Former ABC chair Ita Buttrose will no longer be speaking at a Women in Media event about building “safer, more respectful workplace cultures”, following backlash over her involvement.
On Tuesday evening, Women in Media, a not-for-profit industry body, informed attendees of the upcoming 20th anniversary event via email that Buttrose would no longer be attending the fundraiser in Sydney, where she had initially been scheduled as the guest speaker. The organisation promised to announce new guest speakers in the coming days.
PEDESTRIAN.TV understands the latest developments follows a number of complaints — including from various high profile female media figures — regarding the choice of the ABC executive for the Sydney event.
Women in Media has not responded to requests for comment.
Buttrose was slated to speak at the event on March 18. (Image source: on file)
Buttrose, who also serves as a patron of Women in Media, was slated to headline the fundraiser and address the organization’s work toward increasing gender equity and fostering safer, more respectful workplace cultures, according to Crikey.
The backlash stems from Buttrose’s alleged involvement in the firing of journalist Antoinette Lattouf from the ABC in 2023, which has played out in a two-week trial before the Federal Court. (A decision is expected at a later date.)
Lattouf was fired three days into a five-day radio hosting gig, and alleges her race as a Lebanese-Australian was a factor in being fired. The ABC and Buttrose deny Lattouf’s allegations.
“I have a whole clutch more complaints,” Buttrose wrote to then ABC managing director David Anderson about Lattouf in 2023, emails submitted in court revealed. “Can’t she come down with flu or COVID or a stomach upset? We owe her nothing.”
In a statement following Women in Media’s announcement, Lattouf stated that wishing harm, illness, or cancellation upon another woman in the media “runs contrary” to her deeply held ethics and principles.
“I look forward to seeing which speaker Women in Media chooses to highlight in support of its mission to foster safer, more respectful, and inclusive work practices,” she said.
Still, Buttrose’s involvement in the panel has been the subject of controversy, including at a different Women in Media event last week.
“It goes without saying, with the Antoinette Lattouf case, and the conversations happening at the moment, I feel as though we could be going backwards,” journalist and panelist Alicia Vrajlal said.
“I’ve heard other women of colour publicly expressing disappointment when Ita Buttrose is headlining an upcoming ‘In Conversation’ event. It’s organised by Women In Media and obviously it’s a separate event, but as someone on this panel today, I wanted to share my view.”
Vrajlal — who is founder of digital news publication Draw Your Box which seeks to elevate South Asian voices — said it’s such incidents that can make her feel “disappointed” and “frustrated”.
Vrajlal (second from left) pictured at an NSW Women In Media IWD event last week. (Source: Instagram)
She remarked: “I feel confused as to where attention is given to women of colour and when it’s not. I feel as though, is this a pick and choose situation? Are women of colour being listened to only when it suits a certain narrative or is great for optics?”
She went on to highlight broader concerns about representation, stating box ticking and tokenism needs to come to an end.
“But we also just need to be heard. We need to feel supported when we walk into the workplace – which from recent racism reviews and reports, we know that hasn’t been the case,” she said.
Given “so much noise” in the political and media landscape, Vrajlal urged patrons not to sweep things under the rug.
“Let’s be more thoughtful of who we’re platforming,” she said.
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