Antoinette Lattouf v ABC hearing live: federal court judge ‘deeply unhappy' broadcaster made public an unredacted affidavit

The Guardian

11-02-2025

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Justice Darryl Rangiah has opened proceedings by stating he is 'deeply unhappy' that the ABC filed an unredacted version of Chris Oliver-Taylor's affidavit despite a federal court order that the names of the people who complained to the ABC about Antoinette Lattouf should remain private.
On Monday the court uploaded an affidavit that was not redacted and the names and details of the Jewish people were made public, before the mistake was realised and the document was taken down.
Rangiah says:
The court is entitled to expect that the information provided to the court by the parties is accurate.
The people who are the subject of the suppression order are entitled to expect that the confidentiality of their identification and contact details will be maintained by the parties.
ABC barrister Ian Neil SC apologises for what he says was 'human error':
As leading counsel responsible for the presentation of the respondent's case, I stand before you this morning to tender my personal apology for what has happened. Share
Former ABC chair Ita Buttrose will be today's star witness
There are still five witnesses to give evidence after two days were added to last week's original five-day schedule.
The star witness today is former ABC chair Ita Buttrose. The court has previously heard details of emails in which it appears she was urging management to remove Lattouf from air after receiving dozens of complaints about her employment. The former ABC chair Ita Buttrose is due to give evidence today. Photograph: Emma Brasier/Women in Media
But first up today is the former head of ABC Sydney local radio Steve Ahern, the man who hired Lattouf for five days in December 2023, a decision described as 'a negligent error of judgement' by the managing director, David Anderson.
Last week Anderson told the court he believed Lattouf should never have been appointed as a casual radio host because of her 'partisan view on Israel-Gaza'.
On Friday the court heard Chris Oliver-Taylor, the ABC executive who sacked Lattouf for sharing a Human Rights Watch post, felt 'pressure from above' after Buttrose sent him all the complaints she was receiving.
'The pressure was now building, the concerns were rising,' Oliver-Taylor said of the situation on 19 December 2023 after Buttrose wrote to him directly and said she would be forwarding on all complaints she received about Lattouf.
To catch up on how things wrapped on Friday, here's our report: Share
Lattouf trial reveals an ABC so paralysed by process even its managers can't keep up
In case you missed it, Hugh Riminton on Saturday wrote about the first week of the federal court hearing:
If one thing has emerged from journalist Antoinette Lattouf's quixotic battle with the ABC over her sacking 14 months ago, it is that the public broadcaster appears to be so weighed down by procedures, policy codes and guidelines that even senior management can't keep up.
Read Riminton's take on events here: Share
Hi, I'm Amanda Meade, media correspondent at Guardian Australia, and I'll be watching day six of the Antoinette Lattouf v ABC unlawful termination claim.
We will bring you all the evidence as it unfolds from 10.15am.
Over today and Wednesday we will hear evidence from the remaining five witnesses, all from the ABC: Ita Buttrose, Steve Ahern, Simon Melkman, Ben Latimer and Elizabeth Green. Share