The ABC’s Managing Director has conceded a step may have been missing in the process of how the journalist Antoinette Lattouf was removed from a casual radio on-air role in 2023. The broadcaster's lawyers opened their defence today to the journalist's unlawful termination case. They've argued complaints it received from pro-Israeli lobbyists about Ms Lattouf played no role in the decision to take her off-air.
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00:00After her own time in the witness box came to an end, Antoinette Latouf watched on as
00:06one of her most senior bosses had his turn.
00:09ABC Managing Director David Anderson was cross-examined at length on rules that apply to employees'
00:15personal use of social media.
00:18This post Ms Latouf shared from Human Rights Watch prompted her removal from on-air with
00:23two days left on a casual contract.
00:26The ABC has previously said it told Ms Latouf not to post about contentious issues.
00:31The ABC denies it had anything to do with political opinion or race, and argues the
00:37decision-maker was Chief Content Officer Chris Oliver-Taylor, who Mr Anderson backed as a
00:42competent leader.
00:43But he concedes things could have been handled differently.
00:47Hindsight's a wonderful thing.
00:49You would like to have seen that there was certainly a discussion with Ms Latouf to find
00:53out the motivation behind what I believed at the time was disobeying a direction, and
00:58then try to ascertain what the resulting risk was.
01:02I think in the end, Mr Oliver-Taylor made the decision that was within his delegation
01:06based on the information he had before him.
01:10And later, insofar as Ms Latouf was removed without being heard in her defence, that was
01:15atypical by ABC standards.
01:18It was.
01:19Mr Anderson said including that step might not have changed the outcome.
01:24Ms Latouf's lawyers questioned why other ABC employees weren't dismissed after sharing
01:29public statements which may be considered impartial.
01:32Mr Anderson said those were different issues.
01:36The ABC's counsel argued a trail of emails from executives clearly shows management's
01:41main concern.
01:43Where in any of this does one see any trace, even a bat squeak, of antipathy on the part
01:48of Mr Anderson, Mr Oliver-Taylor, Ms Buttrose, anyone who looked at this, to the actual content
01:54of any opinions that Ms Latouf might have had?
01:57Their whole focus was on reputational damage to the ABC.
02:01Mr Anderson's cross-examination continues tomorrow.