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September 1, 2025
A Lebanese-Australian journalist, Antoinette Lattouf, wins a legal battle after sharing a Human Rights Watch story about Gaza.
Antoinette Lattouf, an Australian journalist and former ABC Radio Sydney fill-in presenter, was taken off air three days into a five-day stint in December 2023 after she shared a Human Rights Watch post about Gaza on her personal social media. She argued the removal was unlawful and driven by her political opinion, not any neutral policy concern.
On 24–25 June 2025, the Federal Court ruled the ABC had unlawfully terminated her employment in contravention of the Fair Work Act and awarded her 70,000 Australian dollars in compensation. Commentary on the judgment noted the court rejected the ABC’s argument that this was simply a social-media policy issue.
The case moved to penalties in early September 2025. Lattouf’s lawyers asked the court to impose a further penalty in the range of 300,000 to 350,000 Australian dollars. The ABC argued for a much lower figure, roughly 37,500 to 56,000. The broadcaster also acknowledged breaches of section 772 of the Fair Work Act and clauses of its enterprise agreement. The judge has reserved a decision.
Evidence aired during the case included emails from former ABC chair Ita Buttrose to senior executives shortly before Lattouf was removed, which the court heard were influential in the decision. For press-freedom advocates, the outcome is seen as a marker of how public broadcasters balance staff speech, impartiality rules, and external pressure in highly charged news cycles.
To read the full story: https://tjcproject.org/australian-court-rules-abc-unlawfully-fired-journalist-over-gaza-post/