The ABC and its lawyers have stooped to the low of playing the race card by telling the court on Wednesday (5/2/25) that Antoinette Lattouf has failed to produce any evidence to support her claim that she is of “Lebanese and/or Arab and/or Middle Eastern” heritage as per section 4.A of her application.
Therefor the ABC is arguing she could not have been sacked because of her “Lebanese and/or Arab and/or Middle Eastern” background because there is no evidence before the court she has that heritage.
The most gobsmacking thing about that argument is that the ABC’s own barrister Ian Neil, SC, read out an email on Wednesday (5/2/25) saying the ABC had “identified” Antoinette Lattouf as part of their “diversity policy” because of Lattouf’s (yep, you guessed it) “Lebanese-Christian background”.
It is well documented that the ABC sacked Antoinette Lattouf after the pro-Israel lobby continually complained to ABC management about Lattouf “posting content from Human Rights Watch about the war in Gaza on her personal Instagram account.”
The Antoinette Lattouf v ABC unlawful termination matter started it’s hearing on Monday and is set to go until Friday this week and then another 2 days on the 27th and 28th of February. Lawyers have told the court the matter is already behind schedule so more days might need to be added.
How the ABC played the race card
Antoinette Lattouf filed her claim on the 22nd of February 2024 and then filed an amended statement of claim on the 15th of July 2024. Section 4A of the claim is below where she is asking the court to make a declaration she was sacked for various reasons:
4A. A declaration pursuant to s 545 of the FW Act and/or s 21 of the FCA Act that the ABC contravened s 772(1)(f) of the FW Act by terminating her employment on 20 December 2023 for reasons that included:
a. one or more of the applicant’s political opinions in paragraph 1A of the consolidated amended statement of claim;
b. one or more of the applicant’s political opinions in paragraph 1A of the consolidated amended statement of claim and:
i. her race (Lebanese and/or Arab and/or Middle Eastern); and/or
ii. national extraction (her Lebanese and/or Arab and/or Middle Eastern heritage and that she is a descendant of foreign immigrants). (Click here to read the full statement of claim)
On Tuesday the 4th of February the Crikey website published an article which says in part:
What’s now coming out is what was in the ABC’s underwear drawer, along with its lawyers’ further attempts to dress up its abandonment of Lattouf as something that didn’t break the law. In doing so, they’ve pretty much given up pretending that craven cowardice wasn’t the true motivation, leaving the ABC exposed to even more ridicule than it has already self-inflicted.
Lattouf’s counsel was addressing part of her case, which is that she was sacked because of her race or national extraction, in contravention of the anti-discrimination protections afforded workers by the Fair Work Act.
Her counsel told the court the ABC has indicated it will be defending this claim, in part, on the basis that she has not proved that there is such a thing as a “Lebanese, Arab or Middle Eastern race” (Lattouf identifies as being of Christian Lebanese extraction).
Apparently, the ABC is going to argue that it doesn’t matter because Lattouf has no legal protection against this form of discrimination — because the race she claims to be is not a race. (Click here to read more)
On Wednesday the 5th of February, in the morning before the lunch break, the ABC’s barrister Ian Neil, SC, read out an email which was reported as per below by The SMH:
Lattouf identified as part of ABC ‘diversity policy’
In emails read by Neil, radio executive Steve Ahern said Lattouf was hired as part of the ABC’s “diversity policy”.
“A couple of years ago, a number of people were identified as future, potential future presenters for ABC Radio. Antoinette was one of them,” Ahern said, according to Neil.
“Her background is Lebanese-Christian. She grew up in Western Sydney, the child of immigrants […] She’d been selected in part having regard to the ABC’s diversity policy. […] This current stint is one week on air only in Sydney. She will finish on Friday, but has not been booked up for any other shifts this season,” Ahern’s email said. (Click here to read more)
On Wednesday the 5th of February, after the lunch break, the ABC’s barrister Ian Neil, SC, said he wanted to clarify some confusion and that the ABC was not defending the claim, “in part, on the basis that she has not proved that there is such a thing as a “Lebanese, Arab or Middle Eastern race”.
But the ABC was defending the claim because Antoinette Lattouf had failed to prove she is “Lebanese, Arab or Middle Eastern race” because she filed no evidence to prove it, the ABC’s barrister Ian Neil, SC, told the court.
