ABC host fired over 'ill advised' Gaza post gets $70k
A casual ABC radio host will receive $70,000 in damages after being fired from the national broadcaster over an "inconsiderate" post about Israel's actions in Gaza.
Antoinette Lattouf was hired for a week-long stint on ABC Radio Sydney's Mornings program before Christmas 2023.
She was fired in a "state of panic" at the broadcaster hours after staff learned she had shared a Human Rights Watch post claiming Israel was using starvation as a "weapon of war" in Gaza.
The 41-year-old won her unlawful termination case in the Federal Court on Wednesday, when Justice Darryl Rangiah handed down his decision in a courtroom full of her supporters.
He found the ABC breached Australian employment law by dismissing the journalist for reasons that included her political opinion.
At the time, the broadcaster was under pressure from an orchestrated campaign of complaints against Lattouf by a pro-Israel lobbyist group.
The national broadcaster also did not give her the chance to defend the allegations against her, merely showing her the door, the judge found.
The ABC was ordered to pay $70,000 in compensation to Lattouf for the emotional distress the termination had caused.
In February, the ABC confirmed at a parliamentary hearing that it had spent $1.1 million on legal fees defending the case, although the judge is yet to make a decision about costs.
A potential pecuniary penalty will also be determined at a later hearing.
Lattouf argued at a hearing in February that then-ABC chair Ita Buttrose, former content chief Chris Oliver-Taylor and former managing director David Anderson were responsible for her termination.
But Justice Rangiah found the decision was solely Mr Oliver-Taylor's as he tried to mitigate further complaints about the broadcaster employing someone with Lattouf's political opinions.
"Mr Oliver-Taylor sought to appease members of the public who would attribute to Ms Lattouf the holding of anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic opinions by taking her off air," he said.
Mr Anderson made a "material contribution" to the decision, however, by giving his views to Mr Oliver-Taylor that the fill-in host held anti-Semitic opinions.
Justice Rangiah accepted Mr Oliver-Taylor was put in a difficult position by Lattouf's choice to share the controversial post.
"Ms Lattouf's making of the HRW Post was ill-advised and inconsiderate of her employer," he said.
"The ABC would have to brace itself for the inevitable criticism - whether fair or unfair - for permitting one of its presenters to make a controversial post and then allowing her to remain on air."
The ABC's claims the journalist was fired for breaching a direction not to post anything about Israel and Gaza during her five days on air were also rejected.
"I find Ms Lattouf was merely provided with advice that it would be best not to post anything controversial about the war," he said.
The judge rejected claims by Lattouf - who is of Lebanese heritage - that she was terminated due to her race or national extraction.
A casual ABC radio host will receive $70,000 in damages after being fired from the national broadcaster over an "inconsiderate" post about Israel's actions in Gaza.
Antoinette Lattouf was hired for a week-long stint on ABC Radio Sydney's Mornings program before Christmas 2023.
She was fired in a "state of panic" at the broadcaster hours after staff learned she had shared a Human Rights Watch post claiming Israel was using starvation as a "weapon of war" in Gaza.
The 41-year-old won her unlawful termination case in the Federal Court on Wednesday, when Justice Darryl Rangiah handed down his decision in a courtroom full of her supporters.
He found the ABC breached Australian employment law by dismissing the journalist for reasons that included her political opinion.
At the time, the broadcaster was under pressure from an orchestrated campaign of complaints against Lattouf by a pro-Israel lobbyist group.
The national broadcaster also did not give her the chance to defend the allegations against her, merely showing her the door, the judge found.
The ABC was ordered to pay $70,000 in compensation to Lattouf for the emotional distress the termination had caused.
In February, the ABC confirmed at a parliamentary hearing that it had spent $1.1 million on legal fees defending the case, although the judge is yet to make a decision about costs.
A potential pecuniary penalty will also be determined at a later hearing.
Lattouf argued at a hearing in February that then-ABC chair Ita Buttrose, former content chief Chris Oliver-Taylor and former managing director David Anderson were responsible for her termination.
But Justice Rangiah found the decision was solely Mr Oliver-Taylor's as he tried to mitigate further complaints about the broadcaster employing someone with Lattouf's political opinions.
"Mr Oliver-Taylor sought to appease members of the public who would attribute to Ms Lattouf the holding of anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic opinions by taking her off air," he said.
