Sandilands claims surprise new alliance
Former shock jock Kyle Sandilands claims he spent days discussing politics with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, calling her one of his favourite people.
Source: Game Changers. Radio
Sacked shock jock Kyle Sandilands has revealed he has spent the past few months working with Pauline Hanson and One Nation.
Since losing his job, the former KIIS FM radio host claims he was âworking on getting their messaging across, which I think has been well receivedâ.
Sandilands reached a settlement with his former station this week, walking away with $12 million after his sacking earlier this year.
He revealed the surprise new political alliance in an interview with the Game Changers. Radio podcast, in a clip pre-released to News Corp.
However, One Nation has denied the claim, with spokesman James Ashby telling news.com.au that Sandilands was ânot working for One Nationâ in any official or unofficial capacity.
Ashby did, however, say Sandilands was âa legendâ and that Hanson had reached out to him when âsât hit the fanâ with his former employer.
The feeling is apparently mutual, with Sandilands telling the podcast, released on Friday morning, that he was âloving the orange waveâ and Hanson was âone of my favourite people nowâ.
âShe is really a surprise,â he said.
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He added later:Â âI spent time with both of them (Hanson and Barnaby Joyce), and theyâre very inspirational.
âTheyâre not what everyone thinks they are ⌠a lunatic racist party of country bumpkins that think that the world should change.â
He said he had taken the One Nation leader âto meet some folks she didnât knowâ.
âNot my gangster friends,â he said. âBut just more of the upper society types who have also expressed a great interest in her messaging.â
Sandilands said on Wednesday night he was relieved to have reached an end to the legal fight with his former employer.
In an ASX announcement on Wednesday, ARN media said it would pay Sandilands $12 million, with $3 million payable as soon as July.
Outside his home later that day, Sandilands said he was relieved to put the ordeal behind him.
âItâs quite daunting to have that hanging over your head,â he said.
âI could have dragged it on for like a year and a half.â
Instead, he hoped to use his free time investing in his next project.
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âIt means I can get back to work, rather than annoying my wife. Iâm just happy to get out of here in the morning and back to work,â he said.
âIâm just building my own platform ⌠I donât care if itâs hugely successful or it just keeps the people that were retrenched employed.â
That project may be buoyed by the $1.5 million in advertising services on ARNâs partner platforms that he is owed under the settlement.
In exchange, however, the radio network will be entitled to a 19.9 per cent share of any new venture for three years.
Sandilands is also prohibited from engaging with any of ARNâs direct competitors for up to nine months from the settlement date.
Meanwhile, Hanson this week prompted fierce debate with her speech to the National Press Club after she took aim at radical Islam, transgender ideology, media outlets that she claimed treated her unfairly and other institutions.
In her address on Wednesday, Hanson rejected accusations One Nation is a racist party and said it was common sense to oppose what she described as the âfailed policy of multiculturalismâ.
One Nation has said migrants would still be free to speak their own languages at home if it were to win government, but they would need to be Australians first and put their ethnicity or creed second.
The One Nation leader is also making hay out of a stunt that interrupted her National Press Club speech, declaring she âquite likedâ a left-wing campaign groupâs depiction of her in pixelated meme sunglasses.
GetUp! has claimed responsibility for a banner that unfurled during Hansonâs debut address on Wednesday, accusing the One Nation leader of accepting a $100,000 pay rise while opposing wage increases for workers.
The stunt was counterproductive, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
The National Press Club apologised to Hanson and said two people entered the venue on Tuesday afternoon to install a drop-down screen without permission.
Hanson claimed someone âon the insideâ might have given GetUp! access to install the banner, but the club said none of its staff or contractors had any involvement.
-with AAP
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