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Australians love a comeback and in the case of Lisa Wilkinson it is not a matter of ‘if’ or ‘when’ she will be back in the spotlight, but rather what form her return will take.
For weeks, the rumor mill has been churning with speculation that she will have a penchant for federal politics, with insiders saying she would be a shoo-in for a seat in the looming election. (She’d fit right in with the Teals, we think.)
But unfortunately, we can confirm that she is not getting into the political game. At least for now.
The clearest indication yet is that the polished presenter is far from done with journalism: she has privately dismissed claims she is looking to make a career change this year.
Wilkinson’s plans for the future have been one of the hottest topics of conversation within the industry since she formally parted ways with Ten over the festive period.
She fueled the discussion further after sharing a cryptic post on social media last week in which she revealed she was looking forward to a “new beginning” in 2025.
Lisa Wilkinson’s (left) work in support of Brittany Higgins (right) has won her a legion of support among women who see her as a fearless champion of justice
The post featured the hacks on Woman’s Day – owned by Are Media, the company formerly known as Australian Consolidated Press, where Lisa made her name as an editor in the 1980s – at a fever pitch speculating that she was about to announce her decision to run for public office.
And that is of course not such a strange premise.
Despite being off air for the past two years following a falling out with her former paymasters at Ten, Wilkinson remains one of the country’s most famous media identities and bankable draws.
Additionally, her work supporting Brittany Higgins has earned her a legion of support among women, young and old, who see her as a fearless advocate for justice.
However, the star’s representatives assure us that there is no political future on the horizon yet.
‘Lisa is very proud of the work she has done to expose the toxic workplace culture at Parliament House in her landmark interview with Brittany Higgins – a toxic culture confirmed in Commissioner’s 2021 Jenkins Report for sex discrimination Kate Jenkins,” a member of Team Wilkinson told Inside Mail.
‘But at the moment Lisa has no plans to go to Parliament House.’
A missed opportunity? Maybe…but it almost certainly suggests she already has something else in mind.
The Polisher presenter remains a draw for the media, despite retiring from Ten this month
Wilkinson is still revered for keeping ‘workman’ Karl Stefanovic on his toes during her long-running reign as co-host of Nine’s Today show
Once we’ve collected all the commercial TV networks – fronting Seven’s Weekend Sunrise, Nine’s Today show and Ten’s The Project – what ‘new beginnings’ could be left?
Well, our sources continue to muse that signing Wilkinson could be quite a coup by the ABC and would be more than in line with the populist direction of the new management under new chairman Kim Williams (and that’s certainly not a bad thing) .
Of course, who knows what the future holds for the TV veteran? Well, she does – and so do her representatives – but they don’t tell.
So stay tuned.
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