concerned about the future you will have on the other side of this virus.”
The most touching question came from Claudia, 8, from Brisbane, who asked: “how long until I can hug my granny?”
Morrison said he hoped they’re able to FaceTime or Skype, “because she needs to hear from you as much as you need to hear from her.”
“For the months ahead, your grandma is going to be safer by in isolation on her own,” he added.
The whole interview went pretty smoothly, and no one was yelled at like Andrew Probyn was. Perhaps the only hiccup was the squeak in the Prime Minister’s voice when he tried to do the podcast’s sign-off. Nbd.
Scott Morrison isn’t the first world leader to do a Q&A session just for kids. In March, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg made headlines after she told children “it’s okay to be scared” at a televised press conference for under-18s.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have all had similar Q&A sessions with kids.
Squiz Kids is aimed at Aussie children aged 8 to 12.
