This is Gerard Henderson asking a question that needs to be asked: With Tony Abbott gone, what will ABC ‘comedians’ laugh at now?. They might think of starting with the ABC’s Fran Kelly, ace reporter.

The truly stunning performance by Ms Kelly this week occurred towards the end of her interview with Barnaby Joyce — the Minister for Agriculture and deputy leader of the National Party. Let’s go to the transcript:

Fran Kelly: Barnaby Joyce, as deputy National Party leader, as Agriculture Minister, did you vote for Tony Abbott or Malcolm Turnbull?
Barnaby Joyce: I’m in the National Party, I tell you what we —
Fran Kelly: Oh, you don’t get to vote?
Barnaby Joyce: That’s right —
Fran Kelly: Oh, I beg your pardon —
Barnaby Joyce: But what we get to do is do Coalition agreements after they’ve finished [the leadership vote] — that’s how we bargain.

This is no verbal “typo”. One of the leading ABC presenters did not know as of Wednesday morning that the Liberal Party — and the Liberal Party alone — elects the leader of the Liberal Party. Can you bear it?

This should actually be on the front page, that the ABC’s most senior political reporter did not know how the vote for PM was conducted. Beyond incredible.