ABC admits it should ‘never' have argued Antoinette Lattouf had to prove existence of Lebanese race
The ABC's earlier legal argument that Antoinette Lattouf had to prove the existence of a Lebanese race should 'never have been made', the broadcaster has conceded at a parliamentary committee which heard the case cost $1.1m in external lawyers.
The ABC's defence of Lattouf's unlawful termination case originally argued she must prove the existence of a Lebanese, Arab or Middle Eastern race, a tactic which angered ABC staff and Australian Middle Eastern and multicultural groups.
After the Fair Work Commission found Lattouf had been sacked last year, she took her case to the federal court alleging she was removed from air due to her political opinions and/or race three days into a five-day casual contract.The ABC apologised and withdrew the contentious race argument earlier this month.
On Tuesday the broadcaster's chief people officer, Deena Amorelli, told senators that once the court proceedings were finalised the ABC would apologise again to the community and staff for the hurt its legal tactic caused.
'We regret that argument was made,' Amorelli said. 'It should never have been made, and we will apologise.'
Related: Ita Buttrose claims 'inconsistencies' in ABC boss David Anderson's affidavit in Antoinette Lattouf case
The concession came after questioning by Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, who asked if the ABC had apologised for the 'hurt and harm' caused to staff who are people of colour or First Nations Australians.
A Lebanese-Australian, Lattouf, 41, is a freelance journalist and a co-founder of Media Diversity Australia.
The committee heard the ABC had already spent $1.1m on external lawyers, a figure which does not include the cost of its in-house legal team.
The case returns for closing submissions on Thursday amid allegations outside court by former chair Ita Buttrose of 'inconsistencies' in outgoing managing director David Anderson's affidavit.
Under questioning from Liberal senator Sarah Henderson, acting managing director Melanie Kleyn said the ABC had tried on multiple occasions to settle the matter on a commercial basis 'without admission of liability'.
'The ABC maintains that it did not terminate Ms Lattouf's one-week contract unlawfully but we do obviously understand that this is an impost on public funds, and that is why we have tried to attempt to settle this matter,' she said.
'I can provide the amount spent to date is $1.1 million.'
Editorial director Gavin Fang told senators that ABC journalists may use the term 'genocide' in relation to Israel's military offensive in Gaza but they must also reference Israel's denial that they are committing genocide.
Related: Antoinette Lattouf v the ABC - podcast
Faruqi asked if the ABC had changed its editorial guidance in relation to the use of the word 'genocide'.
'In my opinion, ABC Israel-Palestine coverage is heavily weighted towards covering up Israel's culpability in genocide,' Faruqi said.
Fang said ABC journalists did use the word genocide in their reporting.
'I don't believe we've actually changed our guidance on genocide, nor have we ever said that the term genocide could not be used.
'What we've put in our guidance to staff is that it's a highly contentious matter and that, by and large, on most occasions that you would, if you are reporting on allegations of genocide, you need to provide the other perspective on that.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
15 minutes ago
- Associated Press
ABC's Terry Moran is suspended following his social media post calling Trump and Miller haters
NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News has suspended correspondent Terry Moran for calling Trump administration deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller a 'world class hater' in a since-deleted social media post. Moran's post was swiftly condemned by officials in the Republican administration, including Vice President J.D. Vance. ABC News, in a statement, said it 'stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others.' The New York-based network said Moran was suspended pending further evaluation. Moran, who interviewed President Donald Trump a few weeks ago, said in his post on X at 12:06 a.m. on Sunday that the president was a world-class hater, too. But he wrote that for the president, his hatred is a means to an end, 'and that end is his own glorification.' For Miller, Moran's post said, 'his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.' Vance, on X, said that Moran's post was 'dripping with hatred.' The vice president wrote: 'Remember that every time you watch ABC's coverage of the Trump administration.' Miller, on X, said Moran's 'full public meltdown' exposed the corporate press. 'For decades, the privileged anchor and reporters narrating and gatekeeping our society have been radicals adopting a journalist's pose. Terry pulled off his mask.'