Mr Anderson made a "material contribution" to the decision, however, by giving his views to Mr Oliver-Taylor that the fill-in host held anti-Semitic opinions.
Justice Rangiah accepted Mr Oliver-Taylor was put in a difficult position by Lattouf's choice to share the controversial post.
"Ms Lattouf's making of the HRW Post was ill-advised and inconsiderate of her employer," he said.
"The ABC would have to brace itself for the inevitable criticism - whether fair or unfair - for permitting one of its presenters to make a controversial post and then allowing her to remain on air."
The ABC's claims the journalist was fired for breaching a direction not to post anything about Israel and Gaza during her five days on air were also rejected.
"I find Ms Lattouf was merely provided with advice that it would be best not to post anything controversial about the war," he said.
The judge rejected claims by Lattouf - who is of Lebanese heritage - that she was terminated due to her race or national extraction.
A casual ABC radio host will receive $70,000 in damages after being fired from the national broadcaster over an "inconsiderate" post about Israel's actions in Gaza.
Antoinette Lattouf was hired for a week-long stint on ABC Radio Sydney's Mornings program before Christmas 2023.
She was fired in a "state of panic" at the broadcaster hours after staff learned she had shared a Human Rights Watch post claiming Israel was using starvation as a "weapon of war" in Gaza.
The 41-year-old won her unlawful termination case in the Federal Court on Wednesday, when Justice Darryl Rangiah handed down his decision in a courtroom full of her supporters.
He found the ABC breached Australian employment law by dismissing the journalist for reasons that included her political opinion.
At the time, the broadcaster was under pressure from an orchestrated campaign of complaints against Lattouf by a pro-Israel lobbyist group.
The national broadcaster also did not give her the chance to defend the allegations against her, merely showing her the door, the judge found.
The ABC was ordered to pay $70,000 in compensation to Lattouf for the emotional distress the termination had caused.
In February, the ABC confirmed at a parliamentary hearing that it had spent $1.1 million on legal fees defending the case, although the judge is yet to make a decision about costs.
A potential pecuniary penalty will also be determined at a later hearing.
Lattouf argued at a hearing in February that then-ABC chair Ita Buttrose, former content chief Chris Oliver-Taylor and former managing director David Anderson were responsible for her termination.
But Justice Rangiah found the decision was solely Mr Oliver-Taylor's as he tried to mitigate further complaints about the broadcaster employing someone with Lattouf's political opinions.
"Mr Oliver-Taylor sought to appease members of the public who would attribute to Ms Lattouf the holding of anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic opinions by taking her off air," he said.
Mr Anderson made a "material contribution" to the decision, however, by giving his views to Mr Oliver-Taylor that the fill-in host held anti-Semitic opinions.
Justice Rangiah accepted Mr Oliver-Taylor was put in a difficult position by Lattouf's choice to share the controversial post.
"Ms Lattouf's making of the HRW Post was ill-advised and inconsiderate of her employer," he said.
"The ABC would have to brace itself for the inevitable criticism - whether fair or unfair - for permitting one of its presenters to make a controversial post and then allowing her to remain on air."
The ABC's claims the journalist was fired for breaching a direction not to post anything about Israel and Gaza during her five days on air were also rejected.
"I find Ms Lattouf was merely provided with advice that it would be best not to post anything controversial about the war," he said.
The judge rejected claims by Lattouf - who is of Lebanese heritage - that she was terminated due to her race or national extraction.
A casual ABC radio host will receive $70,000 in damages after being fired from the national broadcaster over an "inconsiderate" post about Israel's actions in Gaza.
Antoinette Lattouf was hired for a week-long stint on ABC Radio Sydney's Mornings program before Christmas 2023.
She was fired in a "state of panic" at the broadcaster hours after staff learned she had shared a Human Rights Watch post claiming Israel was using starvation as a "weapon of war" in Gaza.
The 41-year-old won her unlawful termination case in the Federal Court on Wednesday, when Justice Darryl Rangiah handed down his decision in a courtroom full of her supporters.
He found the ABC breached Australian employment law by dismissing the journalist for reasons that included her political opinion.
At the time, the broadcaster was under pressure from an orchestrated campaign of complaints against Lattouf by a pro-Israel lobbyist group.
