Peter van Onselen to return to The Project for election night special

Channel 10’s political editor Peter van Onselen will front the network’s election night coverage with The Project anchor Waleed Aly on May 21.

It will be a ‘joint The Project/10 News First’ broadcast, with newsreader Sandra Sully also lined up to co-host alongside a panel consisting of journalist Jan Fran, Social Services Minister Anne Ruston, NSW Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes, and Labor politicians Stephen Jones and Ed Husic, reports The Australian’s Media Diary.

PvO’s on-air reunion with Aly is notable considering he is rumoured to have a frosty relationship with the other presenters on The Project – namely Lisa Wilkinson and Carrie Bickmore, who publicly chided van Onselen, 46, in January over a column he wrote criticising former Australian of the Year Grace Tame.

Aly and van Onselen last co-hosted 10’s election night coverage in 2019.

They infamously called an early victory for Labor leader Bill Shorten before his eventual loss to Scott Morrison.

‘There’s no way that Scott Morrison can win it and I’m happy to have that replayed time and time again to my shame if he does win it,’ van Onselen said at the time.

Aly also said on the night: ‘I’m expecting it to fall around 81 [seats for Labor]. I’m basing that on things I’ve heard from people who should know.’

Back in the fold: PvO’s reunion with Aly (pictured) is notable considering he is said to have a frosty relationship with the other presenters on The Project – namely Carrie Bickmore and Lisa Wilkinson, who publicly chided him in January over a column he wrote criticising Grace Tame

Back in January, Bickmore and guest journalist Amy Remeikis tore shreds off van Onselen live on The Project after he wrote a column for The Australian criticising Grace Tame for her ‘immature’ behaviour around Scott Morrison at The Lodge.

Tame, 27, a left-wing activist and advocate for survivors of sexual assault, had scowled and refused to look the PM in the eye while meeting him and wife Jenny at a morning tea for this year’s Australian of the Year finalists. 

Van Onselen said Tame should have just stayed home if she couldn’t be polite, but Bickmore and Remeikis felt this was not an acceptable opinion and questioned why he’d written the piece.

Angry: Back in January, Bickmore (right) and guest journalist Amy Remeikis tore shreds off van Onselen (left) live on The Project after he wrote a column for The Australian criticising Grace Tame for her ‘immature’ behaviour around Scott Morrison at The Lodge

Scowl: Van Onselen, reflecting the view of mainstream Australia, said Tame (right) should have just stayed home if she couldn’t be polite, but Bickmore and Remeikis felt this was not an acceptable opinion and questioned why he’d written the piece 

After the tense segment aired, fellow Project presenter Wilkinson publicly sided with Tame in a gushing Instagram post.

‘Thank you, Grace. Thank you for always speaking your truth. Thank you for never wavering from your passionate fight for justice for survivors of sexual assault,’ she wrote.

‘Thank you for doing everything within your power to make sure over the last 12 months that those in charge were listening, and acting on much-needed change.’

‘Thank you for always speaking your truth’: After the tense segment aired, fellow Project presenter Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) publicly sided with Tame in a gushing Instagram post

She continued to thank both Tame and fellow advocate for survivors of sexual abuse Brittany Higgins for their tireless campaigning.

‘Grace, the imprint you leave as Australian of the Year will be felt for generations to come,’ Wilkinson said.

‘Finally, and most importantly, Grace, thank you for making noise… just like you promised you would.’

Wilkinson’s post came amid ‘swirling industry rumours of historical tension’ between her and van Onselen, according to News.com.au.  

Speaking out: A third Project presenter, Tommy Little (pictured), weighed in on the dispute on the Hit Network radio show he co-hosts with Bickmore. He said van Onselen’s take was ‘stupid’

A third Project presenter, Tommy Little, later weighed in on the dispute on the Hit Network radio show he co-hosts with Bickmore. 

During a debrief with Remeikis two days after her on-air clash with van Onselen, Little asked: ‘Is this exactly what the bigger problem is all the time in that there are real issues at play here, and then you’ve got guys chiming in and diverting attention away to stupid things by saying something’s immature?’

He has also been named in a lawsuit by former 10 press gallery journalist Tegan George in her action against the network alleging she was subjected to a toxic culture of bullying during her time under van Onselen at the Canberra bureau.

He is one of several senior employees named in the lawsuit which claims the station failed to provide a safe working environment. 

Legal matter: PvO has been named in a lawsuit by former 10 press gallery journalist Tegan George (pictured) in her action against the network alleging she was subjected to a toxic culture of bullying during her time under van Onselen at the Canberra bureau