Nine Network Hit by Senior Staffer’s Abrupt Exit After Party

After the after-party 

Channel Nine’s Brisbane headquarters is reportedly unsettled by the abrupt departure of staffer Kristy Nitz, following a Lord Mayor’s gala attended by several network employees on October 17.

Nitz, formerly the executive assistant to Queensland news director Brendan Hocking, was among the Nine colleagues at the charity event.

According to a source, the celebrations continued at an impromptu after-party, after which Nitz went “on leave”.

Roughly a week later, she had left the network.

Nine declined to comment on the record but confirmed to Inside Mail that Nitz no longer worked for the broadcaster after resigning from her position.

Inside Mail is not suggesting that Nitz has been accused of any wrongdoing.

Nitz was regarded by colleagues as having a direct, no-nonsense approach to her work. Some reportedly disliked her manner and believed she operated more like a “deputy news director” than an executive assistant.

Her LinkedIn profile had not been updated to reflect her departure from Nine at the time of publication. On the page, she writes: “I provide high-level operational support, focusing on enhancing efficiency and streamlining workflows.

“My role involves managing executive calendars, preparing professional documents and presentations, overseeing budgets, and coordinating events and travel arrangements with precision and attention to detail”.

Nitz was hired by former news director Amanda Patterson, who was dismissed by the network after 31 years with Nine. Patterson later settled her Fair Work Commission dispute with the broadcaster in February 2025.

When Hocking succeeded Patterson as news director, he retained Nitz in the role.

Inside Mail tried to reach Nitz by phone and text, but received no response.

Brisbane City Council said it would not comment “due to privacy reasons”.

Don’t mess with Aunty

When taking legal action against the Fourth Estate, few choices are more costly than turning down a gracious exit when one is offered.

Robert McVicker knows that all too well. He emerged from a bruising legal battle with the ABC empty-handed and was hit with an indemnity costs order after pursuing an appeal the court determined had little prospect of success.

The dispute arose from an ABC.net.au report on the collapse of Bestjet, an online travel company whose failure left holidaymakers and creditors out of pocket.

McVicker’s company acquired Bestjet about six weeks before it entered administration. He argued that the article conveyed he was responsible for the company’s downfall because of poor management, and launched a defamation action.

The Queensland Court of Appeal, however, ruled that the article did not carry the defamatory meaning he claimed.

While ABC readers may have concluded things went awry after the change of ownership, the court found an ordinary person would not have understood the article to mean Bestjet collapsed because of McVicker’s poor and inefficient management.

It’s a key distinction that other business leaders would do well to remember: while you might not like seeing your name and the word ‘collapse’ in the same article, that doesn’t mean a publisher is personally accusing you of being responsible.

But we digress. 

Before the litigation reached its end, Aunty offered McVicker a way out of the dispute. It amended the article, published an editor’s note apologising for ‘any adverse suggestion regarding Robert McVicker Jnr’ that may have been conveyed (which is still tacked on the end of the article) and made a formal offer to make amends.

The Court of Appeal found that offer was reasonable.

But McVicker pressed on.

The national broadcaster then tabled another offer: a Calderbank offer, which in layman’s terms is a final opportunity to exit a case before the legal bill gets substantially worse.

As part of that proposal, the ABC offered to remove the article from its website and not republish it, and there would be no order as to costs.

For most people who sue the media, this is usually the end goal: the unflattering article disappears from public view and won’t clutter up their Google results.

You can guess what happened next, right? McVicker declined.

The court wasn’t impressed. In a recent costs ruling, it was found that McVicker had been unreasonable to reject the final deal given the weakness of his prospects and the substantial benefit Aunty’s proposal offered him.

The consequences of that decision were steep: he was ordered to pay standard costs up to early June this year, followed by indemnity costs thereafter.

Pride may be priceless. Litigation, on the other hand, rarely is.

A rocky start 

KIIS FM’s new Sydney breakfast show, hosted by Dr Chris Brown, Amy Gerard and Jack Charles, launches on Monday – and we hear there is already tension simmering behind the scenes.

This time, it’s not personality clashes between the hosts, but the production team.

