Lattouf was hired as part of ABC’s ‘diversity policy’​on February 5, 2025 at 1:14 am

Freelance journalist Antoinette Lattouf was hired as part of the ABC’s “diversity policy” the Federal Court has heard, as her unlawful dismissal case against the public broadcaster continues in Sydney.

After reading the ABC’s opening arguments to start the third day of the case, barrister Ian Neil, SC, laid out the events of Lattouf’s first day on the job on December 18, 2023, saying managing director David Anderson received complaints soon after her first appearance on the show.

Anderson forwarded some of the complaints he received to content chief Chris Oliver-Taylor and then-acting editorial director, Simon Melkman. Anderson asked “someone to look into the matter” at this point, Neil says.

Later that night, after Anderson had conducted his own audit into Lattouf’s social media, Oliver-Taylor called it “hugely problematic”, forwarding Anderson’s concerns to audio content boss Ben Latimer, Melkman, another ABC executive Sashka Koloff and ABC Sydney boss Steve Ahern.

“Managing director’s office just sent me this. I think we have a problem,” Oliver-Taylor said. Ahern told Oliver-Taylor that it was possible to take Lattouf off-air, but “may be disruptive if done tomorrow”.

Earlier, Neil laid out four key points as the public broadcaster made its opening arguments.

Neil reaffirmed the ABC’s position that Oliver-Taylor was the “sole decision maker” in removing Lattouf, rather than former chair Ita Buttrose or Anderson.

Lattouf initially took the public broadcaster to the Fair Work Commission after she was sacked in late 2023, three days into a five-day contract hosting a local radio show in Sydney. Since, it has snowballed into a crisis for the ABC.

She was sacked after reposting a report from Human Rights Watch on her Instagram account and is claiming, in part, this was due to expressing political opinion and racial discrimination.