Former ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose gives evidence in Latouff case

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Former ABC chair Ita Buttrose has given evidence at journalist Antoinette Lattouf's unlawful termination hearing. Ms Lattouf was taken off-air for the last two days of a fill-in radio contract, in December 2023. She alleges that decision was due to her political opinions and or race, after she shared a post from the human rights watch group about Gaza on her personal Instagram.

Transcript

00:00Antoinette Latouf's lawyers have been arguing that senior executives at the ABC, including

00:06former chair of the ABC, Ida Buttrose, were influenced by pro-Israel lobbyists in their

00:14decision to dismiss Ms Latouf.

00:17We know that in documents that were tabled in court last week, Ms Buttrose was seen emailing

00:22managing director David Anderson, saying she was over-receiving complaints about Ms Latouf.

00:27She said, quote, I have a whole clutch more complaints.

00:29Can't she come down with flu, COVID, or a stomach upset?

00:33We owe her nothing.

00:34She was asked in court about those emails today.

00:36She said that getting COVID would have given Ms Latouf an easy way out.

00:41She also described her as a controversial broadcaster and an activist.

00:45And when pushed on why she came to that conclusion, whether it had to do with complaints or her

00:49own research about Ms Latouf, she said she formed that view as a general observer of

00:53life.

00:54There was another email that was tabled in court today, a new document, another email

00:59from Ms Buttrose to David Anderson on the day that Ms Latouf was dismissed.

01:05She'd forwarded a message from a member of the public thanking her and the ABC board

01:09for dismissing Ms Latouf.

01:11She said to Mr Anderson, it's nice to get congratulatory emails.

01:15Now the court heard that Ms Buttrose had sent unprompted emails to complainants on the day

01:21that she was dismissed, informing them of that decision.

01:24And she said to those questions that she didn't want Ms Latouf to be removed and had nothing

01:30to do with her dismissal.

01:32And there were changes to the ABC's legal submission.

01:35What can you tell us about that?

01:37Yeah, that's right.

01:39So Ms Latouf, as you said, alleges that she was dismissed because of political opinion

01:44and or her race, which the ABC has denied.

01:47In court documents, there was a submission from the ABC that said whether there is a

01:51Lebanese, Arab or Middle Eastern race is complex and multifaceted question as a fact and that

01:57Ms Latouf had not provided evidence to establish that fact.

02:01Now we heard from ABC's lawyer, Ian Neal SC, a little earlier in the proceedings today.

02:06He requested permission to file an amended submission today.

02:10The change being that the ABC is no longer, quote, testing or disputing that there is

02:15a Lebanese, Arab or Middle Eastern national extraction and that she has one or more of

02:22those racial extractions.

02:23Now in making that submission, the ABC still denies that her race and political opinion

02:28had nothing to do with that decision to dismiss her.

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