Ita Buttrose has made a much-anticipated appearance in the witness box at Antoinette Lattouf’s unlawful termination case against the ABC. The former chair of the public broadcaster told the federal court the journalist “was an activist” in relation to the Israel-Gaza war and for that reason should not have been hired.
Court documents show Buttrose sent six emails in rapid succession detailing complaints about Lattouf to ABC’s content chief in the hours leading up to the casual presenter’s dismissal. The broadcaster has amended its legal defence after outcry about its claims the onus was on Lattouf to prove the existence of a Lebanese, Arab or Middle Eastern race. The hearing continues.
Top news
Crossbench braces for major party ‘stitch-up’ as Labor-Coalition electoral reform deal looms
‘Bit of Clive money’: Seven West banks on election ad revenue as profits sink
Breville ramps up coffee bean sales to undercut supermarkets as cost of living changes cafe habits
Ben Simmons joins LA Clippers alongside Patty Mills in bid to reignite NBA career
Armie Hammer denies cannibalism claims in Louis Theroux interview
In pictures
Philadelphia Eagles fans climbed light poles, garbage trucks and bus stops after their team’s 40-22 shellacking of the Kansas City Chiefs to secure their second Super Bowl title in less than a decade.
What they said …
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“We have a surplus with Australia, one of the few … I told him that [exemptions] is something we will give great consideration.”
Donald Trump has agreed to consider exempting Australia from new steel tariffs, calling Anthony Albanese “a very fine man” after the two shared a phone call. The US president later declared the 25% duties will be enforced “without exceptions or exemptions”. Here’s what we know so far.
In numbers
An expansion of low-cost rentals will be a vote-changing political issue at the upcoming federal election, according to new research.
Before bed read
As a triple zero call-taker, writer Bunny Banyai saw the line between self-preservation and dissociation begin to blur. After six months in the role, Banyai felt her heart harden and her view of humanity change.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ARE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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