The national broadcaster also did not give her the chance to defend the allegations against her, merely showing her the door, the judge found.
The ABC was ordered to pay $70,000 in compensation to Lattouf for the emotional distress the termination had caused.
In February, the ABC confirmed at a parliamentary hearing that it had spent $1.1 million on legal fees defending the case, although the judge is yet to make a decision about costs.
A potential pecuniary penalty will also be determined at a later hearing.
Lattouf argued at a hearing in February that then-ABC chair Ita Buttrose, former content chief Chris Oliver-Taylor and former managing director David Anderson were responsible for her termination.
But Justice Rangiah found the decision was solely Mr Oliver-Taylor's as he tried to mitigate further complaints about the broadcaster employing someone with Lattouf's political opinions.
"Mr Oliver-Taylor sought to appease members of the public who would attribute to Ms Lattouf the holding of anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic opinions by taking her off air," he said.
Mr Anderson made a "material contribution" to the decision, however, by giving his views to Mr Oliver-Taylor that the fill-in host held anti-Semitic opinions.
Justice Rangiah accepted Mr Oliver-Taylor was put in a difficult position by Lattouf's choice to share the controversial post.
"Ms Lattouf's making of the HRW Post was ill-advised and inconsiderate of her employer," he said.
"The ABC would have to brace itself for the inevitable criticism - whether fair or unfair - for permitting one of its presenters to make a controversial post and then allowing her to remain on air."
The ABC's claims the journalist was fired for breaching a direction not to post anything about Israel and Gaza during her five days on air were also rejected.
"I find Ms Lattouf was merely provided with advice that it would be best not to post anything controversial about the war," he said.
The judge rejected claims by Lattouf - who is of Lebanese heritage - that she was terminated due to her race or national extraction.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
37 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Putin ‘quite pleased' with Trump's approach to Ukraine war
ANU Strategic & Defence Studies Centre Visiting Fellow Dr Matthew Sussex says Vladimir Putin would be 'quite pleased' about his relationship with Donald Trump, when compared to previous US administrations. This past week, Iran has endured Israeli and US strikes but has received very little help from Russia. 'Trump seems still very unwilling to put any pressure on Moscow when it comes to the war in Ukraine, besides giving it endless two-week passes,' Mr Sussex told Sky News Australia. 'You'd think perhaps he would be a bit less happy with Trump deciding to throw his lot in with the Israelis and to participate in the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites.'
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
The sneak attack in the middle of the night triggered a 12-day war
After nearly two weeks of fighting, US President Donald Trump claims to have brokered peace between Israel and Iran, though its legitimacy is still to be proven. From sneak attack to shaky ceasefire, here's how the conflict – which Trump has suggested should be called 'THE 12 DAY WAR' – between Iran, Israel and the United States has played out. Israel attacks Iran Israel attacked Iran at 3.30am local time on Friday, June 13, with explosions booming across the capital of Tehran. Israeli forces struck several locations, targeting nuclear sites, including Iran's main enrichment facility, ballistic missile and other military capabilities, as well as military commanders and nuclear scientists. Among those killed were the chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of Iran's army, Mohammad Bagheri, and top-ranking commander Gholam Ali Rashid. Six nuclear scientists were also killed. The bombing of residential areas also claimed the lives of civilians, including children, Iranian media reported. Israel justified the attack as an act of self-defence, claiming Iran was rapidly approaching the ability to build nuclear weapons – something it's said for years. Iran, a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, has always denied having a nuclear weapons program. The White House said it wasn't involved in the attack, but that it was aware of Israel's plan. Iran vowed its 'sworn enemies' should expect retaliation and that Israel would receive 'harsh punishment'. Some missiles evaded the Iron Dome and struck targets in Israel, prompting its defence minister to warn that 'Tehran will burn' if retaliatory strikes against Israel continued. Meanwhile, Israel continued its offensive in Iran, with airstrikes pummelling surface facilities at Iran's biggest nuclear enrichment plant, Natanz, the global nuclear watchdog said. These are the types of facilities where Iran is accused of trying to make weapons-grade uranium, a key ingredient in nuclear bombs. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, released a defiant message to Iran and promised Israel would suffer a 'bitter fate'. Civilians killed; TV station, energy assets attacked Israel and Iran increased the intensity of their attacks, exchanging waves of ballistic missiles and suicide drones, also known as loitering munitions. Residential buildings across both countries are hit, killing civilians. Israel also targeted Iranian energy infrastructure, including one of the country's largest oil refineries, Shahr Rey, the Shahran fuel depot in Tehran and the immense South Pars natural gas facility. These attacks provoked fears of global fuel shortages. One of Israel's largest oil companies shut down all refinery facilities after a power station in Haifa was damaged by an Iranian missile strike. Iran's state-run television station was attacked while broadcasting live, killing three people and sending the anchor running for cover. As the conflict wore on, Iranian state media claimed its military had shot down an advanced Hermes-900 drone before it could destroy any weapons. The Israel Defence Forces claimed to have killed two Hezbollah commanders in strikes in southern Lebanon. Trump leaves G7; mulls US involvement Trump left the G7 summit early to address the unfolding crisis, cancelling a planned meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The US president joined leaders in signing a statement calling for a de-escalation in hostilities, which condemned Iran as the 'principal source of regional instability and terror', and declared that the world would not allow the country to have nuclear weapons. An exasperated Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, was filmed rolling her eyes at the G7's roundtable meeting with Trump. A Trump returned to Washington, speculation grew that the US would join Israel's war. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on June 19 that Trump would decide whether the US would intervene in the war within 'two weeks'. But this was largely a deception, meant to wrong-foot Iran. Trump had all but made up his mind to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Assassination plots against Iran's leader Throughout the war, Israel repeatedly threatened to assassinate Khamenei. Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill the supreme leader, AP and Reuters reported. He also claimed to know the whereabouts of Khamenei and suggested the US could kill him easily if it wished to do so. 'He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now … our patience is wearing thin,' Trump said on Truth Social on June 18. Meanwhile, more Iranian generals were killed in Israeli strikes. Flights cancelled, fleeing Iranians stuck in traffic While Trump mulled joining the war, the airspace over Israel and Iran remained closed (although Israel began limited flights departing the country on Tuesday). Flights throughout the region have been impacted, forcing airlines carrying Australians to Europe to change course. Thousands of Australians stranded in both Israel and Iran have requested emergency assistance from DFAT. Iranians fleeing Tehran, a city of nearly 10 million, have been stuck on gridlocked outbound highways. The chaos inside Tehran has been made worse by widespread internet outages, which have stifled communication. This had put many Iranians on edge, said Alam Saleh, a lecturer at the Australian National University who became trapped in Tehran while visiting when Israel attacked. 'It definitely makes things more concerning because people try to hear from each other, ensure that families are in touch, especially when civilian targets are bombed,' he said from Tehran. US bombs Iran The United States joined Israel's war and attacked Iranian nuclear sites, US President Donald Trump announced in a post on social media on June 22. 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan,' he said. 'A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.' Trump warned Iran against retaliating, and said 'future attacks will be far greater'. Six of the United States' B-2 stealth bombers dropped a dozen massive 'bunker-busting' bombs on Iran's deep underground Fordow nuclear base – where it's suspected the regime was enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade. Two bunker-busters were dropped on Natanz, and missiles from a US Navy submarine struck the Isfahan facility. Only America had the weapons capable of blowing up the well-defended and secretive Fordow facility. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for his 'bold' attack and said the US 'has done what no other country on earth could do'. Iran's Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said the US violated international law and the United Nations charter, and Iran reserved 'all options' to defend itself. The International Atomic Energy Agency's director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told The New York Times that he believed Iran might have transported its enriched uranium in a fleet of cars from the Isfahan facility. Hospital and prison targeted Through it all, Iran and Israel have continued to attack each other. Though Israel claims to have crippled much of Iran's military capabilities, the Islamic republic still manages to evade Israeli air defences and strike residential buildings. Iran's missiles hit civilian areas in Israel, including Soroka hospital in the southern city of Beersheba, injuring people. Nobody was killed in the attack. Israel on Monday targeted Tehran's Evin Prison, which historically has held political prisoners and Westerners, including Australian researcher Kylie Moore-Gilbert, from 2018 to 2020. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to the prison. Black-and-white footage shared by Iranian state TV and Israel's foreign minister appeared to show the facility's front gate exploding in the strike. Doubt has since emerged over the video's authenticity. Iran's Health Ministry estimates that about 500 Iranians have been killed and another 3000 wounded in the Israeli strikes, but human rights organisations fear the real figure is almost double. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed, according to the latest figures from authorities. Iran attacks US base In response to the US raid, Iran launched missiles towards the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which houses US troops as well as the air forces of Qatar and Britain. Explosions could be heard overhead in the Gulf state's capital of Doha as air defences worked to intercept the attack. The Qatar Defence Ministry said Iran fired 19 missiles and one made landfall, but there were no deaths or injuries. This was in part due to Iran warning the US before the attack, which enabled the evacuation of personnel. Trump said the Iranian response was 'very weak' and was both expected and effectively countered. US Vice President JD Vance said the attack appeared to be symbolic rather than malicious. 'They actually gave us some warning here … because they didn't want to kill Americans, and they didn't want to escalate,' he told Fox News. 'There's definitely some symbolism to this … if you look at the Iranian attack, it was 14 missiles that they telegraphed ahead of time [and] we dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs.' Ceasefire announced Just hours after Iran attacked the air base, Trump claimed Tehran and Tel Aviv had agreed to a 'complete and total' ceasefire. 'Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World,' Trump posted on Truth Social. Iran's Araghchi initially said Iran had not struck a ceasefire agreement, but would stop its attacks if Israel stopped its airstrikes on Tehran. Iranian state television later announced a ceasefire, and Araghchi posted on X that the Iranian military had fought 'until the very last minute'. Missiles kept coming from both sides. Loading Later in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed he had agreed to the ceasefire with Iran, in co-ordination with Trump. But within hours, Israel accused Tehran of firing more missiles, violating the truce, and instructed its military to resume 'the intense operations to attack Tehran'. Iran denied the claims of a breach. How long Trump's ceasefire lasts remains to be seen. Editor's note: A video purporting to be CCTV footage of the strike has been removed from this story. It had aired on Iran state media, and was distributed by Israel's foreign minister. However, there are concerns about the source of the footage, and its veracity.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Trump has lost control of the Middle East situation
There is nothing authentic or credible whenever Donald Trump makes any announcements (' Trump's fragile peace ', June 25). There are now unconfirmed reports that the nuclear sites in Iran were not totally obliterated and the ceasefire between Israel and Iran has been violated by both sides. He has lost control of the situation, just like the failed talks to end the Ukraine war. Peng Ee, Castle Cove It is hard to know whether President Trump's angry outburst arose from disappointment at the inability of Iran and Israel to embrace peace and safety for their people, or frustration and annoyance that his own actions and pronouncements were proving less than effective. The greatest obstacle to peace is that all sides, especially Trump, want to be seen as winners. Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls Whatever you think of Donald Trump, it's hard to deny that he has an unquenchable thirst for being the centre of attention on the global stage. Not content with allowing Benjamin Netanyahu to claim dominance over Iran, he chimes in with bombing its nuclear sites, so reclaiming the headlines and extracting unstinting praise from his Washington sycophants and the Israeli leader. Then he announces that he has secured a ceasefire and an impending end to the war. Iran probably had little choice in this matter, but as we have seen before this does not mean an end to ongoing terrorism. Will Trump be front and centre when this occurs? Max Redmayne, Drummoyne At last, Donald Trump has done something useful by banging Israel and Iran's heads together to bring about a ceasefire. Let's hope it holds. If this is a sign that he's finally getting his act together, I'm all for it. Ian Adair, Hunters Hill The Phantom Ceasefire is simply Trump's off-ramp. He announces a ceasefire and bows out, having been advised that regime change would only be achievable with extreme military commitment and massive cost in lives and treasure. You can never trust the Israelis – or indeed the Americans – with either a ceasefire or a negotiation. Israel then repeated precisely what has been seen before in Beirut – massive carpet bombing of the city just before the deadline. In Lebanon, Israel then proceeded to violate the ceasefire anyway, and has done so virtually every day in the past few months, often several times a day, racking up over 1000 violations. It will