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Fallout widens from Peter Costello’s airport ‘shocker’

Peter Costello speaks about airport incident

Source: Today Show

The fallout from Nine Entertainment chairman Peter Costello’s airport altercation is spreading across the media company, with radio hosts taking aim at the boss.

Costello has rejected accusations he struck The Australian reporter Liam Mendes, after video emerged of an incident at Canberra Airport on Thursday.

The footage, published by The Australian, appears to show Mendes following Costello through the airport as he asks about Nine chief executive Mike Sneesby.

Costello appears to walk towards Mendes at one point, before the journalist falls to the ground.

“You have just assaulted me,” Mendes says.

But the former long-standing Liberal treasurer is adamant there was no assault.

“I walked past him, he walked back into an advertising placard and he fell over,” he said at Parliament House later on Thursday.

“I did not strike him.

“If he’s upset about that, I’m sorry, but I did not strike him.”

Nine’s board held its regular meeting on Friday, with The Australian claiming the airport incident was expected to be high on its agenda.

Also on Friday, hosts from Nine’s 2GB and 3AW stations weighed in. 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham revealed he had invited Costello onto his program and said: “Boss, you’ve had a shocker.”

Fordham said he hadn’t received any response to a text sent to Costello.

“This is what I wrote to the former federal treasurer last night, who’s now the chairman of Nine, who own this radio station,” Fordham said.

“I said, ‘you’ve got to address the airport incident, you know that better than anyone and there’s only one place to do it, 2GB at 7.15am’. I haven’t received a response.”

2GB morning host Ray Hadley also addressed the incident on Friday.

“It’s on the front page of The Sydney Morning Herald, which is also an organisation owned in the same interests. He’s rubbished suggestions he should resign,” Hadley said.

“I’d know what would happen to me if I dropped my shoulder into someone who was trying to interrogate me somewhere – you wouldn’t hear the end of it.

“From a company’s point of view, it’s not really good when the chairman [is] accused, let alone acted in the way that he allegedly acted.

“I will leave it with the board to deal with it.”

In Melbourne, 3AW’s mornings host Tom Elliott said it appeared “that Mr Costello pushed Mr Mendes over.”

“It’s been a rocky couple of weeks for Nine, Darren Wick, the former head of Nine news has now left his job and it’s alleged he got a hefty payout despite allegations of sexual abuse against him within the company,” Elliott said.

Footage from Canberra Airport

Source: The Australian

Elsewhere, there was support for Costello from former political colleagues.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said he hoped Mendes was OK. He said some journalists had “good skills and some … bad skills, depending on which organisation you are coming from”.

“Sometimes when they are walking backwards, some have the ability to stay upright and others don’t. In this circumstance, I think it is hard to make a judgment when you have not seen all of the footage … hopefully, this matter can be resolved amicably between the parties,” he said.

“Peter is a friend of mine for now over 20 years … I’ve never known Peter to be aggressive or anything of that nature.”

Earlier, Education Minister Jason Clare said it was a matter for the police but said everyone should be safe at work.

“My view is that if a journalist asks you a question, you stop and answer it,” he told Seven’s Sunrise program.

“That’s the simplest way to do it, rather than run away or say ‘no comment’ or accidentally knock somebody over.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it was up to Mendes if the matter went any further, but repeated the view about workplace safety.

“I think it’s really important that we treat journalists with respect, that journalists are safe in their workplace,” he said.

“If anyone should know that, it should be the chairman of a major media organisation.”

ACT police say no complaints have been made about the altercation.

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