Inside Mail has heard whispers of friction between newly installed executive producer Annalise Ball and Natalie Penfold, the former EP of Kyle and Jackie O, who many in radio circles expected would take charge of the new-look program.

‘It’s not a great start,’ said a well-placed source.

‘There’s a bit of head-butting going on between Annalise and Nat, as well as the team of producers.’

Gen Z-er Ball was previously the producer of Will and Woody before it was canned to make way for a new drive show fronted by Carrie Bickmore.

She recently moved from Melbourne to Sydney for her new gig.

Penfold, overlooked for the job she presumably thought was hers, was instead offered the newsreader role for Chris, Amy and Jack.

The unusual career move raised eyebrows in the radio business, with some unsure whether it was a ‘promotion or demotion’.

Inside Mail contacted ARN for comment. 

A $10million talent? Hardly 

• Opinion by Rob McKnight, the former executive producer of Studio 10 and 4BC’s afternoon show

The thinking behind ARN’s decision to sack Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson has been laid bare in the most recent court documents released as part of Henderson’s case against her former employer.

At the heart of the issue is Henderson’s demand to move to another time slot but still be paid the same amount of money.

As CEO Michael Stephenson explained in a memorandum sent to the board on March 3: ‘The letter also ‘requires’ the Group to propose an alternate daypart for her to work and states that Ms Henderson ‘will not be able to return until a suitable alternate day part is found’.’

In radio, breakfast is the most important slot in terms of ratings and revenue. The reason Henderson was able to negotiate $10million per year was because the forecasted revenue could justify the record-breaking contract.

The court documents say no other slot could possibly justify that wage and Henderson’s contract specifically related to her presenting breakfast with Sandilands.

As Stephenson pointed out: ‘The strength and commercial value of the Show derived specifically from the combination of Mr Sandilands and Ms Henderson together

‘It was ‘The Kyle and Jackie O Show’, and that combination was ARN’s key commercial asset. Without Ms Henderson’s willingness to work with Mr Sandilands, there would be no ‘The Kyle and Jackie O Show’.

‘If Mr Sandilands continued to present a breakfast show without Ms Henderson, that show would not have delivered the same audience the Show had done historically. It would not have been as successful.’

It is on this last point that Stephenson and I disagree.

It’s my view Sandilands would continue to draw big audiences without Henderson – but I agree Henderson would not be able to draw big audiences without Sandilands.

If you look at the years of media coverage of The Kyle and Jackie O Show, the majority of it is focused on Sandilands’ behaviour: his countless controversies and outrageous commentary. This drove news coverage and listener engagement.

While there’s no doubt Henderson played a significant role in the show’s success, she is not the drawcard she may think she is as a solo act. Her role has always been to challenge Sandilands, support him and add value.

Many might think this is a sexist view – it is not. It is simply based on the dynamics of the team. If the roles were reversed, I would be here supporting Henderson, but in this partnership there is no doubt Sandilands was the driving force. Even his biggest critics would have to agree with that.

Notwithstanding the fact no other daytime slot could possibly justify a host earning $10million a year, Henderson by herself at breakfast also wouldn’t be worth that price.

This is not to say Henderson is not a talented performer. She is.

But she’s no Kyle Sandilands and she’s not worth $10million a year without him.

It’s OK when I do it!

The Albanese government’s efforts to ‘turn down the temperature’ in politics ran into trouble on Monday after Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh declined to condemn a deepfake video featuring Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson and One Nation leader Warren Pickering.

Pressed by Patricia Karvelas on whether the video was appropriate, Leigh argued it had not crossed a line.

‘Look, I think if you’re putting up AI videos, they ought to be pretty recognisably AI. Whether or not you brand that or simply make it clear is important,’ Leigh said.

‘What you don’t want is anything which is misleading voters and suggesting that it’s a real video when it’s not. That’s something we’ve seen overseas.

‘I don’t think this video crosses that line.’

DISCOVER MORE: Pro-Trans Activists Protest New Harry Potter Store Over J.K. Rowling

Karvelas appeared taken aback by the response and challenged Leigh’s assessment.

‘Don’t you really? Because I think it looks pretty misleading,’ she replied.

Leigh’s comments put him at odds with the Albanese government’s broader messaging on the risks posed by artificial intelligence and manipulated content.

