Duncan Storrar Says "I Didn't Want This" And Offers Some "Lessons For Australia" Following Q&A Fallout

Duncan Storrar has re-emerged from exile with a written statement commenting on the “lessons of the last week”.

Storrar, who became an instant Q&A fave after his appearance last Monday, found himself on the receiving end of much support (and some derision) after he queried the Government’s proposed tax breaks for those earning more than $80,000 a year.

A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $60,000 for Storrar and his daughters, while news outlets like The Australian and The Herald Sun dug into his troubled past. The latter named him as a “villain” on their front pages.

It was an eventful seven days. Therefore, it was no surprise when it was reported that he had retreated from the limelight to deal with the intense glare of the Australian public.

In an open letter to the ABC’s Media Watch, Storrar has attempted to condense his intense experience into some “lessons for Australia”.

“1 if a person shows the powers to be out of touch people that they are they will be dropped, probed and attacked in any way with no thought to the mental wellbeing of their children,” he wrote.

“2 this exposing of your life and every discrepancy in it will be published ruining your job prospects.”

Storrar also wondered aloud if News Corp press breached their “mental health policy” by writing about someone with “serious mental issues… without a care for me or my (now ex partner) mental health.”

“These are questions for lawyers not me,” he continued.

Finally, Storrar thanked the people of Australia for their support, reiterating that the donated money will “go in a trust fund for school and to charities.”

He also stressed that his initial question to the Government remains unanswered.

“There are a whole class of people out there, yes we might have records, yes we might not be perfect but society has forgotten us the politicians and the media use us whenever they want to show why they need to be elected but never do anything to help our plight.”

For what it’s worth, though Storrar notes he “didn’t want this”, he doesn’t sound regretful about participating on Q&A.

“Q and A is the only place where people like me can ask questions of our leaders and policy makers and as it’s so hard to see your politicians we don’t have any other contact with these people and as such is the most important part of democracy I have available to me.”

Photo: ABC.