Our next guest was the host of ABC seven thirty for over ten years and is known for her fiery questions.
N the either of you, I suggest you chief mister Harri's got nothing to heart. I'm just wondering why you can't answer a question relating to the point you just made.
She's now hosting a new show called The Assembly, where she's mentoring fifteen autistics journalism students in the ways of seeking truth.
Please welcome to the show, Lee Ells.
So Sunday night was the first good made of ours. Andy Lee was on there, reduced to tears, actually one emotional.
It's quite powerful, wasn't it.
The lovely lady behind it all joined us this morning, Lee Sales, Welcome to the show.
Good morning, Thank you so much for having me. Hey, congrats on the Assembly. But for those who haven't seen her before, can you tell us about it?
It is basically a group of about fifteen to twenty people with autism and I work with them to teach them some journalistic skills how to interview people, and then one celebrity, politician sportsperson comes in and then the group interviews them all together at the same time. And the rules are kind of no questions off the table, and so they can ask some pretty out their stuff.
I find it joyful to watch. Yeah, there's just a real innocence to it.
Yeah, I agree, because the students don't really have any agenda other than they tend to just follow what they're curious about, and because they haven't worked in mainstream journalism newsrooms, they don't sort of, I guess, conform to all of the usual ways that journalists ask questions. So it can be a real rollercoaster when you're watching, because one minute they might be asking a really serious question like what's the most significant lesson you ever learned from your parents?
But then the very next question might be have you ever owned a budgery?
Gu So, as one of Australia's most respected and fearless journals yourself, do you sit back and go geez, that was a bloody good question.
Yeah, and I do. And the thing that often gets me is that they've got the guts to ask things that I think we'd all kind of like to know the answers to that would feel a bit socially awkward to shut.
So.
I remember in season one, one of the guys asked Hamish Blake, how much money do you have in dollars and cents? And how did Aymys to answer that? One? L He was actually pretty honest. He kind of was a little taken aback, and then he said, look, I'll just be honest. I've got I've got millions. I'm a really lucky person. And I think you know, the thing with it is when the person asks it. It's not like, you know, if a journal let me ask that, you'd be worried, where's this going?
Yeah?
Is it a trap? And people going to see it and they're going to write up a piece about, oh, you know, how to touch rich entitled person blah blah blah something like that, whereas actually in this space, they're just genuinely curious to know, like how much money do you have it? And what interests them is dollars and cents or in the case of that guy, that was what interested him.
Also, it's just getting them to drop their guard, Like you know, I've known Andy for years and to watch him on Sunday Nights tip get emotional like that. I've never seen him in a situation like that where he's.
Drop totally totally. And I think that that partly is triggered by the sincerity of the people asking the questions and their vulnerability as well. They tend to put the guests at ease, you know, very readily, and then that tends to open up emotion.
I saw on socials that there was some people saying that it's obviously set up. The celebrities are given the question. There's no way they would open themselves up like this to these wild questions without being prepped on it before. And I love that you jumped on the socials and just bit back and explained exactly what goes on behind the scenes totally, and.
It's honest to god, they get no prep whatsoever. And even if I did try to prep the guests, when you're working with a grief of twenty autistic people, they are going to do what they want. It doesn't really plans you might have put in place in the moment, they'll respond as they respond. And that's why, particularly you know, this is season three that we're doing now season one. I was so grateful to everyone who appeared because you can imagine the brief because you're like, yeah, all right,
well it'll be you twenty people asking questions. I've got limited control over what they'll ask, and they might ask you absolutely anything happening.
Any appetite to get some politicians in the chair, because those questions would be perfect to try and make a politician from either side of the political spectrum squirm.
Yeah, well we had in season one, we had the Prime Minister Anthony Albanezy and I guess we're looking for people that are kind of well known nationally to fill the space. And so sort of since then, you know, the opposition's gone through Peter Dutton Susan Land. Now we kind of need to like them to settle down to see if something sort of bubbles up into the leadership.
But yeah, it is a great format. I saw one with the French Prime Minister, Emmanuel Macro French President or i should say, and he got asked a question about his wife, who used to be his teacher, and he said he said something it was kind of awkward but intriguing, and he said something like, oh, you know, I want to be clear, she was not the you know, mede real teacher. She was my drama teacher. And then the guy sitting next to him just started clapping his hands
really loudly and rocking back and forth. And just going over and over again. But he's real teacher, he's drama and so that was just so magic because it was like it exposed the kind of political spin in such a brilliant way.
With that in mind, who would be at the top of your list that you'd love to get on?
Oh? I mean I I just am obsessed by Harry Style.
You know what, He would actually be a great guest in this situation, don't you reckon?
I keep it.
I think it place he would come.
I think he'd be absolutely fantastic. The students always they've always been obsessed with Chris Hemsworth since season one, so they really want Chris Hemsworth. But almost anyone actually is kind of interesting in this format, Almost anyone would fit in. But yeah, I'd be personally pretty happy if Harry showed up.
Lee Sales as a political animal that you are or were, I don't know how much interest you still take in federal politics, but Harry Styles as the last person. Are you a big fan?
I'm just look, I'm a bit of a lover of pop culture and low brow tracks. I'm deep into the current.
Do you think Harry really is engaged?
Then? I don't really know, but I just think that he is such an intriguing guy. But strangely, every time I see him at my friend Annabel Crab always teases me about this, I always feel like I want to mother him. I'm like, oh, he's just he's looking a little bit thin. He's a little bit thin at the moment. To come around and I'll feed him in his band Heyleah.
Four years ago, someone tapped on the shoulder when you're leaving the seven thirty Report, saying you'll be on Nova, critiquing Harry styles as relationships.
That would have actually had the ring of truth to it. Yeah.
Well, we love you, We love the show and so feel good. I watch it with the kids. The Assembly returns It's Back Sunday. Andy was on It's Back this Sunday, seven thirty on ABC TV, with all episodes streaming for free on abc I View. We love you, Lee sales us much, thank you gang, And if we get Harry on, we'll call you.
Yeah, you call me straightaway, we will.
Lauren Lauren wake up feeling good following them on the Socials,