be the same again here. Norman Broomhall, Port Macquarie I'm just not sure that being quick off the mark to believe, embrace, ratify or promote anything that Donald Trump has his hand in is prudent practice ('War in the Middle East is dangerous; Albanese misses his opportunity', June 24). Unlike the 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' powder keg, Australia is an onlooker this time around. Who knows the extent of crucial information and knowledge shared with us in an extremely volatile situation baked in toxic factors worthy of a War and Peace-type tome. Taking breath for 24 hours didn't seem such a critical missed opportunity to me. Brian Jones, Leura I was very disappointed to read that Israel and Iran have ignored Trump's efforts to bring a ceasefire and peace to their countries. It is disgraceful ingratitude, especially from Israel after all the president's efforts – getting those big planes out to bomb Iran for them was expensive, you know. It would serve them right if he gave up and concentrated on playing golf and squabbling with Elon Musk. Nola Tucker, Kiama Donald Trump's pre-emptive attack may have set a precedent that we will all come to regret. In 10, or more likely 25 years' time, we may well hear China proclaiming that 'Australia simply cannot be allowed to acquire nuclear submarines which have the potential to carry nuclear missiles. This would upset the whole balance of power in the Pacific. China is prepared to do whatever is required to prevent this from happening.' Dick Pollitt, Mosman Hollow words There is no doubt 'The Donald' will now be promoting himself as deserving the Nobel Peace Prize (Letters, June 25). Listen to Netanyahu and Trump's secretary of defence showering praise on him and see him now claiming to broker peace. It is setting the stage. However, where are the famous one-day peace plan results for Ukraine and Gaza? More importantly, when will the war on his own country's citizens and institutions end? It is all happening openly: immigrant deportations, attacks on universities and students, assaults on women's health, Medicaid, veterans benefits and voting rights, inequitable tax plans and the rule of law. A US regime change seems more appropriate. Robert Caraian, Crows Nest No Nobel Peace Prize, no Mt Rushmore, no commemorative stamp and no portrait on a $100 treasury note. If we must honour the orange conman for blundering onto a peace deal, name a prison or a wing of a psychiatric hospital after him. Better yet, consign him to history as an example of a temporary fit of voter insanity. Richard Keyes, Enfield Flawed logic For years Iran had called for the destruction of 'Zionist' Israel. Israel said Iran's ballistic missiles and, particularly, its nuclear ambitions, were for annihilating Israel. Is this logically flawed? Firstly, only one country, the US, could pre-emptively 'nuke' Israel without a retaliatory response of being wiped out itself. Secondly, if the purpose of annihilating Israel is to 'hand' back the land to the Palestinians, use of nuclear weapons would make it uninhabitable, thus defeating the purpose of 'nuking' Israel. The ballistic missiles threat is a different matter. Carlo Ursida, Kensington (Vic) Oust Netanyahu While forcible regime change in Iran should be left to the Iranian people (Letters, June 25), there is one that the whole world would welcome, and is certainly a possibility for Trump. That is the lifting of the siege and destruction of Gaza, which would be the outcome of strong action by him. Trump should force Netanyahu to withdraw all his jackbooted thugs from the area, immediately restore the supply of thousands of supply trucks to the starving population and arrange the supervision of the food supplies in the country. By forcing Netanyahu to withdraw, it will allow the Israeli judicial system to charge him with the fraud that has been waiting for him, his government will fall, allowing elections to take place, giving the vast majority of the population the chance to rid itself of the hard-right cabinet. As a bonus for Trump, it would give him a few points towards the Nobel Peace Prize he so desperately wants. A democratic Israel would be welcomed by the world and set the stage for peace with its Islamic neighbours. John Greenway, Wentworth Falls Hold back on the HAMs I don't think it is worth considering how Howard, Abbott and Morrison would have reacted to Trump's bombing of Iran (' Albanese doesn't want a bar of Middle East conflict, but that comes at a cost ', June 25). They are has-beens from yesteryear. It seems childish that James Massola even wants to compare the prime minister with them. I appreciate Albanese's measured response. He has nothing to prove and there's no need to grovel. Claudia Drevikovsky, Croydon We are happy not to have H (Howard), A (Abbott) or M (Morrison) in charge in these worrying times. Reporters, do not ask these HAMs their opinions for print, radio or television ever again. Too much HAM is not good for you. Bea Hodgson, Gerringong Budget brings joy and despair As a social worker of more than 40 years, I almost cried reading the budget announcement that the NSW government will spend $1.2 billion to overhaul the state's child protection system (″ Budget focus on children, $1b housing scheme ″, June 25). I know how hard-won this victory for the most vulnerable