Lisa Wilkinson has apologised to senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price after she made disparaging comments about the Indigenous senator in a leaked audio recording.
In the audio, the former The Project host appeared to mock the Coalition by raising questions regarding the validity of Price’s preselection to the National party and struggled to pronounce the senator’s name.
In a statement released on Friday night, Wilkinson said the tenor of conversation was about “the need for real, genuine change within the Liberal party, and that too many of their female preselections were in unwinnable positions”.
“The conversation was private and not intended to appear as it has out of context and in the public arena,” she said.
“I sincerely apologise to Senator Price for any offence I may have caused.”
Price has been offered a private apology from Network Ten.
The audio of Wilkinson’s comments was recorded during a private meeting with Brittany Higgins and her partner, David Sharaz, and a producer, Angus Llewellyn, discussing an exclusive interview with The Project in January 2021.
In the Project interview, broadcast several weeks later, Higgins detailed an allegation of being raped in Parliament House, but did not name Bruce Lehrmann.
Lehrmann has always vehemently denied the allegation. The initial trial was aborted last year due to jury misconduct and prosecutors dropped the charges against Lehrmann earlier this year amid concerns about the impact a second trial could have on Higgins’ mental health.
In the audio, Wilkinson said the Coalition had “preselected over 20 new and wonderfully diverse and strong female candidates like, and what’s her name, Nam … Nampinjumba? … She’s an Indigenous woman.”
Sharaz replied: “She clearly got in. Clearly it was a safe seat.”
Network Ten producer Angus Llewellyn then commented on the preselection process: “See, we know brown people.”
Sharaz followed: “It’s like, ‘I’m not racist, I have a black friend’. It’s that argument.”
On Friday, Price demanded Wilkinson apologise, and said the host lived in an ivory tower.
“There are derogatory and racist comments,” she told 2GB. “The Project has never been interested in the view of a conservative Indigenous woman from outback Australia. Not once has it demonstrated interest in the concerns I’ve raised.
“I would absolutely expect an apology from the Ten Network, from Lisa Wilkinson herself. That would be the decent thing to do.”
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, was among conservative MPs including the shadow attorney general, Michaelia Cash, who called for a formal apology on Friday.
On social media, Dutton wrote Price was a “highly respected and capable member of the Coalition shadow cabinet and very accomplished individual in her own right”.
“Lisa Wilkinson, the Ten Network and others involved owe her a genuine apology for their unacceptable and derogatory comments,” he wrote.
Network Ten issued a statement saying the private five-hour conversation had been leaked by an unidentified source for “no justifiable reason” and no comment had been sought prior to publication.
“Network 10 was subpoenaed to provide confidential documents and audio recordings to the DPP and Bruce Lehrmann’s legal team during the criminal case brought against Mr Lehrmann,” it said.
“With the criminal proceedings now concluded, there is no justifiable reason for this material to be made public. Network 10 regrets any distress caused by the unauthorised publication of these intended private conversations.”
• Caitlin Cassidy contributed to this report
