The ABC has axed its political panel show in a shock move by newly appointed managing director, Hugh Marks.

The axing of Q+A, which has aired for 18 years, is the first major move by Marks, who replaced David Anderson in March.

The ABC made the announcement on Wednesday, saying it would not return after its hiatus.

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today

Currently, it is hosted by Patricia Karvelas, who has been at the helm since 2023. Karvelas will continue to host Afternoon Briefing and the podcast Politics Now, along with her ABC column.

The ABC’s news director, Justin Stevens, said Q+A had made a huge contribution to the national public discussion.

“We’re very proud of Q+A’s great achievements over the years. The team has done a terrific job, including a strong performance during the federal election campaign,” he said.

“Discontinuing the program at this point is no reflection on anyone on the show.

“We always need to keep innovating and renewing and, in the two decades since Q+A began, the world has changed.

“It’s time to rethink how audiences want to interact and to evolve how we can engage with the public to include as many Australians as possible in national conversations.

“We’ll be working on how we can continue to foster engagement of this nature in an innovative way.”

It is understood the announcement was made last Friday, taking a number of employees by surprise. The show was expected to continue until December.

Key staff members are expected to be redeployed in the ABC.

The report said there are were no plans to replace the show.

7NEWS reached out to the ABC for comment.

Q+A had been the network’s flagship political affairs show, when it was hosted by Tony Jones from 2008 to 2019.

The show struggled to find its footing with a new host, with short tenures with Hamish Macdonald, David Speers, Virginia Trioli, and Stan Grant.

The last redundancy round at the ABC came in June 2023, which resulted in 100 job cuts.