Antoinette Lattouf (Arabic: أنطوانيت لطوف; born 1983) is an Australian journalist, host, author, and diversity advocate, who has worked at Network Ten, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), SBS, Southern Cross Austereo, Triple J, and as a social commentator for various online and broadcast publications. She is also known for her work as a columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald. She was the subject of a high-profile unlawful termination case against the ABC in 2023–2025 with the Federal Court of Australia finding in her favour in June 2025.
Lattouf's parents came to Australia as refugees from Lebanon in the 1970s.[1] She was born in 1983 or 1984 in Auburn, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.[failed verification][2]
In 2020, Lattouf spoke out about bullying and racism she experienced while working at SBS at the start of her career.[11][12]
From early 2022,[13] and as of February 2024[update],[14] Lattouf has been a permanent co-host of the daily LiSTNR podcast The Briefing.[13]
ABC dismissal
In December 2023, Lattouf began presenting ABC Radio Sydney's Mornings program for one week as a fill-in host for Sarah Macdonald. Subsequently, she posted on social media a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report alleging that Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war during the Gaza war.[15] A coordinated campaign by a pro-Israel lobbying group called "Lawyers for Israel", senior members of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, and another group called "J.E.W.I.S.H creatives and academics" pressured ABC management, including ABC chair Ita Buttrose, to sack Lattouf, with member Debbie Weiner smearing her Jewish lawyer, Josh Bornstein, as a "Traiter!" [sic].[16][17][18] Leaked messages from a Lawyers for Israel WhatsApp group chat revealed group co-ordinator Sydney lawyer Nicky Stein suggesting targeting Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, despite no actionable offence against the ABC.[19][20] In the group chat, Stein also stressed the importance of organising complaints from people who were lawyers, so that the ABC would "feel there is an actual legal threat".[18]
The ABC dismissed Lattouf on 20 December 2023,[16] citing her social media post referencing the HRW report as the reason.[16] The ABC had itself covered the release of the same HRW report.[15]Al Jazeera noted that Lattouf was among a growing number of journalists worldwide dismissed for expressing views supporting Palestine or calling for an end to Israel's bombardment of Gaza.[15] Lattouf responded to her dismissal by stating she believed it was unlawful and not a victory for journalism or critical, fair thinking.[21] Lattouf's dismissal led ABC members of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) to pass a vote of no-confidence in ABC's managing director, David Anderson, on 22 January. The MEAA motion criticised ABC leadership for failing to protect the broadcaster's independence and staff when attacked.[22][23]
Lattouf lodged an unlawful termination claim with the Fair Work Commission (FWC), asserting that her dismissal was due to expressing a political opinion and that her race was a contributing factor.[15][24] Conciliation efforts at the FWC failed.[25] In its submission to the FWC on 15 January, the ABC stated that Lattouf was warned about posting controversial topics prior to her dismissal and argued that she could not make an unlawful termination application as she was not technically dismissed.[26] The case was featured on the ABC's Media Watch program on 5 February 2024. Host Paul Barry criticised the ABC's actions as indicative of weakness and incompetence for not properly handling the situation and not supporting Lattouf for her remaining two shifts.[27] Lattouf requested the FWC to release emails related to her dismissal, including those specifically sent by Sydney barrister Robert Goot,[28][19] which had been mentioned in the leaked WhatsApp messages. The FWC refused her request on 16 February.[24] On 3 June 2024, the FWC found that Lattouf was dismissed by the ABC, issuing the certificate required for[29] Lattouf to file her unlawful termination case in the Federal Court.[30]
Federal Court Proceedings (Lattouf v ABC)
Lattouf filed an unlawful termination claim in the Federal Court of Australia, contending that her dismissal was both procedurally unfair and politically motivated, with her political views and racial background playing a role in the decision.[31]
During the proceedings, key ABC executives—including managing director David Anderson and chief content officer Chris Oliver-Taylor—testified about the internal decision‐making process that led to Lattouf’s removal. Evidence presented in court included internal emails and text messages; one such email from former ABC chair Ita Buttrose reportedly stated that the broadcaster “owed her nothing” in light of numerous complaints received from a pro‑Israel lobbying group. The ABC defended its actions by asserting that Lattouf breached its social media guidelines by reposting a Human Rights Watch report on alleged starvation as a tool of war in Gaza, a charge Lattouf disputes on the grounds that her post relayed information from a reputable source.[32][33]
The case has generated significant public and internal debate regarding the ABC’s disciplinary practices. Critics have argued that the broadcaster applied inconsistent standards, noting that other presenters—such as Laura Tingle and Paul Barry—were not subjected to similar sanctions for expressing personal views. Lattouf’s legal team has maintained that her removal was not solely due to a breach of social media policy but also reflected underlying biases. In her testimony, Lattouf described the severe personal impact of her dismissal, including increased anxiety, depression, and a reliance on alcohol and sleeping aids; her psychiatrist’s evidence corroborated these claims.[34][35]
Subsequent cross‐examinations highlighted contrasts in the treatment of ABC presenters. While Lattouf was removed for her controversial social media posts, other high‐profile journalists were allowed to express personal opinions without facing similar repercussions. During his testimony, managing director David Anderson acknowledged that systemic issues, including racism in Australia, exist; however, he maintained that the ABC’s disciplinary measures were based on breaches of editorial standards rather than discriminatory practices.[36][37]
Observers suggested that the outcome of Lattouf v ABC could have broad implications for employment practices and the enforcement of editorial policies at public broadcasters.[38]
