Nine Entertainment chairman Peter Costello has denied assaulting a journalist by pushing him to the ground at Canberra airport.
The former federal treasurer and chair of the Nine Entertainment board was approached by a journalist from The Australian on Thursday afternoon and refused to answer questions regarding the sexual harassment scandal engulfing the Channel Nine news division.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Moment Channel Nine chairman Peter Costello allegedly pushes over reporter.
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As reported by The Australian, the altercation took place only a minute after reporter Liam Mendes introduced himself.
Mendes reportedly asked Costello why he had yet to publicly express his support for Nine chief executive officer Mike Sneesby since Channel Nine’s recently departed news boss Darren Wick was accused of sexual harassment.
He was then allegedly pushed to the ground by Costello, who continued walking through the airport.
“You’ve got to answer the questions, Mr Costello. Don’t, don’t. You’ve just assaulted me,” Mendes was reported to be heard saying in a video capturing the event.
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However Costello later denied pushing the reporter in comments you can watch in full in the video above.
“There was a reporter walking backwards with his phone filming. As I walked past him he walked back into an advertising placard and he fell over,” Costello said.
Channel Nine’s veteran news director sensationally quit the company earlier this year following allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female staff member.
Wick quit the company on March 15 after a long period of leave starting in mid-January.
More than a dozen current and former Nine employees spoke to The Daily Telegraph, on condition of anonymity, about a culture they allege allowed Wick to behave inappropriately and get away with it.