It really doesn’t matter which argument the ABC is running because both are scandalous.
And in fact, arguing that Antoinette Lattouf had failed to prove she is “Lebanese, Arab or Middle Eastern race” is a ridiculous statement by the ABC’s barrister Ian Neil, SC, given he had read out an email to the court in the morning saying the ABC had “identified” Antoinette Lattouf as part of their “diversity policy” because of Lattouf’s “Lebanese-Christian background”.
The ABC’s barrister Ian Neil, SC, should be referred to the NSW Bar Association for disciplinary action for openly lying in the face of the court about the true facts of the case.
The big question that needs to be answered, and which I posted on social media, is: Why is ABC Chair Kim Williams funding the ABC’s defence (attempted cover-up), with our money, in the Antoinette Lattouf unlawful termination case?
Williams and the ABC learnt nothing from Ben Roberts-Smith and Bruce Lehrmann shooting their own reputations in the foot via their court cases.
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Categories: ABC
This is a really grubby affair, at Lattouf’s expense. I’m aware of Buttrose’s emails to staff demanding she be taken off air which are shameful. This propelled by complaints from the Jewish community.
I’ve really lost faith in the ABC. The wrong people are being appointed for positions of authority who really have no concept of decency towards others. And they lack the strength of character to stand up against bullies who will remain nameless.
I hope that Antoinette Lattouf wins her case. IMO she deserves to. It might bring better reason and forethought to future ABC decisions.
Agree totally. It’s a disreputable showing by the ABC, and doubly so as taxpayers are paying for it. It also shows what a gutless and morally bankrupt lot are editing our news.
I
This whole sorry affair could have been avoided if ABC staff were allowed to post whatever they liked on their social media. The reason they are not allowed to do this is because it would, apparently, make ABC consumers think that the ABC was not as totally impartial as its charter demands it be. Leaving aside the often discussed logical impossibility of ever being able to obtain such impartiality, the argument seems to rely on ABC consumers being such dimwits that they would assume that ABC employees were totally impartial just because they didn’t post any comments on social media. Such that, as long as their thoughts remained private, they didn’t have them! I’m pretty sure that the sky wouldn’t fall in if ABC employees were given open slather to blog whatever they liked on social media. Of course Murdoch’s troll’s would do their level best to ensure the public thought the sky was falling and his political employees would, as usual, rein the ABC in. But freedom of speech and freedom of political thought – for everyone – is a nice thought.
If Latouff were on a week-long temporary employment contract, the ABC should produce it. A breach of the terms of this contract would involve standard protocols prior to termination. Personal prejudices, biases and in-house emails, on the part of Ita Buttrose, have no standing, other than in subsequent civil libel claims.
It is a simple matter to prove one’s ethnicity. Birth Certificate, Passport, Citizenship papers come to mind, as it is assumed Ian Neil, SC, would be aware.
Obviously Lattouf didn’t tick enough diversity boxes,just being a woman of Middle Eastern backgroung isn’t enough. The bigger question is why didn’t the ABC just let her contract run out & not renew it as there were only 2 days to go. Your ABC,your money!!
What I found disturbing were the reports of Buttrose being constantly harassed and intimidated, threatened by hundreds of contacts by Jewish operatives that were demanding Lattouf be immediately removed or else, “Just what”.? To the point Buttrose required security guards for protection. Why weren’t these people threatening Buttrose reported to police and prosecuted. Why was it so much easier for the ABC and Buttrose to simply kow tow, to these threats from people terrorising Buttrose and remove Lattouf whom had done nothing. After all isn’t that exactly what this whole case is really about. The threats to Buttrose person and the appeasement of those threats by illegally dismissing an ABC staff member to stop that constant tsunami of jewish operatives threats?
Those individuals/operatives will,of course,not be contributing to Ms Lattouf’s payout.
It’s time to front and expose the low life criminals whose mates are killing woman and children in Gaza. Really these criminals must be confronted for their various and many crimes. TALK ABOUT LOW LIFE CRIMINALS.
Jewish operatives. A perfect description of what is going on, here in Australia and elsewhere.
Any problem in keeping Australia Australian?
