Antoinette Lattouf has said she pursued her unlawful termination case against the ABC through to the federal court to shed light on the behind-the-scenes decision-making at the public broadcaster, saying “the public has a right to know”.
In her first extensive public comments since winning her case against the ABC last week, Lattouf said she wanted to make information that had been uncovered by her legal team in the early phases of her action public.
“I said to my lawyers at that point, we just need to get to trial. We need to get to court,” Lattouf said. “We had all of that information and all of those emails, and if we had not gone to trial, they would never have come out. The public has a right to know what is happening at our public broadcaster … and against the backdrop of an unfolding genocide, let’s not forget.”
Lattouf’s comments came as part of the first episode of her new podcast with Jan Fran, We Used To Be Journos. In it, Lattouf and Fran discuss in depth the proceedings that resulted in the federal court finding last week that the ABC unlawfully terminated Lattouf’s employment for reasons including that she held a political opinion opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
Senior ABC managers had panicked after an “orchestrated campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to have Ms Lattouf taken off air”, Justice Darryl Rangiah said in his judgment, upholding Lattouf’s claim that she was unlawfully terminated in December 2023 when her on-air shifts were cut short three days into a five-day stint hosting Sydney Mornings.
Lattouf acknowledged in the podcast that the ABC managing director, Hugh Marks, had publicly apologised on behalf of the ABC. But she said she had not been contacted directly by him or any other representative of the ABC to personally deliver that apology.
“I want an apology from Kim Williams, the chair of the ABC,” Lattouf said. “At the National Press Club, just late last year, he spoke venomously about me in front of a room – you know, it was broadcast on the ABC – in front of a room of journalists. He denied that I was sacked, despite the Fair Work Commission finding that I was sacked. He spoke with derision in his voice.”
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Lattouf also described as “horrendous” comments made in court by Williams’ predecessor, the former ABC chair Ita Buttrose, regarding Lattouf’s race.
Asked in court if she knew Lattouf was Lebanese, Buttrose replied: “No I didn’t, I didn’t know what she was. I read later that she was Lebanese … People’s colour doesn’t really worry me at all.”
Lattouf said in the podcast: “Honestly, at that point, I felt like she was talking about me like I was a breed of dog.”
When asked for her response to the podcast, Buttrose said she had no comment.
Williams, who was not chair at the time of Lattouf’s employment, gave a televised address to the National Press Club in November last year, after the Fair Work Commission determined in June that Lattouf had been sacked, paving the way for the journalist to pursue legal action in the federal court. The case was heard there in February.
In response to a question from the Mandarin reporter Dan Holmes, Williams acknowledged the legal dispute with Lattouf and said: “We have been impeccably silent about the matter, unlike Ms Lattouf and her representatives who seem to have been devoted to sharing on a regular basis with the media.”
Williams said the ABC was “hopeful that it is capable of sensible constructive respectful resolution”, and continued, in contradiction to the Fair Work Commission finding: “But I must correct you: Ms Lattouf was not dismissed. Ms Lattouf had a five-day contract and under that contract, the contract was brought to a close on the end of the third day, so it affected the final two days of that contract which of course were paid.”
Lattouf said in the podcast she mistrusted Williams, and the broader ABC board. “Hugh Marks can come out and give a ‘well, we regret this happened and processes weren’t followed’ kind of a response, but I’m not buying that this won’t happen again,” Lattouf said.
In response to a request for comment, Williams said: “I only ever wished for the matter between Ms Lattouf and the ABC to be settled and regret that was unable to be achieved.
“I have never said anything negative about Ms Lattouf and nor would I do so. The Managing Director has issued an appropriate response from the ABC including an expression of regret and apology. I support that statement.”
The ABC has been approached for comment.
