Luke O’Neill says he was denied bonuses and excluded from meetings before being dismissed with no reasonable basis in documents filed with the Federal Court.

He has launched legal action against The Wiggles, as well as Blue Wiggle Anthony Field and the group’s general counsel Matthew Salgo.

Pryce agreed his performance justified a raise after the three-decade-old group’s earnings increased from $2 million in the 2023 financial year to a forecast $6.5 million to $7 million in 2025.

But O’Neill was dismissed in May.

He alleges the dismissal was unlawful and an adverse action for him exercising his workplace rights and came with no reasonable basis, prior warning, adverse feedback or performance management.

A bonus payment of more than $86,000, made in July, was less than what he alleges he was owed.

Field, Salgo and The Wiggles are yet to file their defence.

The case is due in court for its first hearing on September 8.

O’Neill began working for The Wiggles in a consultancy role in April 2023 before becoming chief executive in January 2024, tasked with implementing strategies to grow the group’s revenue, maintain the budget and oversee hiring decisions.

The Wiggles formed in 1991 and are among Australia’s top-earning and most widely beloved entertainment groups, winning multiple ARIA awards and being inducted in its hall of fame in 2011.

Field is the last remaining member of the original line-up, which has expanded over time.