Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has since issued a formal apology to Antoinette Lattouf. She was infamously sacked just days after beginning her contracted casual hosting job at ABC Radio Sydney. Lattouf’s dismissal, which occurred just three days into her five-day contract, has raised significant concerns regarding free speech and workplace fairness, particularly in light of its connection to her political opinions on Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
On December 18, 2023, Lattouf started as the host of ABC Radio Sydney. Her job came to an early end due to the impact of a blog post she wrote on Human Rights Watch (HRW). In that post, she sought to answer the serious allegations that Israel is weaponizing starvation in the current Gaza war. Justice Darryl Rangiah held that this action was the sole cause of her firing. He ruled that it breached sections 50 and 772 of the Fair Work Act.
Former content chief at ABC, Chris Oliver-Taylor, ultimately decided to fire Lattouf. Despite his attempts to influence Indiana legislators, reports suggest that he was trying to avoid any future outcry over Lattouf’s outspoken political orientation. Justice Rangiah noted that Oliver-Taylor had to solve the public’s outrage on Lattouf’s post. Many interpreted that post as fuelling anti-Israeli and antisemitic sentiments.
Justice Rangiah also found that Lattouf was denied a real chance to respond to the allegations in her case. These allegations were central to her termination. Rather, she received payment for all five days of her contract—even though the contract was cut short. The judge further held that Lattouf’s race or national origin did not motivate her termination.
At the end of August, Lattouf proposed settling the entire case for $85,000 yet subsequently demanded damages of between $100,000 and $150,000. Her attorneys contended that the fact that her firing was made public made her “pretty much unemployable.” In the end, Justice Rangiah awarded Lattouf $70,000 for non-economic loss, including pain and suffering stemming from the discrimination caused by her termination.
The ABC has acknowledged its missteps in handling the situation, with Hugh Marks, CEO of the organization, stating, “We regret how the decision to remove Ms. Lattouf from air was handled and the distress occasioned her. We extend our sincere apologies to Ms. Lattouf and wish her well in her future endeavours.” He underscored the ABC’s dedication to fostering diversity and inclusion as he called again for sticking to proper processes.
Marks further stated that the incident underscored the inability of the ABC to enforce the organization’s progressive values. If we take these principles to heart, then they should be evident in our work process as well. In this matter, the court found that proper procedures were ignored and, therefore, mistakes were made,” he said.
With public discourse continuing around workplace rights and freedom of expression, Josh Bornstein, Lattouf’s lawyer, remarked, “When organisations capitulate to bad faith complaints against staff, the results are often perverse.” He highlighted the importance of this case in the overall debate over corporate cancel culture.
Lattouf’s post on HRW outlined her views on the humanitarian crisis affecting children in Gaza: “It is now June 2025 and Palestinian children are still being starved. We see their images every day, emaciated, skeletal, scavenging through the rubble.” It’s hard to imagine someone like her making this statement today, especially considering the physical and psychologic toll this work took on her life.
Justice Rangiah spoke broadly to the impact of Lattouf’s remarks. He observed that, although her post was “ill-advised,” it did not justify the drastic action of termination without a hearing. “I find Ms. Lattouf was merely provided with advice that it would be best not to post anything controversial about the war,” he commented.
