Compensation for Lattouf

The ABC was last week ordered to pay freelance journalist Antoinette Lattouf $70,000 in compensation after the Federal Court ruled she was unlawfully terminated from her radio presenting role.

Federal Court Justice Darryl Rangiah found the ABC breached the Fair Work Act when it told Lattouf she was not required for the final two days of a five-day casual stint on ABC Radio Sydney in December 2023.

Lattouf was removed from air after sharing a Human Rights Watch (HRW) post that stated, “The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza.” The ABC received complaints about Lattouf’s lack of impartiality. Rangiah described these complaints as an “orchestrated campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to have Ms Lattouf taken off air”.

Lattouf claimed her employment contract was unlawfully terminated, in breach of section 772 of the Fair Work Act due to expression of her political opinion and/or her race and that the ABC breached the staff enterprise agreement.

The ABC denied these allegations claiming it ended Lattouf’s employment for reasons not relating to her political opinion or race but because she failed to follow a direction from her producer not to post on social media anything about the Israel-Gaza war and because she contravened the ABC’s social media guidelines.