Communications Minister Anika Wells has spent recent weeks warning about the dangers of deepfake technology, particularly so-called ‘nudify’ apps that use AI to generate fake sexually explicit images, in an effort to support the Albanese government’s proposed duty of care. 

Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie has also emerged as a vocal critic of the technology, warning that increasingly sophisticated deepfakes were making it harder for Australians to distinguish fact from fiction, and also leading to her facing harassment online.

‘I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened social media to see my own face talking about something I’ve never said,’ Lambie said.

‘It’s only getting worse as these videos become more convincing.’

Inside Mail was referred to Leigh’s comments on the ABC when approached for comment. 

Abandon ship! 

MPs are heading for the exits across Macquarie Street at such a pace that the race to replace them is starting to overshadow the race for government itself.

Tuesday brought another two retirement announcements, with veteran Labor MP Sonia Hornery and Liberal stalwart Mark Coure confirming they will not contest the 2027 NSW election. 

Their departures add to a growing list of MPs deciding they have had enough well before voters head to the polls.

While colleagues insist Coure’s decision is genuine and stems from sheer exhaustion after more than 15 years in Parliament, along with a desire to spend more time with his family, his retirement has nevertheless sent Liberal figures into a panic.

Oatley has long been one of the Liberal Party’s most precarious holds, and many within the party believe the seat stayed blue due to Coure’s tireless campaigning. 

Even in the landslide Coalition victory of 2011, the seat is now on a slightly better margin than it was when the Perrottet Government was booted from office in 2023. 

A relentless local campaigner, Coure built a reputation for turning up to virtually every community event on offer. 

Political rivals and colleagues across Macquarie Street would joke he would attend the opening of a garage door if it meant face time with locals. 

Finding a successor capable of doing the same is now shaping as one of the party’s biggest headaches ahead of 2027.

His departure comes as retirements continue to mount across both major parties, triggering a fresh round of speculation about who is jumping and why.

Within Labor, the growing list of retirements has sparked intense behind-the-scenes jockeying as factional powerbrokers begin carving up who will inherit some of the party’s safest and most strategically important seats.

The party’s faceless men are already deep in negotiations over preselections, with competing factions positioning their favoured candidates ahead of what is shaping up to be a generational refresh.

Several Labor figures meanwhile are understood to be quietly relieved to see some of the departures. 

Both Hugh McDermott and Sonia Hornery had increasingly been viewed by sections of the party as MPs whose time had come, with critics arguing Labor needed newer faces and fresh energy heading into a difficult election cycle.

McDermott, in particular, had attracted criticism from within Labor ranks, where some colleagues privately questioned whether he remained in touch with the rapidly changing demographics of his multicultural western Sydney electorate.

On Wednesday, Labor announced he would be replaced by new Prospect candidate Liz Scully, who had run unsuccessfully for Parramatta in 2019. 

David Harris’s departure has generated a different conversation. 

The Veterans Minister is understood to have become a casualty of Labor’s push to meet its 50-50 gender representation targets. 

Harris’ seat is among those in the firing line of One Nation, who are looking increasingly strong across the Hunter and Central Coast regions.  

The Liberals meanwhile have seen an even bigger rush to the retirement lounge.

Former minister James Griffin was among the first to announce he was calling time, before Alister Henskens, Mark Taylor, Ray Williams and Tanya Davies all joined the queue. 

It’s hardly the kind of trend Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane would have been hoping for. 

With the Coalition already facing an uphill battle in 2027, the steady stream of MPs deciding they’ve had enough is only adding to the challenge.

Redundancy or rebrand?

A former West Australian Newspapers manager is pursuing an unfair dismissal claim after spotting what she believed was her old job being advertised on LinkedIn under a new title.

Sara Zvaunis was among 40 staffers made redundant during a company-wide restructure in May, bringing her four years as Customer Operations Manager to an end.

Weeks later, however, a newly advertised Business Development Manager role at her former employer caught her eye. 

Zvaunis claimed she had personally written the business case and job description for the position before leaving the company.

She then filed an unfair dismissal claim, despite being 21 days outside the statutory deadline. 

