A former ABC presenter who says she was sacked because of her race and political opinion is seeking a court order forcing employees of the public broadcaster to hand over records of any communications they had with a journalist at the Australian.
Antoinette Lattouf was contracted to work five shifts as a casual presenter of Sydney’s Mornings radio program in December but says she was told not to return for the final two shifts.
Lattouf’s lawyer Josh Bornstein lodged an application with the Fair Work Commission last week seeking the production of a range of documents, according to a statement.
She seeks documents created between 15 December and 23 December 2023 about Lattouf between managing director David Anderson, outgoing chair Ita Buttrose and any other person.
The application also seeks any communications between “a leading barrister who agitated for M Latouff’s dismissal” and any ABC employee; as well as communications between employees of the ABC and a journalist at the Australian newspaper.
The Nine newspapers reported that a member of a lobby group had pressured the ABC to sack Lattouf, and was then advised by Buttrose that Lattouf no longer worked there.
The ABC had made submissions that it decided “not to require” Lattouf to perform the last two of her five shifts because she had “failed or refused to comply with directions that she not post on social media about matters of controversy during the short period she was presenting”.
But it now submits it did not terminate her employment and she was not entitled to make an unlawful termination application, and has asked the FWC to dismiss the case.
Bornstein said the correspondence and documents would help the commission determine whether Lattouf had been sacked from her role hosting the popular morning program.
“The ABC is a crucial institution in Australia charged with exposing and reporting the facts,” Bornstein said.
Lattouf claims she was told by acting station manager Mark Spurway on 20 December that she was “sounding great” and that the audience was “responding very well”.
She claims that within minutes of that conversation she was told to pack her bags and go home as she would not be permitted to return to air because she had reposted a Human Rights Watch social media post alleging the Israeli government is using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.
She also claims that the Australian newspaper was reporting her sacking by the ABC by the time she got home.
