Sydney, Australia — Prominent journalist and activist Antoinette Lattouf has won a landmark unfair dismissal case against the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), after a court ruled she was unlawfully sacked over a social media post critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Lattouf was removed from her role as a fill-in radio host in December 2023 just hours after she shared a Human Rights Watch report accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war — a charge Israel denies.
Federal Court Justice Darryl Rangiah found that Lattouf was dismissed not for legitimate editorial breaches but because of her expressed views on the Israel-Gaza war. He awarded her A$70,000 in damages, with further penalties pending Antoinette Lattouf.
Political Opinion, Not Policy Breach
The ABC had argued that the journalist violated its editorial policy. However, Justice Rangiah determined that Lattouf had only been “advised” — not instructed — to avoid controversial posts. The broadcaster had not identified which policies she allegedly violated, nor given her the chance to respond.
“Within the hour of posting, a decision was made to take Lattouf off air,” the judge said, describing an “orchestrated campaign” by pro-Israel lobbying groups to pressure ABC leadership into removing her Antoinette Lattouf.
The post in question — which cited Human Rights Watch’s allegation that Israel was deliberately blocking food aid to Gaza — caused panic among senior ABC managers. ABC’s former content chief Chris Oliver-Taylor took the decision alone, but emails from ex-chair Ita Buttrose and managing director David Anderson had influenced his actions.
ABC Apologises After Backlash
Following the verdict, new ABC managing director Hugh Marks issued an apology, admitting the situation “was not handled in line with our values and expectations.” He said it had raised serious concerns about the broadcaster’s editorial independence and treatment of culturally diverse staff.
The ABC has since revised its social media policy for staff, although the case has cast a long shadow over the national broadcaster’s credibility and internal culture.
Free Speech, Diversity, and Media Integrity
Lattouf, who is of Lebanese descent and a long-time advocate on racism, mental health, and media diversity, spoke outside the court: “Deliberately starving and killing children is a war crime. Today, the court found that punishing someone for sharing facts about those crimes is also illegal.”
Her comments referenced Israel’s ongoing campaign in Gaza, launched after the 7 October Hamas-led attacks. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 55,000 people — including over 15,000 children — have been killed in the conflict so far.
A panel of International Criminal Court (ICC) judges has found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant bear criminal responsibility for using starvation as a method of warfare. Israel continues to reject those accusations.
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The case has reignited national debates over freedom of expression and the role of journalists in politically sensitive reporting — especially in relation to Palestinian human rights Antoinette Lattouf.
While Lattouf’s legal victory is a personal and professional vindication, the broader implications for media governance and social media policy in Australia remain to be seen.
