Peter van Onselen is an Australian academic, author, and commentator and a political journalist.
He is currently the political editor of tabloid media outlet Daily Mail Australia, having started in the position on 29 April 2024.[1]
Van Onselen is also a professor of politics and public policy at the University of Western Australia and was a weekly columnist at The Australian newspaper. Between 2010 and 2017, he hosted several programs at Sky News Australia. From 2018 to 2023 he served as Network 10's political editor and a co-host of The Project.
He was awarded a PhD in political science from the University of Western Australia, converting his dissertation into a book. Van Onselen also holds a Bachelor of Arts with first-class honours in political science, majoring in philosophy, and a Masters in Policy Studies (with Distinction). Both degrees were obtained from the University of New South Wales. He has also completed a Master of Commerce (with Distinction) and was included in the Dean's honours list.[5][6]
Van Onselen began an academic career at University of New South Wales in 2002, and became an associate professor at Edith Cowan University in 2004, organising the politics and government program. From 2007 to 2008, van Onselen presented stories on the Nine Network's Sunday and wrote a column for The Bulletin.[8] In early 2011, van Onselen left Edith Cowan University to become a Winthrop Professor and Foundation Chair of Journalism at the University of Western Australia.[5]
Van Onselen has written several politically themed books, including John Winston Howard (co-written with Wayne Errington), which was rated by The Wall Street Journal Asia as the best biography of 2007.[9] Van Onselen has also written numerous refereed journal articles and conference papers, including articles for the Australian Journal of Political Science, the British Journal of Legislative Studies.[10] He has also written columns and opinion pieces for a range of newspapers, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the Australian Financial Review, The Canberra Times and The Courier-Mail.[5]
In May 2018, he was appointed Professor of Policy at Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Brisbane.[11]
Media career
Van Onselen has featured as a television commentator across numerous broadcasters, including as a panelist for state, federal and United States election coverages for both the Seven Network and Nine Network.[5][12] In 2008, Van Onselen was a special investigator for the Perth edition of A Current Affair.[13] He also presented cover stories for the Sunday program on the Nine Network in 2007 and 2008.[citation needed]
In 2009, Van Onselen joined The Australian as contributing editor.[14] He wrote his last column for the paper in April 2024.[15]
Following the 2010 election, Van Onselen became a regular presenter at Sky News, co-hosting Australian Agenda from 2010[18] as well as his own programs The Contrarians and The Showdown.[19]
In 2014, Van Onselen stepped down from hosting The Contrarians (which would later become Keneally and Cameron) and The Showdown was axed, when he was given his own four-times-weekly primetime program PVO Newshour, which premiered on 20 January 2014.[20]
On 1 June 2015, Van Onselen voluntarily moved his program from primetime to daytime, with the program being retitled PVO NewsDay. Additionally, he co-hosts To The Point with Kristina Keneally, which aired in between his self-titled daytime show.[21] In November 2015, Foxtel confirmed that PVO NewsDay would return for a second season in 2016.[22]
In July 2016, Van Onselen added a fourth hosting role at Sky News, presenting morning program Sunday Edition.[23] but relinquished the role in February 2017. In October 2017, it was announced that Van Onselen will step down from all his Sky News programs, to become a contributing editor to Sky News as well as revive The Contrarians as a weekly format.[24] However, it was subsequently announced Van Onselen had left Sky News after his contract expired at the end of 2017.[25]
In January 2020, Van Onselen replaced Hamish Macdonald as co-host of The Sunday Project with Macdonald becoming host of Q&A on ABC.[citation needed]. Van Onselen stepped aside as co-host of The Sunday Project 18 months later, continuing as Network 10 Political Editor and a co-host of The Project.[26]
On 25 January 2022, Van Onselen was called out by The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore about an article he had written about 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame. He had described her behaviour as “childish”, after seeing her apparently deliberate refusal to smile for press photos with the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, in Canberra. Van Onselen suggested that she would have done better not to attend the event.[27]
Van Onselen was a personal friend of Christian Porter. When Porter was accused of rape, Van Onselen defended him. When Porter resigned from Parliament the politician thanked Van Onselen for this support in his farewell speech.[28]
In 2023, Van Onselen was accused of breaching his departure agreement with Network Ten after he wrote a scathing opinion column about the network. On his departure from the network, Van Onselen signed an agreement agreeing not to disparage or ridicule Network Ten or its staff.[29]
In a surprising announcement in mid-April 2024, tabloid media outlet Daily Mail Australia announced Van Onselen would be joining them as their political editor from 29 April 2024.[30] This news was greeted by the satirical newspaper The Chaser with the headline "The ‘Daily Mail of political commentators’ joins the Daily Mail".[31]
