Ten’s political editor Peter van Onselen sabotaged one woman reporter’s career while trying to make a star out of another, court documents allege.
The Project’s political guru set up the two women reporters to be rivals as part of the bullying row accusations at the ‘toxic’ TV station, a bombshell lawsuit claims.
The full explosive details of Canberra press gallery journalist Tegan George’s legal action against Network Ten have been revealed in papers released by the Federal Court.
Ten’s political editor Peter van Onselen (pictured) allegedly tried to sabotage one woman reporter’s career while trying to make a star out of another, court papers reveal
The full explosive details of the legal action by Canberra press gallery journalist Tegan George (pictured) against Network Ten have been revealed in papers released by the Federal Court
In the full statement of claim filed on Tuesday, obtained by Daily Mail Australia, Ms George alleges a number of grievances including:
- Being told to apologise to van Onselen for complaining about having to write his stories
- Van Onselen refusing to talk to her and communicating by text message
- Being made to move desks so van Onselen could prove he was the boss
- Accusing him of being ‘rude, intemperate, condescending and patronising’
- And being snubbed for invites to van Onselen’s coffee meetings with other staff.
TV bosses allegedly ‘pumped up tyres’ of rival
At one stage, the lawsuit alleges van Onselen and executive editor Anthony Murdoch set out to build up another reporter, Stela Todorovic, into a star ahead of Ms George.
Murdoch allegedly told an ex-workmate of Ms George that ‘PvO had issues with Tegan and so his agenda was to make Stela a star to “get at” Ms George’, the lawsuit claims.
Van Onselen is said to have hailed the work of Ms Todorovic on staff-wide emails – but allegedly ignored Ms George’s award nomination and social media success.
The lawsuit alleges van Onselen and executive editor Anthony Murdoch set out to build up another reporter, Stela Todorovic, (pictured) into a star ahead Ms George
But the move allegedly backfired when the praise is said to have gone to Ms Todorovic’s head, the lawsuit claims.
The court papers say Murdoch confessed ‘he and van Onselen had “pumped up her tyres too much”.’
The executive allegedly admitted he and Mr van Onselen had mistakenly given her too much confidence and were now ‘addressing it’.
At a performance review, Murdoch later allegedly told Ms George that ‘Ms Todorovic’s work required improvement’, and that Ms George was ‘one of the best journalists in the network’.
Ms George joined Ten in 2011, and in November 2019 was appointed as a producer/journalist based in the Canberra bureau under van Onselen.
Tensions allegedly rise at allegedly toxic bureau
Tensions quickly arose when she complained about conflicting instructions and a lack of clear chain of command during her first eight weeks, the documents allege.
TV executive Anthony Murdoch (pictured) allegedly told an ex-workmate of Ms George that ‘PvO had issues with Tegan and so his agenda was to make Stela a star to “get at” Ms George’
The claim says she was expected to write many of the political editor’s packages for him, but when she pushed back, she was told van Onselen was the TV station’s ‘number one whose brand they were expected to build’.
The lawsuit alleges she was told by Murdoch ‘the bureau had always been toxic’ and she ‘needed to learn to deal with it’.
Peter van Onselen allegedly did not give a s*** how she was feeling…
Ms George says in the lawsuit that she tried to resolve the problems directly with van Onselen, but he escalated it to senior management, and she was later allegedly told van Onselen ‘did not give a s***’ how she was feeling.
Murdoch later allegedly said van Onselen expected an apology from Ms George for ‘hurting his feelings’, according to the court papers.
The lawsuit says Murdoch added: ‘Peter is bats*** crazy but we just have to get used to it’.
TV executive Anthony Murdoch later allegedly admitted he and Peter van Onselen (pictured) had mistakenly given Stela Todorovic too much confidence and were now ‘addressing it’
Later that day, Ms George says she suffered a panic attack and couldn’t work, and took the next day off.
Work allegedly ‘undermined and leaked’
A few weeks later, the lawsuit alleges Murdoch told other Ten staff that Ms George was ‘not doing herself any favours’ and ‘no-one even likes her’.
The lawsuit says he then added ‘…words to the effect that if he had “that many sick days and headache, I would be getting my f***ing head checked”’.
