Tracy Grimshaw eyeing exclusive interview with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson as the former ACA star lands new 60 Minutes role

Tracy Grimshaw could be paid a substantial amount for sitting down with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. 

If the seasoned journalist gets her way, she will conduct an exclusive interview with the controversial politician on an upcoming episode of 60 Minutes, The Australian alleged on Monday. 

Grimshaw, 65, reportedly has Hanson on her wish list as she's poised to join the current affairs show full-time. 

With a rumoured $500,000 annual deal with Channel Nine, Grimshaw has been earning as much as $166,000 per interview, the publication claims. 

Insider chatter is rife that the television personality, who has starred in a handful of segments for the series, will soon extend her tenure as a regular member of the illustrious 60 Minutes team. 

She'd join regulars including Liz Hayes, Tara Brown, Amelia Adams, Nick McKenzie, Dimity Clancey, and Adam Hegarty. 

Hanson is a hot commodity, with One Nation's rise causing headaches for the reigning Labor Party. 

Recent opinion polls show One Nation ahead of Labor on primary votes, reigniting interest in One Nation's headline-grabbing leader.

Polling from RedBridge Group and Accent Research shows Pauline Hanson's One Nation could win up to 59 lower house seats if a federal election were held today.

The result would leave Senator Hanson’s anti-immigration party as the official opposition, reducing the Coalition to a handful of seats and forcing Labor into minority government.

Labor cabinet secretary Andrew Charlton said the government needed to focus on presenting solutions to voters' concerns and demonstrating it was tackling those issues. 

Grimshaw has been without a full-time gig since she left A Current Affair in 2022, passing the baton to host Allison Langdon. 

It follows reports that Grimshaw's contract at Nine was under review last year. 

The TV legend has reportedly been on a rolling $500,000 contract ever since - half of her previous $1million salary - but has only appeared on screen occasionally. 

Tracy's 16-minute interview with advertising mogul John Singleton last year translated to a staggering $16,000 per minute of broadcast time - prompting speculation within the network that Grimshaw's future contract is unlikely to be renewed under current terms.

While some argue that Tracy is Nine's most powerful interviewer, the optics for such a salary for such minimal output are raising red flags internally.

'It isn't simply a matter of saying "the bean counters have won" – the cost of every minute of television is being scrutinised because the company needs to justify every cent that is spent to shareholders,' the source said. 

'The good old days of keeping people on the books with nothing to do so they don't end up on a rival network are over.'