Australia’s national broadcaster ABC has been found by a court to have unlawfully terminated a journalist over a social media post criticising Israel’s military conduct in Gaza.
The Federal Court ruled that ABC acted improperly when it took Antoinette Lattouf off air midway through a short-term presenting role in late 2023.
The court awarded Lattouf $70,000 (AUD) in damages, with additional penalties still under consideration.
It also criticised ABC’s handling of the matter, prompting the broadcaster’s new Managing Director Hugh Marks to issue a public apology.
Marks acknowledged the damage done to ABC’s credibility and pledged to overhaul internal policy on social media.
The case centred on a Human Rights Watch (HRW) statement Lattouf had shared to her social media platform, which accused Israel of deliberately using starvation as a method of warfare in Gaza.
Lattouf, a prominent media figure and anti-racism campaigner of Lebanese heritage, had been employed as a temporary radio presenter for ABC’s Sydney station.
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In his written judgment, Federal Court Justice Darryl Rangiah concluded that ABC had breached the Fair Work Act by terminating her for expressing a political opinion.
He dismissed allegations that her race had played a role in her sacking but accepted that her views on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza were a decisive factor.
“The decision to remove Ms Lattouf from air was made in a state of panic,” the judge stated, referring to internal chaos following lobbying and pressure from pro-Israel groups.
Following her dismissal, Lattouf reported receiving serious threats, prompting her to hire private security.
Pro-Israel lobby groups
Justice Rangiah found that the ABC management reacted to an “orchestrated campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to have Lattouf taken off air”.
He added that ABC had not given Lattouf a clear directive to avoid commentary on the Israel-Gaza conflict but had merely advised her not to post anything “controversial”.
Court documents revealed private WhatsApp exchanges from groups like “Lawyers for Israel” and “J.E.W.I.S.H creatives and academics” orchestrating an email blitz to ABC executives demanding Lattouf’s removal.
One lawyer’s message explicitly urged: “Anything short of terminating Lattouf’s position would not be sufficient”.
The messages detailed how board chair, Ita Buttrose, and the then managing director, David Anderson, were looped into the campaign—suggesting a highly coordinated campaign that sparked ABC management’s hasty response
ABC denied that the dismissal was a firing, claiming Lattouf’s contract had been paid in full and that she was taken off air solely to preserve the network’s reputation.
But the court rejected their defence, noting that Lattouf was never told what specific guidelines she had supposedly violated, and was not given a chance to defend herself before being removed and it being leaked to the press.
Speaking outside court, Lattouf said: “I was punished for my political opinion. Today, the court has found that punishing someone for sharing facts about these war crimes is also illegal.” She added: “Deliberately starving and killing children is a war crime.”
The case reignited longstanding concerns over the independence of Australia’s public broadcaster and the pressure it faces from powerful interest groups.
It also drew attention to the additional risks faced by journalists from culturally diverse backgrounds who speak out on contentious issues such as the occupation of Palestine.
The HRW post at the centre of the controversy reflected the organisation’s position that Israel was engaging in collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza.
This charge was echoed by UN experts and reinforced in May 2025 when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes charges, including using starvation as a weapon of war.
Since the outbreak of Israel’s military bombardment on 7 October 2023, at least 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including over 15,000 children.
Israel’s total blockade of aid into the Gaza Strip between March and May this year has further deepened the humanitarian catastrophe.
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory on Wednesday called on the occupying Israeli army to cease the use of lethal force near aid convoys and food distribution sites.
It cited “repeated incidents” of Palestinians being shot or shelled while seeking food, warning that such attacks could constitute war crimes under international law.
Despite ABC’s insistence that the Lattouf incident was a procedural decision, the court found clear evidence of undue influence.
Lattouf’s lawyers also argued that her track record as a vocal critic of racism and inequality in Australian media made her a target for coordinated pressure.
The ruling is being hailed as a significant moment for press freedom and employee protections in Australia, especially in cases involving coverage of the Middle East.
