www.theguardian.com
Antoinette Lattouf v ABC case headed to trial
Amanda Meade
The ABC will defend its decision to sack casual Sydney radio presenter Antoinette Lattouf in a federal court trial listed to start on Monday 3 February.
Lattouf was removed by ABC management after sharing a post from Human Rights Watch alleging Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza. The ABC had reported on the Human Rights Watch claim.
The ABC strongly denied the dismissal was the result of outside pressure on the broadcaster after revelations of a campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to have her dismissed.
Witnesses called to give evidence include former ABC chair Ita Buttrose, the outgoing chief content officer, Chris Oliver-Taylor, and the outgoing managing director, David Anderson.
Lattouf was taken off air three days into a five-day casual contract in December 2023 after she posted on social media about the Israel-Gaza war, which the ABC said was a breach of editorial policy.
The Fair Work Commission found Lattouf was sacked, paving the way for the journalist to pursue an unlawful termination case.
The ABC had argued at the commission that Lattouf was not sacked because she was paid for the full five days of her contract.
Mediation between the two parties held late last year failed.
Key events
Benita Kolovos
Federal minister backs Allan’s comments and says people have had ‘enough of division’
The federal transport minister, Catherine King, was also at the press conference and said she “wholeheartedly agreed” with the Victorian premier’s comments.
You would have seen the prime minister responding to similar questions. And we’re not going to have a running commentary every single day on what the president of the United States says and does.
We think very firmly in this country that I think everyone has had enough of division, enough of people feeding and trying to engender hatred, whether it be antisemitism or on issues around gender equality. We’re getting on with the business of government.
Benita Kolovos
Allan says there is too much ‘US-style division coming to Australia’
Jacinta Allan has also rebuffed a question regarding Donald Trump’s executive order rejecting recognition of transgender people in the United States government departments.
Asked how many genders there were by Sky News reporter, Simon Love, she responded, “Really?” and went on:
I’ll say this in a broad sense, we are seeing too much US-style division coming to our country, and it’s the responsibility of leaders to call it out and not respond to it and stand up for their communities.
Every Victorian should have the right to practise their faith, whatever that faith may be, and do so safely and to love who they love and to be who they are. That’s what’s important here. What happens in the US, happens in the US. What we should be focused on here is saying enough of that US style division.
We’ve had enough hurt. We’ve got enough division. We don’t need to add to that with this sort of tokenistic behaviour. We’ve got to focus on supporting people to be who they are, to love who they want to love, and to practise their faith, whatever their faith may be.
Allan says Dutton should stop using antisemitism as ‘political weapon’ after he criticised her response
Benita Kolovos
Circling back to Victorian premier Jacinta Allan’s earlier press conference, where she responded to comments Peter Dutton made yesterday – describing her response to antisemitism as “disgraceful” compared to the NSW premier, Chris Minns.
(Minns, funnily enough, said he was looking to the Victorian government’s legislation as he works to combat hate speech in his state).
The premier urged Dutton, and “any Liberal who wants to use this issue as a weapon”, to “stop”.
We are seeing enough hurt and division around the country as a consequence of this conflict overseas that they should stop. And if Peter Dutton is fair dinkum about working with communities, about working with governments around the country on this evil of antisemitism, he would tell his Victorian Liberal colleagues to support the bill that is in the Victorian parliament right now.
So stop using this as a political weapon. Stop using this as a political tool and look at what we are doing here in Victoria.
She said the Victorian government had banned the Nazi symbol and salute and introduced anti-vilification legislation to parliament that puts hateful speech, antisemitic speech, into the Crimes Act, which will lead to tougher penalties.
I’d encourage Peter Dutton to pick up the phone to his colleagues here in Victoria and tell them to get on and support this bill.
Police say footage of brawl ‘confronting and distressing’
Supt Despa Fitzgerald said she had reviewed footage of the brawl and it was “very confronting and distressing”.
It’s only snippets of CCTV footage that we’re still putting together to get a better understanding of the duration of the initial interaction.
Police say without witnesses providing CPR, ‘something more serious’ could have occurred
Continuing to address the media in Newtown, Supt Despa Fitzgerald said there was a couple who rendered CPR at the scene “and I thank them dearly for what they did”.
Because the officer was unconscious for some time and without their assistance, we may be talking about something more serious …
I’m not a medical expert, but if they weren’t there and provided CPR, anything could have happened.
Family of injured off-duty police officer ‘distressed’
Supt Despa Fitzgerald said she had spoken with the family of the off-duty officer who was more severely injured, and they were “distressed”.
[They are] obviously distressed to have to come to a hospital to give support to their son at this time, thinking that, you know, their son was going out for a night out, and this ended up occurring.
Injured officer discharged from hospital will be interviewed about alleged Newtown assault
Supt Despa Fitzgerald said the two off-duty officers had been watching a concert before walking along Enmore Road towards King Street in Newtown, where “some sort of argument has [allegedly] taken place”.
That has not been confirmed as the officers who were injured have not been interviewed, due to the medical conditions that they’re undergoing at the moment, and the medical attention that they’re receiving.
She said the injured officer who had been discharged from hospital would be interviewed later today.
My understanding from reviewing some CCTV footage today [is] that the three males that police want to speak to were involved in some sort of heated discussion amongst each other – and that’s also from witnesses – and the two off-duty officers were walking by, and somehow, some conversation, it appears, has taken place, and then the [alleged] assaults on the two off-duty officers has occurred.
Police say they have ‘positive lines of inquiry’ into alleged Newtown assault
Yasmin Catley said there were three unknown alleged offenders who police were looking for. She urged anyone who knew anything to come forward.
It’s a very busy area where this [alleged] offence occurred. We know that there will be dashcam footage, CCTV footage, indeed, people with their cameras, videoing. Anything you have will be valuable for the police to use in the event of evidence.
Supt Despa Fitzgerald said police had “positive lines of inquiries” and had spoken with various witnesses overnight.
Police and police minister front media after off-duty police assaulted in Sydney brawl
Supt Despa Fitzgerald, commander of the Inner West Police Area command, and the NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, are speaking to reporters about an alleged serious assault of off-duty members in Newtown overnight.
Catley said the off-duty officers were enjoying a vibrant part of Sydney, and “now have an officer who is still in hospital, as we speak, in a stable but very serious condition and undergoing further tests”.
I would like to thank those bystanders that were there, that offered assistance, and in particular those that rendered medical assistance until the ambulance arrived …
We have such gratitude for you coming in and helping those officers who were injured, particularly that officer with those crucial injuries. These are really life saving events that took place by them, and we are so thankful.
Benita Kolovos
State government working on timeline to support Lost Dogs’ Home to relocate – Allan
On the prospect of the Lost Dogs’ Home being forced out of its North Melbourne home without the cash for suitable new premises, as reported in The Age this morning, Jacinta Allan said this would not happen.
She said the government, which was planning to acquire the land to make room for housing and commercial development as part of the new Arden precinct, would support the Lost Dogs’ Home through the process. She said work on acquisition hasn’t begun yet.
Now, the acquisition processes around the Arden precinct are yet to get under way, so we have the time and we’re continuing to work with the operators of the Lost Dogs’ Home …
The acquisition process has not commenced.
The premier said she understood it was a “disruptive process” but the home would be supported to “find a new home”.
We’re working on a timeline that will support the Lost Dogs’ Home to be able to find a new home.