We shouldn’t conflate Jewishness with the state of Israel. Sure, many do, but there are a fair number of Jews who despise what has happened in Gaza and elsewhere and have said so publicly. To conflate Jewishness with Israel is to stoop as low as the Orange Menace and Netanyahu. Still, Israelis voted for this collectively, as US citizens voted collectively for Trump, so a little responsibility would be appreciated. The crimes both those countries are committing affect the whole world, and we’re al sick of it. As are the Palestinians obviously.
One of my interpretations of this is that just as a victim of a paedophile often becomes as an adult a predator, so Jews who were largely abandoned in the 1930s have become a state which is violent, amoral and dangerous today. I don’t know how this cycle can be broken.
I can remember how they treated Nick Ross, the last of their well-respected journalist who criticized “Abbott’s Internet”, especially how he was humiliated on Media Watch for simply telling the truth about it being a joke that will cost us for decades. Turnbull, the shadow communications minister when this happened, accused Ross of being biased despite him already writing a series of articles attacking Labor’s NBN. The ABC just played along with it. Now, they are the equivalent of Chinese state-run media.
The ABC has since become a functionary of the Federal Liberal Party.
The ABC seems to be oblivious to the interests of the mass of Australia’s people.
Another point of concern is the volume of USA news presented by this nation’s ABC, following the often misleading US of A news, is certainly not in the best interests of Australia’s people.
Staying silent on acts of genocide is an act of complicity. The German people stayed silent during the holocaust which allowed it to continue. The ABC`s persecution of Antoinette Lattouf for posting content from Human Rights Watch about the war in Gaza on her personal Instagram account is in itself a biased act, in fact an act of hypocrisy that goes against its own charter.
The ABC is no longer watchable
The ABC have stooped lower than Murdoch. I know it has been going down the toilet for years but wow. Hope Antoinette Lattouf wins and wins hard. ABC- Australia’s Bloody Cowards.
It’s amazing what Israel learnt from the holocaust.
The current government which cannot be separated from the IDF, is worse than the Germans managed.
Absolutely frightening as their world wide financial controls (of leaders of countries including Australia) supports the dark (sun) glass ignorance of what they are doing.
Why not appoint a left wing Manager and throw out all Murdoch instigated employees and get back to the UNBIASED FORMAT that we the public are entitled to?
The ABC today is a shadow of what it once was – a once-proud public broadcaster committed to fearless journalism, integrity, and holding power to account. Instead, it has become a compromised, risk-averse institution, more concerned with appeasing political and corporate interests than upholding the principles of public interest journalism.
The Lattouf case exposes a culture of double standards, external influence, and selective enforcement of “impartiality” rules. Journalists like Laura Tingle or Fauziah Ibrahim can express political views and remain employed, but when Antoinette Lattouf dares to criticize Israel’s actions in Gaza – backed by credible human rights reports – she is immediately removed from the airwaves. Worse still, we now know that pro-Israel lobbyists directly pressured ABC leadership, and key executives privately smeared Lattouf, raising serious concerns about editorial independence.
Gone are the days when the ABC stood as a reliable, independent public institution, unafraid to challenge power. Under successive leaderships, and with growing political interference, it has lost its backbone. The ABC now self-censors, caves to lobby groups, and prioritizes corporate interests over truth.
The Lattouf trial is not just about one journalist – it is about whether the ABC can still be trusted to serve the Australian public or whether it has become just another media outlet bending to political pressure. If it continues on this trajectory, it will lose the very credibility that once made it an essential pillar of Australian democracy.
That was the intention always – it’s another long game – it, the ABC, is being made ripe for the picking by mudrock or others for privatisation!
This whole trajectory is SICKENING!
Correct. SBS ‘ news is much more internationally focused and ABC has a lot of repeats now. The endless funding cuts have had a terrible effect on the ABC editorially and materially.
The money about to paid out should be comng out of Ita Buttroses’ and David Anderson pay packets. Not from us the taxpayer, for her termination. And to think they could not just keep her employed for a few more days, as her contract was for only two or three more days. This whole saga is an absolute disgrace.
Ita Buttrose as the CEO managed the ABC for her masters, the Murdoch propagandist empire, the mining and fossil fuel magnates and the LNP. Opposition to Netanyehu’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people is not anti semitic but is pro humanity against brutal slaughtering of citizens. The ABC needs cleansing of propagandist journalists not balanced journalists.
The ABC have just buckled in court and are no longer playing the race card in the Antoinette Lattouf v ABC case. Too much public criticism I suspect.