Lisa Wilkinson’s swipe at Peter van Onselen amid Grace Tame debate suggests tensions on The Project

The Project’s on-air lashing of Peter van Onselen hardly paints a picture of tight-knit work colleagues. Behind the scenes, things are rumoured to be much worse.

The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson has taken a subtle dig at her colleague Peter van Onselen for his brutal attempted take down of sexual assault survivor Grace Tame.

Van Onselen was one of the most scathing voices against Tame in yesterday’s media storm triggered by the 2021 Australian of the Year refusing to smile while meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Penning an article for The Australian, PVO labelled Tame’s frosty reception “ungracious, rude and childish”, with Wilkinson hitting back hours later by applauding Tame for “making noise”.

While it’s not uncommon to see hosts of the nightly current affairs panel disagree on various issues, it comes amid swirling industry rumours of historical tension between the pair.

There are whispers PVO and Wilkinson often butt heads.

Taking to Instagram after The Project aired a fiery debate between Carrie Bickmore and PVO over Tame’s headline-making move, Wilkinson — a staunch Tame supporter — waded into the discussion herself.

Penning a passionate message of gratitude for Tame’s tireless efforts as a campaigner for sexual assault survivor rights, Wilkinson wrote: “Grace, the imprint you leave as Australian Of The Year will be felt for generations to come,” concluding with: “Most importantly Grace, thank you for making noise … just like you promised you would.”

It came after Onselen insisted on The Project that Tame should have stayed home rather than make her feelings toward the Prime Minister clear.

Long-running tensions with Lisa Wilkinson

Tame was both widely praised and criticised after a tense moment was captured with Prime Minister Scott Morrison before a morning tea for this year’s Australian of the Year finalists on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old was visibly unimpressed as Mr Morrison and his wife greeted guests, avoiding eye contact as she approached the Prime Minister and staring down the barrel of the camera in photos released of the event.

Images of Grace Tame and Scott Morrison went viral yesterday - and the country was divided. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gary Ramage

Van Onselen was vocal in the debate over whether Tame should have played nice despite speaking out against the Prime Minister several times in the past, labelling the footage of Tame “embarrassing, for her that is”.

“She was ungracious, rude and childish, refusing to smile for the cameras, barely acknowledging his existence when standing next to him. The footage tells the story free of overstatement,’’ he wrote in The Australian.

“She didn’t have to play the role of court jester, or be a fake. Just be a decent human being, that’s all. If that wasn’t possible, why bother to attend at all? At his Canberra house no less. It isn’t like the person who lives there wasn’t going to be there.”

While it was Bickmore who took van Onselen to task on the article, she wasn’t the only Project star to push back.

Carrie Bickmore called the political reporter out on the language used in his Grace Tame article.

According to TV Blackbox, it’s not the first time, either, with sources saying PVO and Lisa Wilkinson have clashed in the past over the political reporter’s friendship with Christian Porter, the federal minister accused of rape in a historic case.

A look back at past episodes of The Project provides further insight into the rumoured rift.

Brutal swipe on Hamish Macdonald’s return

When Hamish Macdonald returned from ABC’s Q&A to The Sunday Project, the panel wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room: that PVO had been dumped to give Macdonald his seat back.

Macdonald left the Channel 10 news program to host ABC’s Q&A, only to return to his former role after admitting he struggled with internet trolling.

Welcoming Macdonald back to his role on air, comedian Tommy Little quipped: “Hamish Macdonald, that makes so much sense. In our meeting today, I was like, damn, PVO is looking hot!”

It wasn’t the only subtle reference to the turfed-out host — who often struggled to keep up with the X-rated banter occasionally seen on the program.

PVO was brought on to replace Hamish Macdonald in 2019, but was booted last year to make way for his return.

While discussing Little’s recent Covid-19 vaccination, Macdonald let his cheeky side fly — a freedom he likely missed while hosting ABC’s flagship political panel.

“Like I say, I always feel better after a good jabbing,” he said to rapturous laughs from Lisa Wilkinson and guest Jan Fran.

“I’m so happy to have you back, bro,” Little added.

Much like Wilkinson, Little made it clear he’s team Tame in the debate over her Prime Minister meeting, calling her a “gangster, warrior and legend” on Instagram.

PVO’s future on the panel

After keeping Macdonald’s seat warm at the Project desk, van Onselen was told by Ten news executives last July that he would only appear on The Project occasionally.

According to The Guardian, sources at the time said he was happy not to work on Sundays and had earlier asked to cut back on his workload.

news.com.au has reached out to Channel 10 for comment.