ABC staff say they are “disgusted” by the way the public broadcaster is managing its federal court case with journalist Antoinette Lattouf and say legal arguments around race “destroys any hope that the ABC intends to address the systemic racism”.
Lattouf’s unlawful termination case is being heard in the federal court. The case was brought by the former radio presenter after she was hired as a casual host on ABC Radio Sydney’s Mornings program for one week in December 2023. She was taken off air three days into a five-day contract after she posted on social media about the Israel-Gaza war.
While Lattouf claimed that she had been sacked for reasons including her race, the ABC’s legal team argued that Lattouf had not provided evidence proving the existence of a Lebanese, Arab or Middle Eastern race.
“It follows that Ms Lattouf’s case … insofar as it depends on “race” as an attribute, must fail”, the defendants said in a submission released by the court.
In a statement on Thursday, Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance members at the ABC said they were “dismayed by the revelations emerging from the Antoinette Lattouf trial and disgusted by the ABC’s handling of the case”.
“The ABC’s position that Ms Lattouf has not ‘demonstrated the existence of a Lebanese, Arab or Middle Eastern race’ destroys any hope that the ABC intends to address the systemic racism identified by the Janke review of last year,” the ABC’s National House Committee said.
“As a public broadcaster, the ABC must act as a model litigant. We demand it immediately disavows this position and acknowledges, without qualification, that Lebanese, Arab and Middle Eastern people can be subject to racial discrimination.
“The trial has confirmed our worst fears: the ABC’s independence is not adequately protected.”
Indigenous lawyer Dr Terri Janke, a Wuthathi, Yadhaighana and Meriam woman, led a review into racism at the ABC last year. Janke’s team spoke to 120 participants comprising current and former ABC staff to hear their experiences of racism at work. Only one participant said they had not personally experienced racism within the ABC.
In the statement on Thursday, angry staff suggested that the court proceedings have done more harm to the organisation than Lattouf’s original social media posts.
“ABC’s staff know social media rules are supposed to ensure the ABC isn’t brought into disrepute, yet this court proceeding has badly harmed the ABC’s reputation,” they said in the statement.
The ABC declined to comment.
In an all-staff email sent on Thursday and seen by Guardian, ABC’s chief people officer, Deena Amorelli, responded to submissions in court “suggesting that the ABC denies that certain races exist”.
“I want to assure you that the ABC is not of that view. To ensure clarity, the ABC’s lawyers have also confirmed to the Court that the ABC does not deny the existence of any race.
“The ABC denies that any action was taken against Ms Lattouf because of her political opinion, race or national extraction. The ABC has only raised the issue that, in these proceedings, the legal onus lies with Ms Lattouf to establish her claim about race.”
