Karl Stefanovic slams ABC’s Patricia Karvelas for ‘telling people who to vote for’

Today host Karl Stefanovic has publicly slammed ABC and claimed that the broadcaster is “telling people” who to vote for.

The popular Today Show host lashed out at the public broadcaster, declaring, “Our money shouldn’t be telling us who to vote for.”

He made the remarks during the latest episode of his podcast The Karl Stefanovic Show, saying: “I think this shows why Aussies are fed up. This was the ABC, the national broadcaster, not an opinion piece; they should be reporting on the outcome fairly.

“But, instead, they’ve injected their own left-leaning views into it.

Karl Stefanovic has slammed ABC for “telling people” who to vote for. Picture: YouTube.

“Let’s not forget it’s the Australian people who are paying the ABC’s wages – our money shouldn’t be telling us who to vote for.”

Speaking on the national broadcaster’s election night coverage as polls closed and the right-wing party appeared on the cusp of a historic win in the NSW seat earlier this week, the veteran ABC journalist was discussing the Coalition’s “contentious” decision to preference One Nation over independent Michelle Milthorpe.

“It was actually people like Ron Boswell who was a very well known National who campaigned to put One Nation last, so that’s the history, that you’ve got the most conservative people who believed it was a big and dangerous mistake to legitimise One Nation and to embolden One Nation,” Karvelas told co-host David Speers.

“Here we’ve had (Opposition Leader) Angus Taylor make a deliberate decision to preference One Nation above the independent, which tonight could really be one of the reasons they get across the line.

“We’ll see how the votes come through, but that will be key, and that will legitimise them. I used the term earlier on in the broadcast the permission structure — if they are able to win their first lower house seat, that begins the process of legitimising them, and in other electorates where they may run, voters thinking well it’s happened before, it’s normal now, you start normalising something and in fact the decision itself might put them further away from power so they actually could have just shot themselves in the foot by making this decision.”

Karvelas later defended her remarks, telling One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce that she had been “misquoted”.

Patricia Karvelas sparked controversy over her remarks on ABC this week. Picture: Supplied

Patricia Karvelas sparked controversy over her remarks on ABC this week. Picture: Supplied

“I didn’t know we were illegitimate beforehand,” the One Nation MP remarked.

“You’re referring to comments I made on Saturday night, where I was misquoted by your people,” she said.

“No, I watched it,” Mr Joyce said.

But the ABC host then claimed: “You clipped out the other bit where I said Coalition MPs believe that this legitimises you.”

The media saga comes as One Nation surged past Labor in the first major poll since negative gearing and capital gains tax changes were announced as part of the controversial 2026-27 budget.

The poll by Roy Morgan found primary support for One Nation was at 32 per cent, while Labor held just 28.5 per cent of the vote and the Coalition at 16.5 per cent.

On a two-party preferred basis, voters were almost split between Labor and the right-wing populist party, with some 49 per cent saying they would vote for One Nation, though Labor had a clear lead over the Coalition, which sat at 45 per cent.

A majority of Australians, at 59 per cent, said they disapproved of the job Anthony Albanese was doing, while 57 per cent disapproved of the job being done by Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

Source: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/karl-stefanovic-slams-abcs-patricia-karvelas-for-telling-people-who-to-vote-for/news-story/ec5dbd29ed327acc86eea2e845bf9cc9