Ita Buttrose’s persistent complaints regarding Antoinette Lattouf’s social media activity were instrumental in Lattouf’s termination, as argued during closing submissions at the federal court. Lattouf’s barrister, Oshie Fagir, posited that Buttrose was one of four key individuals at the ABC who significantly influenced Lattouf’s dismissal. Fagir contended that Buttrose’s unwavering stance, influenced by her belief that Lattouf should not have been hired due to her activist background, was conveyed through her emails, which aimed to “teach a lesson” to Chris Oliver-Taylor, the decision-maker responsible for Lattouf’s employment in the first place.

During her testimony, Buttrose stated that David Anderson, the managing director, advised her to forward these emails to Oliver-Taylor as a means of illustrating the “folly” of hiring individuals without thorough checks. Fagir spent Thursday summarizing the applicant’s position in this unlawful termination case, with the ABC expected to present their response the following day.

Fagir argued that Lattouf’s Human Rights Watch post was used as a “pretext” for her dismissal, which he considered an unusually severe reaction from Oliver-Taylor. Lattouf’s termination came after only three days of a scheduled five-day stint on ABC Radio Sydney’s Mornings program and following her sharing of a post that criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza. Fagir emphasized that Oliver-Taylor and Anderson were under pressure to prevent similar incidents in the future and that disciplinary actions were threatened against the executive who hired Lattouf.

Fagir asserted that the reasoning provided by the ABC regarding Lattouf’s dismissal made no sense, given the context and circumstances. He also argued that Lattouf’s race played a significant role in her dismissal, as she was of Lebanese heritage, and this position was firmly defended in court in line with the Fair Work Act’s protections against employment actions based on race or political beliefs.

Fagir dismissed Oliver-Taylor’s credibility as a witness, stating that no evidence corroborated his claim that Lattouf had been directed not to make posts about the Israel-Gaza conflict and suggested that the court consider the testimony of Lattouf’s line manager, Elizabeth Green. He emphasized that Green’s evidence contradicted the ABC’s stance on Lattouf receiving a direct prohibition on social media posts, which could conclusively resolve the case against the ABC.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/feb/27/ita-buttrose-emails-instrumental-antoinette-lattouf-sacking-court-hears-ntwnfb