Antoinette Lattouf defeats ABC in unlawful dismissal case
Antoinette Lattouf has won her legal case against the ABC after she was unlawfully dismissed over posts she made about the Israel-Gaza war on social media in 2023.
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ABC News
22 minutes ago
- ABC News
Is there any hope for an Israel-Iran ceasefire?
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Sydney Morning Herald
29 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ruling shows need for a truly impartial ABC
Antoinette Lattouf's court victory over the ABC has exposed terrible misjudgment by senior management and opened the door to emboldening staff and contracted talent to publicly express political opinions. Such a development would sit uncomfortably on a public broadcaster that wears impartiality on its sleeve as 'Australia's most trusted source of news and current affairs'. Justice Darryl Rangiah on Wednesday found that the ABC contravened sections of the Fair Work Act and an enterprise agreement by terminating Lattouf's employment for reasons including that 'she held political opinions opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza'. He ordered the ABC pay $70,000 compensation but rejected allegations that the reasons for termination included her race or national extraction. Lattouf was removed as a fill-in host of ABC Radio Sydney's Mornings program in December 2023 after privately posting Human Rights Watch comment about the Israel-Gaza war on social media. The same story had already been reported by the ABC. She expressed no views while on air. Justice Rangiah said that amid an 'orchestrated campaign of complaints against her by pro-Israel lobbyists', she was dropped three days into a five-day shift. Lattouf took her case to the Fair Work Commission, which ruled she had been fired, and then to the Federal Court. The case provided entertainment aplenty, with senior ABC executives tripping over themselves. For example, the then ABC managing director David Anderson admitted a 'step missing' in the way the broadcaster handled her exit, and former ABC chair Ita Buttrose emailed senior managers asking 'has Antoinette been replaced? I'm over getting emails about her' before plaintively asking 'why can't she come down with flu? Or COVID. Or a stomach upset? We owe her nothing.' In his judgment, Justice Rangiah acknowledged concerns surrounding Lattouf's impartiality, saying that, as an employee of the ABC, her private social media post was bound to be controversial. 'It was ill-advised and inconsiderate of her employer,' he said. 'It was one thing for the ABC to publish the report as a news story: it was quite another for Ms Lattouf, having already made social media posts complained of as reflecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views, to repost the story.' Loading But the case exposed the ABC's highly stressed culture. Under sustained attack by governments and media rivals, the ABC has walked wounded for a decade, retreating from cultural and light entertainment only to make experienced staff redundant, and instituting a 'star' system that often encouraged personality over reportage. Meanwhile, executives with little public broadcasting experience were hired. Most ABC executives involved in the Lattouf imbroglio have departed. Buttrose went in early 2024, Anderson and chief content officer Chris Oliver-Taylor left this year. Former ABC Radio Sydney station manager Steve Ahern, responsible for hiring Lattouf, resigned last year.
West Australian
33 minutes ago
- West Australian
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez: Couple make last-minute wedding venue switch as Venice locals protest
Campaigners in Venice are claiming a small but symbolic win after Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez were reportedly forced to change their main wedding venue amid rising protests and concerns for A-list guests. The lavish celebration was originally set to take place at Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a grand 16th-century Venetian landmark in the heart of the city. But according to activist group No Space for Bezos, those plans were quietly scrapped after protesters threatened to blockade celebrity arrivals by floating inflatable crocodiles through the canals. Instead, the reception has reportedly been relocated to the Arsenale di Venezia, a historic former shipyard with fortified walls, a location that's logistically harder for protesters to access and easier for security to lock down, The Guardian reported. Local media reports have also suggested that the switch was not just about the inflatable reptiles. Rising security concerns, particularly after the US formally entered the Israel-Iran conflict, reportedly prompted further caution, especially with high-profile guests like Ivanka Trump arriving in Venice this week. In anticipation, security has been ramped up across the city, with particular focus on the Jewish quarter. Roughly 200 guests are expected for the multi-day affair, including possible appearances from Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, and Leonardo DiCaprio. An estimated 95 private jets are expected to land at Venice airport between Tuesday and Wednesday. While the exact details remain under wraps, celebrations are tipped to begin on Thursday. The couple is expected to marry at the basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore on Friday, followed by a Saturday blowout party. But activists are not backing down. Instead of attempting to stop the wedding entirely, organisers say they'll now stage a No Bezos, No War protest march. 'We feel as if we scored a victory,' one unnamed activist told the media. 'The crocodile initiative would have given a bad impression of the city — this is why the venue was changed, even if the authorities might try to claim it was because of the war.' Posters mocking Bezos, with his head pasted onto a rocket, referencing his Blue Origin space venture, have appeared across the city. Greenpeace Italia and British protest group Everyone Hates Elon also joined in, unveiling a massive banner in St Mark's Square on Monday that read: 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax'. Greenpeace framed the protest as a message against 'social and climate injustice', arguing Bezos represents an 'economic and social model that is leading us towards collapse'. But not everyone is siding with the demonstrators. Venice's millionaire mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, who confirmed the wedding plans back in March, said he was ashamed of those protesting about people who 'bring riches' to the city. Sensing opportunity in the chaos, the mayor of Soàve, a walled town of 7000 people in the Veneto region, offered his own pitch. He invited the couple to ditch Venice and marry in what he described as 'the most beautiful village in Italy'.