West Australian Newspapers argued the role was different and had not even been approved until after her departure.

Deputy President Beaumont accepted that Zvaunis only began questioning the redundancy after seeing the advertisement and found there were ‘exceptional circumstances’ to justify an extension of time.

Her claim will now proceed.

We go lower

Victorian Labor appears to have forgotten Michelle Obama‘s famous advice that ‘when they go low, we go high’, with the Carroll Government’s biggest advertising push now focused on attacking the Liberals rather than promoting its own record.

Meta’s ad library shows Victorian Labor’s anti-Coalition page Don’t Risk It Vic spent $62,469 on political advertising between October 25 and 31, making it the state’s biggest political advertiser for the week. 

That was well ahead of both the official Victorian Labor page, which spent $46,948, and the Victorian Liberals, which spent $45,378.

The figures highlight a noticeable campaign strategy: Labor is spending more money telling voters why they shouldn’t back the Liberals than the Liberals are spending asking for support themselves.

The strategy seems to have failed to make any change in what are dire polls for Labor, with a recent Roy Morgan poll conducted between October 26 and 29 finding the Coalition continued to hold a significant lead in Victoria, with primary support at 29.5 per cent, compared to Labor’s 22.5 per cent. 

On a two-party preferred basis, the Coalition led Labor 56-44, which would see Labor wiped out across the state and Jess Wilson elected in her own right as Premier with a majority. 

Poof Doof politics

While the Liberals are quietly daring to dream of a Victorian comeback, one MP is making sure no potential voter is left behind.

Rachel Westaway, the Liberal MP fighting to hold the ultra-competitive inner-city seat of Prahran, spent the weekend pulling off one of the most eclectic campaign schedules in state politics.

On Saturday night, Westaway hit Melbourne’s iconic Chapel Street nightclub Poof Doof for Halloween celebrations, embracing the occasion in a devil costume, seen cage dancing on Instagram.

Then just hours later, the MP swapped the nightclub for the pews, attending not one but two All Saints’ Day church services on Sunday morning before appearing at the blessing of a newly opened op shop.

It’s the kind of political balancing act that would leave even the most seasoned campaign strategist impressed.

Westaway has every reason to be working overtime. She won Prahran at a by-election triggered by the spectacular downfall of former Greens MP Sam Hibbins, who resigned after it emerged he had conducted a ‘brief’ affair with a staff member.

The contest handed the Liberals an unexpected opportunity after Labor opted not to field a candidate, clearing the path for Westaway to secure the seat.

As Jess Wilson and the Liberals remain in the box seat, Westaway appears determined to not be left behind, should her Opposition comrades make it to the Treasury benches come November 29.

Media scrum

At the Supreme Court in Brisbane last Friday, it all became a bit too hectic for Sam Wood‘s dad, retired restaurant manager Andrew Wood, who was in town to support his embattled son and spring him from prison with a promised $1million bail surety.

Though 30 years older, and far less bulky than the TV star, ‘Woody’ (as he is known) is pretty much Sam’s spitting image and, to begin with, the lean Wood Sr politely answered media questions ahead of what most expected would be a successful bid.

When it became obvious late in the afternoon that Justice Patrick McCafferty KC was not buying Sam Wood’s promises to behave, Wood the elder became stony-faced and rigid in the back of the court.

When he emerged into the maelstrom of the waiting media pack, he gave a few terse responses to the flurry of questions before trying to strong-arm his way out of the scrum.

On his right was the tall, willowy Annie Pullar thrusting her Channel Nine microphone towards him, while bringing up the rear was A Current Affair’s tenacious Zarisha Bradley, a petite but very fit reporter who jokes on Instagram that she’s a ‘professional baddie chaser’.

As Wood tried to escape to the safety of the street, he appeared to barge past Bradley as he navigated through the phalanx of reporters.

Bradley says she has no recollection of being elbowed in the commotion and, certainly, Woody’s moves were more subtle than the almighty shove delivered by Josie Murray, the South Australian grandmother of missing boy Gus Lamont, back in June, which sent reporters tumbling onto an Adelaide street.

Andrew Wood may yet get another encounter with a media scrum when his son’s emergency, last-ditch appeal for bail returns to court.