Australia’s public broadcaster is ordered Wednesday to pay a hefty penalty to a radio journalist dismissed over a social media post against Israel over its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
Journalist Antoinette Lattouf took legal action after being fired in December 2023 just three days into a five-day casual contract with the ABC.
She was fired for reposting to Instagram a Human Rights Watch video report on the Gaza conflict with the comment: “HRW reporting starvation as a tool of war.”
Federal Court judge Darryl Rangiah previously said the broadcaster broke employment law by terminating Lattouf “for reasons including that she held political opinions opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.”
Rangiah now says the ABC’s contraventions caused very “significant consequences” for Lattouf.
“For most people, employment is not just a source of income, but contributes substantially to their sense of purpose, identity and self-worth,” he says.
ABC — seen by many Australians as a bastion of fair reporting –is ordered to pay $98,900, in addition to $46,100 that was determined this year.
Rangiah says the compensation awarded to Lattouf is “sufficient” to address the impact of the offense.
The amount must be paid within 28 days.
Lattouf says the ABC had spent “well over $2 million of taxpayer money fighting me.”
“Whatever the penalty, for me this was never about money — it’s always been about accountability and the integrity of the information our public broadcaster gives us,” she posts on social media.
“I hope the ABC takes this opportunity to restore credibility, regain trust, and re-establish integrity, because our democracy depends on a strong fourth estate.”
ABC managing director Hugh Marks says the broadcaster will “continue to reflect on the court’s findings.”
“We take the matter seriously and have reflected on the lessons learned and their implications. We must be better,” he says.