A court has ordered the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to pay an additional penalty to a radio journalist who was fired over a social media post on Israel’s war in Gaza.
On Wednesday, Federal Court judge Darryl Rangiah said the termination of journalist Antoinette Lattouf in December 2023 caused very “significant consequences” for her.
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“For most people, employment is not just a source of income, but contributes substantially to their sense of purpose, identity and self-worth,” he said.
Just three days into a casual contract with ABC, Lattouf was fired after a Human Rights Watch video report with the comment, “HRW reporting starvation as a tool of war”.
Rangiah had previously said the ABC had broken employment law for firing Lattouf for “reason including that she held political opinions opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza”.
However, while ABC is viewed in the country as a broadcaster that reports impartially, it was ordered on Wednesday to pay $98,900, in addition to $46,100 that was already determined this year for the journalist.
In a post on social media on Tuesday, Lattouf said 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 said.
“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.”
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ABC’s managing director, Hugh Marks, said the broadcaster would “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 said.
Lattouf ‘s post came three months after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,139 people and led to the capture of about 200 others, of whom 48 remain in Gaza.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed 65,382 people, wounded 166,985, and led to a widespread humanitarian crisis, the enclave’s Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday.
Last week, a United Nations inquiry officially found Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. Amnesty International has previously reached the same conclusion as the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS).
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