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Latest: Los Angeles reels after three days of immigration protests
Tensions in Los Angeles escalated Sunday night as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. Trump has invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' Roughly 300 National Guard members arrived in the city over the weekend, and Trump said he had authorized 2,000 members to deploy if needed. This appears to be the first time in decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor. In a letter Sunday afternoon, California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested that Trump remove National Guard members, calling their deployment a 'serious breach of state sovereignty.' Here is a look at the latest: The city of Glendale cancels a contract that allows ICE to house detainees in its local jail The city in California is cancelling a contract that allowed federal immigration authorities to house detainees within its local jail, citing fears of undermining community trust. In a statement Sunday night, Glendale officials said the city would formally terminate its agreement with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. '(T)he City recognizes that public perception of the ICE contract—no matter how limited or carefully managed, no matter the good—has become divisive,' the statement noted. Federal immigration authorities often enter into agreements with local police departments to house immigrant detainees. ICE's agreement with Glendale had been in place since 2007, officials said. An ICE spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Travel Ban As tensions continue to rise over Trump's immigration enforcement, the President's new ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries is taking effect Monday. ▶ Follow live updates on President Trump's administration Trump was awake past midnight raging against the protests in LA and calling for a crackdown 'Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!' he wrote on Truth Social at 12:16 a.m. ET. Roughly 300 National Guard members arrived in the city over the weekend, and Trump said he had authorized 2,000 members to deploy if needed, over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The military said 500 Marines were on standby. 'ARREST THE PEOPLE IN FACE MASKS, NOW!' Trump wrote at 12:19 a.m. Trump cited Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell's recent comments to defend his response to the protests. 'Don't let these thugs get away with this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!' Trump wrote at 12:14 a.m. 'This thing has gotten out of control,' McDonell said Sunday. 'We have great cops in Southern California here that work together all the time,' he said. But he added that 'looking at the violence tonight, I think we gotta make a reassessment.' Australian reporter hit by nonlethal round during live report from the protests An Australian television journalist was hit in the leg by a nonlethal round Sunday while reporting live from downtown Los Angeles. Video of the incident released by 9News shows correspondent Lauren Tomasi reporting live when an officer behind her suddenly raises their firearm and fires a nonlethal round at close range. Tomasi, who doesn't appear to be wearing personal protective equipment, cries out in pain and clutches her lower leg as she and her cameraman quickly move away from the police line. 'You just (expletive) shot the reporter,' a voice off-camera can be heard shouting. The shooting came after a tense afternoon in which Tomasi and her crew were caught between riot police and protesters. At one point, she struggled to speak over the sound of clashes, while a protester grabbed the camera mid-broadcast. 'They've told people to get out of this area, and protesters have been refusing,' she reported. 'We are safe here. It's just noisy. But you can see the volatility.' Speaking later Monday to 9News, Tomasi confirmed she was safe and unharmed. Clashes escalated Sunday as National Guard troops arrived downtown Starting Sunday morning, the troops stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields as protesters shouted 'shame' and 'go home.' After some closely approached the guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street. Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully. Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 freeway until state patrol officers cleared them from the roadway by late afternoon. Nearby, at least four self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned. By evening, police had issued an unlawful assembly order shutting down several blocks of downtown Los Angeles. Flash bangs echoed out every few seconds into the evening. Protests intensified on Sunday night in Los Angeles after Trump deployed National Guard troops Sunday's protests in Los Angeles were centered in several blocks of downtown. It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents. Many protesters dispersed as evening fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and making arrests of people who don't leave. Some of those remaining threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier that spanned the width of a street and others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover. The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention center where protesters concentrated. Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend of protest. One was detained Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police, and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers. ▶ Read more about the weekend's protests
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's new travel ban takes effect as tensions escalate over immigration enforcement
President Donald Trump's new ban on travel to the US by citizens from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries took effect Monday amid rising tension over the president's escalating campaign of immigration enforcement. The new proclamation, which Trump signed last week, applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also imposes heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who are outside the US and don't hold a valid visa. The ban does not revoke visas previously issued to people from countries on the list, according to guidance issued Friday to all US diplomatic missions. However, unless an applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, his or her application will be rejected starting Monday. Travelers with previously issued visas should still be able to enter the US even after the ban takes effect. During Trump's first term, a hastily written executive order ordering the denial of entry to citizens of mainly Muslim countries created chaos at numerous airports and other ports of entry, prompting successful legal challenges and major revisions to the policy. No such disruption was immediately discernible at Los Angeles International Airport in the hours after the new ban took effect. Haitian-American Elvanise Louis-Juste, who was at the airport earlier Sunday in Newark, New Jersey, awaiting a flight to her home state of Florida, said many Haitians wanting to come to the US are simply seeking to escape violence and unrest. 'I have family in Haiti, so it's pretty upsetting to see and hear,' Louis-Juste, 23, said of the travel ban. 'I don't think it's a good thing. I think it's very upsetting.' Many immigration experts say the new ban is more carefully crafted and appears designed to beat court challenges that hampered the first by focusing on the visa application process. Trump said this time that some countries had 'deficient' screening for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. He relied extensively on an annual Homeland Security report of people who remain in the US after their visas expired. Measuring overstay rates has challenged experts for decades, but the government has made a limited attempt annually since 2016. Trump's proclamation cites overstay rates for eight of the 12 banned countries. Trump also tied the new ban to a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. US officials say the man charged in the attack overstayed a tourist visa. He is from Egypt, a country that is not on Trump's restricted list. The ban was quickly denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees. 'This policy is not about national security – it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, a nonprofit international relief organization. The inclusion of Afghanistan angered some supporters who have worked to resettle its people. The ban does make exceptions for Afghans on Special Immigrant Visas, generally people who worked most closely with the US government during the two-decade-long war there. Afghanistan had been one of the largest sources of resettled refugees, with about 14,000 arrivals in a 12-month period through September 2024. Trump suspended refugee resettlement his first day in office.
