Journalist Antoinette Lattouf said she was "prepared to fight as long as it takes" after the first hearing in her dispute with the ABC ended in a stalemate.
She claims her termination from the ABC was unlawful and the broadcaster's decision to remove her after she shared a post from Human Rights Watch (HRW) that claimed Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza meant she was dismissed on the grounds of "political opinion".
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that, before the ABC sacked Lattouf, its management was subjected to "a high-level lobbying campaign", including by a group, Lawyers for Israel, that demanded Lattouf be fired.
But the ABC has said that external pressure did not play a part in the decision to remove Lattouf from her temporary role hosting Sydney Mornings on ABC Radio in December.
Who is Antoinette Lattouf?
Antoinette Lattouf has combined journalism and activism: she has worked across Australian television, online, and radio platforms while at the same time advocating for social issues close to her heart.
In 2019, her book How to Lose Friends and Influence White People was published. It's described as "a guide through the balancing act of activist, advocate and ally".
Lattouf has been a longtime advocate for different causes. Credit: Instagram
Lattouf has been a longtime advocate for different causes.
She co-founded Media Diversity Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to increase cultural and linguistic diversity in the media. She is also an ambassador for the Gidget Foundation, which focuses on parent mental health.
Lattouf has given public presentations, including on discrimination, and she uses social media to raise awareness about humanitarian issues including those related to the Hamas-Israel conflict.
What started Antoinette Lattouf's conflict with the ABC?
Lattouf was sacked two days before the end of her five-day stint at ABC Radio Sydney in December.
According to Lattouf's submission to the Fair Work Commission (FWC), the ABC cited a violation of their social media policy as the reason for her dismissal.
It's alleged Lattouf had shared a video from HRW on her personal Instagram account, in which the organisation claimed Israel was starving civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza, and blocking the delivery of food, water and fuel.
Lattouf is reported to have reposted the content with the comment: “HRW reporting starvation as tool of war”. An Israeli government spokesperson called HRW’s claim "a lie".
She allegedly did so after she had been told by ABC management not to share content on "matters of controversy".
Lattouf, who was filling in for Sydney Mornings host Sarah Macdonald while the latter was on leave, was told of her termination on a Wednesday afternoon and was not allowed to return to work the next day, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Journalist Antoinette Lattouf (second from left) pictured after leaving a Fair Work Commission hearing at the Wentworth Chambers in Sydney on Thursday. Source: AAP / Toby Zerna
The ABC also said Lattouf was paid for all five shifts.
Lattouf expressed disappointment in the ABC's decision and wrote on social media that she felt her termination was unlawful.
She wrote: "This is not a win for journalism or critical, fair thinking."
What happened at the Fair Work Commission?
During the hearing on Thursday at the FWC in Sydney, Lattouf alleged she was dismissed not only for her political opinion but also for her race and her Lebanese-Australian cultural heritage.
There was no resolution on Thursday and the case will continue.
"The matter didn't resolve today but the fight continues and I'm willing and prepared to fight for as long as it takes," she told journalists outside the FWC.
"This is such an important case because it is not just about me. It's about free speech, it's about racism … and crucially, it's also about a fair, independent and robust ABC."
The ABC, in its submission to the commission, argues that Lattouf's case is "fundamentally and entirely misconceived".
The submission contends that her casual employment was terminated because she allegedly "failed or refused to comply with directions that she not post on social media about matters of controversy".
What has the reaction been to Antoinette Lattouf's dismissal?
Industry Minister Ed Husic, speaking in Canberra on Wednesday, refused to comment directly on Lattouf's case but called this debate important.
“One of the things we value about a democracy is the ability for us to express our opinion … there is always room for opinion in the public square [but] there is no room for hate speech, no room to create that division,” Husic said.
Later that day, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking at a press conference in Tasmania, said he wouldn't criticise the ABC's actions.
"Those are matters for the ABC, and the ABC is an independent body from government," he said.
"It, of course, is publicly owned, but I don’t want to create another issue which is for sitting parliamentarians to try to direct or even be seen to be trying to direct the ABC."
