Peter van Onselen has joined The Daily Mail as its political editor. He will join the title on 29 April.
In the role, van Onselen will be responsible for breaking exclusives and providing political and social commentary.
‘We’re thrilled with Peter’s appointment and believe his in-depth knowledge of the political issues affecting everyday Australians coupled with his incisiveness are perfect for our ever-growing readership,’ said Daily Mail Australia‘s editor, Felicity Hetherington.
“Peter knows Australian politics and the people who run the country inside out and will tell it how it is.”
Van Onselen was a contributing editor at The Australian for 15 years, and is a professor of politics at the University of Western Australia.
“I’m really looking forward to being part of such a dynamic team,” Van Onselen said. “I can’t wait to start serving up some unvarnished home truths about where Australian politics is at.”
He was previously the political editor at Network 10 from 2018 to 2023, and co-hosted The Sunday Project on the network. He made headlines last year when he was sued by his ex-employer, 10.
Court justice David Hammerschlag ruled van Onselen had breached his redundancy contract with the network by writing a “disparaging” piece in The Australian detailing its financial troubles. Van Onselen was ordered to foot 10’s legal bills as a result.
“Channel 10 has long been the minnow of Australian commercial television,” van Onselen’s column read.
In his judgment, Justice Hammerschlag said: “One of the clear implications … is that Dr. Van Onselen took up the position because 10’s future looked bright, but he ‘walked away’ from it because this turned out not to be the case.
“To my mind, this is a disparaging comment in the context of Dr. Van Onselen’s employment and its termination.
“This type of disparagement can self-evidently undermine the confidence of investors or potential investors in 10. That is not a trivial or insignificant matter.”
See also: Peter Van Onselen loses contract breach lawsuit brought by Network 10
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Top Image: Peter van Onselen