children has been; how hard many social workers and public servants have worked behind the scenes to advocate for those families others would prefer to ignore. Child protection rarely earns extra money, and is not always a popular choice for governments. I applaud the NSW government on this occasion. Josie McSkimming, Coogee While the Minns government is busy congratulating itself over the budget, the mental health crisis rolls on. Mental health patients and their families should have been a priority, but once again have been put on the backburner. Ignoring the plight of these defenceless members of society is shameful and unforgivable. The Minns government will pay a heavy price for this neglect if it is allowed to continue. Graham Lum, North Rocks Generally, the NSW treasurer is being applauded for presenting a modest, restrained budget exercising some fiscal discipline while attempting to address a long-term apparently intractable problem of child protection. The level of debt remains a concern for many, along with significant cost overruns for ongoing infrastructure projects demonstrating the challenges that remain for the government. The editorial (' Sensible, sober budget is most interesting ', June 25) highlights the potential difficulty for the government to keep a lid on wage increases, a real issue as the respected former treasury secretary Ken Henry claims the cumulative effect of bad policies has cut a massive '40 per cent off the average income of Australian workers'. As is the case at the federal level, in NSW there is a continuing budget shortfall between expenses and revenue and the prediction of a $1.1 billion surplus in 2027/28 needs to be viewed with a grain of salt. Once again, clearly, the time is now for our politicians to implement well-structured tax reform to ensure there is revenue available to meet community expectations in relation to government services and programs. Ross Butler, Rodd Point In a quiet corner of the budget is a promise of an introduction of road user charges for EVs. As an EV owner I do not have a problem with that but it should be extended to all road uses. Tom Meakin, Port Macquarie No help for our animals There's one statistic missing from Ken Henry's otherwise penetrating column (' Nature is critical to productivity ', June 25). While he records our woeful productivity rates and the way short-term thinking and political opportunism have cut 40 per cent off the average income of Australians, he fails to mention the statistic for the bosses who, despite the pathetic productivity figures, somehow find a way to keep rewarding themselves with hefty pay increases. According to a Governance Institute of Australia report, salaries for CEOs rose by 14 per cent in the past financial year. I suspect 'understanding our critical dependence upon the state of nature' rarely gets onto the agenda in the nation's top boardrooms. No one will be surprised to hear the report showed a growing disparity between executives and staff. Unfortunately, nature doesn't get a say in this. Tell that to the Tasmanian salmon. Nick Franklin, Katoomba I joined my local branch of the Labor Party about two years ago. During our monthly meeting, reports are tabled from local, state and federal government – Labor rules the roost at all three. Unfortunately, at last night's meeting, when my local member, Pat Conroy, spoke under the heading 'What Did Labor Promise' which contained nearly 50 items (including beer taxes), nature protection laws weren't mentioned. From the local state member, Yasmin Catley – zero on the promised Great Koala National Park, and it was left to me (definitely no expert) to mention the incredible discovery of a 290 strong koala colony nearby and council's role in conserving them. I feel it is hopeless, Ken Henry. No one in power is listening and there seems to be no understanding of nature, our living standards and how they connect. Any chance you'll get into politics and try and sort it out? Dorin Suciu, Eleebana Find a purpose Despite Sussan Ley calling for a 'sweeping review of the Liberals' core purpose and direction' (' Ley demands deeper review ', June 25), we are bombarded daily by Liberal MPs demanding that the government acts in a certain way, or that it strongly, publicly endorses the actions of specific overseas governments. Andrew Hastie and Alex Hawke have hardly been out of the daily news cycle, and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price even held a press conference to announce her rejection of the 2050 net zero target. If, as Ley stated, the Liberals 'respect the election outcome', could they please accept that they have no mandate for demanding the government do anything, accept that their policies and opinions were rejected by the Australian people in the strongest possible way at the last election, and at least shut up until they have decided what their party's 'core purpose and direction' is? Alan Marel, North Curl Curl Sussan Ley should be using her National Press Club address not to dwell on the obvious electoral hiding, but to outline a way forward for the Liberals. Let party internal reviews be exactly that. Where are the informed responses to the call for consensus, insights to tax reform and economic renewal? A strong opposition means a stronger democracy and better governance. Michael Blissenden, Dural
