TLDR
Jackie O Henderson is suing ARN Media in the Federal Court for more than $82 million, alleging on-air bullying by co-host Kyle Sandilands went unaddressed and that the network took adverse action against her protected workplace complaints. ARN's amended defence argues Henderson's complaint letter was made in bad faith.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The claim
Jacqueline Henderson and her company Henderson Media Pty Ltd filed a Statement of Claim in the Federal Court on 19 June 2026, seeking at least $82.25 million in compensation under section 340 of the Fair Work Act 2009 and for repudiation of her 10-year Broadcast Services Agreement.[1] The proceeding, numbered NSD507/2026, sits in the Federal Court's general division and names ARN Media as respondent.
The Statement of Claim identifies two on-air incidents as the proximate trigger. On 20 August 2025 and 10 September 2025, Sandilands made what the claim describes as offensive, degrading and humiliating comments about Henderson during broadcast, causing her to momentarily leave the studio and report the conduct to ARN executives.[1] The claim further alleges ARN took adverse action against Henderson after she exercised those rights, the statutory prohibition that anchors the Fair Work Act case.
In a letter dated 26 February 2026, Henderson formally notified ARN of alleged breaches under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW), reserved her right to report to SafeWork NSW and to commence proceedings under Part 6-4B of the Fair Work Act, and requested an alternative to the Breakfast Show.[1] The Statement of Claim records that Henderson has given notice she cannot continue to work with Kyle Sandilands.
ARN's amended counter
ARN's Amended Defence, filed 20 August 2026, takes a pointed line against the February letter itself. The network denies that Henderson exercised any workplace right and contends that the statements in that letter reserving her legal options were not made in good faith or for a proper purpose, amounting to an abuse of the very rights she invoked under section 340(1)(a)(ii) and (iii) of the Fair Work Act.[1][2] That framing, if accepted by the court, would deny Henderson the statutory protection on which the adverse-action claim depends.
The contract at the centre of the dispute was announced by ARN in November 2023. ARN Media extended both Sandilands's and Henderson's contracts until 31 December 2034 in a 10-year arrangement reported at $200 million.[4] ARN chairman Hamish McLennan said at the time that the re-signings were a vote of confidence in the broadcast talent and their ability to deliver successful programming. The Federal Court has listed the matter for hearing from 12 to 23 October 2026, absent a settlement.[3]
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Elias Thorne writes about interest rates, the bond market and the Reserve Bank. He is interested in what monetary policy actually does to household budgets, and in the long stretches of economic history that tend to repeat.