The legal action also alleges her script of a federal government scoop was sent to Minister Greg Hunt’s office behind her back, prompting Hunt to demand changes and ruining her exclusive.
It also claims The Project host ‘publicly reprimanded’ her for not sending him her script days prior to her interview with Scott Morrison, which later received half a million views online.
Sexual harassment claim
The lawsuit claims the stress became too much to bear after she reported a sexist remark about a member of Ten’s team she overheard in a conversation between an un-named Network Ten employee – who was not van Onselen – and a freelance camera operator.
Tegan George (pictured) has worked as a political reporter in the press gallery for Ten since 2019 but has been on leave since June 2021 suffering a ‘personal injury’ brought on by ‘stress to the point of incapacity’
When executives repeatedly demanded she make a formal statement, she was threatened with disciplinary action, which pushed her over the edge, the lawsuit claims.
It says she faced a two-hour showdown with bosses where she was told she would be in breach of her contract if she continued to refuse to make a statement.
But Ms George says in the statement of claim that the process left her feeling violated and was not ‘consent-based’.
She claims she was left feeling physically ill, unable to sleep, and so stressed she was ‘incapacitated’ and in need of medical treatment and family support.
Peter van Onselen (pictured) expected an apology from Ms George for ‘hurting his feelings’, according to the court papers
Ms George was left ‘anxious and distressed’ to the point of ‘vomiting’ because of the stress, and has been on leave since June 2021, according to her lawsuit.
Allegedly ‘passive aggressive emails, tweets’
While she was off work, George claims van Onselen allegedly wrote a ‘passive aggressive’ group email to colleagues that he was having to pick up her slack.
‘Tegan has extended her leave by another week,’ part of the email said, the lawsuit claims. ‘As mentioned I’m covering this weekend anyway.
‘It will be my 15th straight day working so Alex has very kindly offered to double check my work!!!’
In her statement filed to the court, Ms George also claims Network Ten’s Political Editor would ‘background’ against her to other journalists.
Network Ten Federal political reporter Tegan George (pictured) has launched legal action in the Federal Court against her employer, accusing it of breaching the Fair Work Act
George claims The Project host directed these tweets towards her – but didn’t mention her by name
It’s alleged van Onselen then wrote a tweet she says was aimed at her on the topic of sexual harassment: ‘There should also be obligations on employees who witness it to report it, not cover it up.’
After an emotional meeting between Ten management and the media union in September, the lawsuit claims van Onselen again tweeted about her, quoting a poem about ‘crying wolf’ and ‘looking for sympathy’.
Alleged ‘Bullying tore down reporter’
Van Onselen is one of several senior employees named in the lawsuit, which claims the station failed to provide a safe working environment.
The lawsuit alleges the ‘toxic’, ‘bullying’ culture at Ten’s Canberra bureau ‘reduced Ms George’s standing and reputation as a journalist’.
‘Ms George was subjected to workplace gossip, Ms George’s standing in the workplace was reduced and Ms George was denied the quiet enjoyment of her profession,’ adds the lawsuit.
Channel 10 Political Editor Peter van Onselen found himself under attack after labelling Grace Tame ‘ungracious, rude and childish’ following her awkward encounter with Scott Morrison (pictured) at The Lodge last week
The controversy for the veteran reporter comes just a week after van Onselen copped a fiery backlash for criticising 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame for refusing to smile when she greeted Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Australia Day at The Lodge.
Van Onselen denies ‘woman problem’
Van Onselen declined to discuss the case on ABC Radio Melbourne on Wednesday but told host Virginia Trioli he denied accusations that it showed he had a ‘woman problem’.
‘There was an alleged witnessing of sexual harassment within the office, according to the complaint, which I wanted to be dealt with and handled…which would suggest the exact opposite,’ he said.
Ms George’s lawyers refuted any suggestion she had not reported the sexual harassment.
‘Any suggestion that Ms George refused or failed to report an incident of sexual harassment is false,’ said Josh Bornstein, of Maurice Blackburn.
‘[When she] reported it to a manager, she was threatened with disciplinary action if she refused to make a formal written statement about it.
‘Ms George was concerned about why Network 10 were taking such an approach to that matter, while failing to address much more serious issues in the workplace.’
Network Ten will file a defence to the claims at a later date.
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