Peter van Onselen leaves $300,000 question for Network Ten TV channel bosses to ... trends now
Network Ten are scrambling to replace star political editor Peter van Onselen after he suddenly quit on Friday - but the rumoured salary package on offer may turn off top TV talent from the job.
Award-winning reporter and editor Samantha Maiden is said to head the shortlist to replace him as Ten's political face in Canberra although insiders speculated she may be too expensive for them.
It's understood the troubled broadcaster which has been smashed by plummeting ratings is offering around $150,000 a year for the high profile parliamentary reporter's gig, although Ten deny this.
Daily Mail Australia understands Dr van Onselen, 47, was on close to $300,000 a year as both Ten's political editor and The Project's political analyst before he walked away on Friday.
He is said to have lost his passion for the job and was tired of the regular commute to Canberra, combined with increasing family demands over the next few years.
'For PVO, it's become rinse and repeat and he's just had enough of doing 90-second stories which often aren't even a story,' said one former colleague.
'The place has become such a bin fire, he started becoming a bit embarrassed to have his brand attached to it. Ten doesn't really take politics seriously any more.'
Network Ten are scrambling to replace political editor Peter van Onselen (pictured) after he suddenly quit on Friday - but the cut-price salary package may turn off anyone wanting the job
It's understood the troubled broadcaster which has been smashed by plummeting ratings is offering around $150,000 a year for the high profile parliamentary reporter's gig
Dr van Onselen handed in his resignation at lunchtime on Friday and made his last appearance on the network before bosses deleted his work email address that night.
He quietly removed his affiliation to Ten from his Twitter bio after the federal election in May when he first considered quitting but vowed to stay on to the end of last year.
He will now focus on his role as professor of politics and public policy at University of Western Australia and as a columnist for The Australian newspaper.
He plans to spend more time with his family in Sydney as his two teenage daughters study for their upcoming HSCs, while his busy wife Ainslie is CEO of Chartered Accountants Australia.
Network chiefs are now looking both internally and externally for Dr van Onselen's replacement, with Ms Maiden said to be one of two frontrunners favoured from outside the existing newsroom.
Ms Maiden is a 20-year political reporter veteran and won a Walkley award for exposing Prime Minister Scott Morrison's family holiday in Hawaii during the 2019 bushfire crisis.
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