On 25 June 2025, the Federal Court handed down its verdict. The court found that the ABC had contravened section 772(1) of the Fair Work Act by dismissing Lattouf "for reasons including that she held a political opinion opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza". The court ordered the ABC to pay A$70,000 of damages to her. The court also found that the ABC management had been thrown into a "state of panic" by "an orchestrated campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to have Ms Lattouf taken off air", and so had decided to "appease the pro-Israel lobbyists who would inevitably escalate their complaints about the ABC employing a presenter they perceived to have antisemitic and anti-Israel opinions in such a public position". Lattouf's ethnicity and national extraction were not considered by the court to have contributed to her dismissal.[39] The court granted a ten year name suppression to "nine Jewish women" who masterminded the campaign to silence Lattouf.[40][41]
On 1 August 2025, The Australian wrote about connections between the Federal Court Justice Darryl Rangiah, who delivered the judgement in the Lattouf v ABC case, and the two parties to the case. The judge's daughter works as a journalist with the ABC in the Northern Territory. She also participated in a panel discussion and networking event hosted by Lattouf's not-for-profit organisation MDA at the ABC’s South Brisbane offices.[42]
Her first book How to Lose Friends and Influence White People was published by the Penguin Random House in 2022.[46][47] That same year, Lattouf delivered her first TEDx Sydney talk.[48]
Following her victory in court against the ABC and its chair Kim Williams, Lattouf launched a podcast, 'We Used to be Journos', with journalist Jan Fran. The podcast covers topics like the systematic institutional bias in media organisations like the ABC against human rights.[49]
Lattouf is married and has two daughters.[52][53] She is an ambassador for the Australian Thyroid Foundation after a Studio 10 viewer noticed a lump on her neck and contacted Network 10; as a result, Lattouf had surgery to remove the lump and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.[4]
1 2 "Journalist, influencer, ambassador, advocate". University of Technology Sydney. 24 October 2019. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2020. the 35 year old was recently named one of the most influential women in Australia by the Australian Financial Review.
1 2 3 Bachelard, Michael; Jaspan, Calum (16 January 2024). "Secret WhatsApp messages show co-ordinated campaign to oust Antoinette Lattouf from ABC". The Age. Nine Entertainment Co. - Nine Digital and Publishing. pp.1–3. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025. The ABC sacked broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf after a high-level and co-ordinated letter-writing campaign from pro-Israel lobbyists that directly targeted the corporation's chair, Ita Buttrose, and managing director David Anderson... "Bornstein? Traiter! [sic]" responded another member, Melbourne family lawyer Deborah Wiener... At 9.51am that day, another group administrator, Lindy Blashki, wrote that "Ita Buttrose replied to 7 of our letters yesterday". About 90 minutes later at 11.15am, Stein posted her response from Buttrose. Lattouf was sacked about 1.40pm that day... On Friday, the co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Ryvchin, said the idea that his group or any of its members had organised or co-ordinated a campaign to have Lattouf sacked was "total bullshit"... Approached for further comment on Monday, Ryvchin said: "The ECAJ did not contact the ABC about Lattouf, nor did we call for her sacking... But the screenshots of the lawyers' WhatsApp group show the council's deputy president, Robert Goot, was feeding back intelligence from the ABC about Lattouf's position, and then encouraging people to continue the campaign.
1 2 "ABC, Lattouf & lobbyists". ABC Media Watch. 5 February 2024. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. The 150-strong lobby group had sent a barrage of letters and emails to Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and copied them to senior management at the ABC, with group co-ordinator Nicky Stein rousing members on the day of Lattouf's dismissal with a... CALL TO ACTION... Earlier that day, another Lawyer for Israel, Robert Goot — who is also Deputy President of the Executive Council for Australian Jewry — had texted the group to say:... ROBERT GOOT: I understand that she will be gone from morning radio from Friday... DEBBIE WIENER: Due to her stance on Israel or other reasons?
↑ Iqbal, Soaliha (16 January 2024). "Leaked Texts Reveal 'Coordinated Campaign' To Get Antoinette Lattouf Fired From The ABC". Pedestrian.TV. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024. Deputy President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Robert Goot wrote in the chat, also on December 20, that he believed Lattouf would be fired from morning radio by that Friday over her "stance on Israel."... Messages sent by Nicky Stein, a Sydney lawyer who SMH reported was one of the 156 members, can be seen in a screenshot shared by the masthead urging others to target Federal Minister of Communication Michelle Rowland about Lattouf's radio hosting role. Stein then wrote in another message that "it is important ABC hears not just from individuals in the community but specifically lawyers so they feel there is an actual legal threat."... When another member asked why ABC allowed Lattouf to host the radio show (given her history of being critical of Israel), Stein allegedly responded: "Exactly which is why we need to stamp it out."
↑ Bruce-Smith, Alex (22 January 2024). "'Something Needs To Be Done': Secret WhatsApp Chat Messages Show Coordinated Campaign To Get ABC Journalist Fired". PEDESTRIAN.TV. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024. "I just got an email at 5.42 from Ita Buttrose in response to my letter to [sic] ABC that 'Lattouf no longer works at the ABC'," a message from one person, identified as Esther, reads. "I don't know how much our emails affected the decision but I'm impressed with their power re her and Clem Fraud!"... PEDESTRIAN.TV understands the ABC Board is holding an emergency meeting on Tuesday morning, after union members employed by the ABC overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence in ABC managing director David Anderson on Monday. Staff have put ABC management on notice that further action will be taken if the current crisis is not addressed by January 29.
↑ "We owe her nothing, says Ita as Lattouf grilled over 'controversial' Gaza posts". The Australian. 2 February 2025. Archived from the original on 3 February 2025. Ms Buttrose, seemingly disappointed in the response, said the public broadcaster owed Lattouf "nothing"... "Why can't she come down with flu or Covid or a stomach upset? We owe her nothing. We're copping criticism because she wasn't honest when she was appointed," she wrote... "Managed exit, really? ... we should be in damage control not managed exits, David."
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