MEAA rallies union members to support Lattouf at court steps
The MEAA is rallying its union members to assemble at the Federal Court in Sydney tomorrow morning, ahead of the judgement in Antoinette Lattouf’s unfair dismissal case against the ABC.
The Media, Entertainment, and Arts Alliance sent an email to its members, urging them to “come to the Federal Court on Wednesday, June 25 to welcome MEAA member Antoinette Lattouf as she arrives to hear Justice Rangiah’s judgement on her case against her dismissal from the ABC”.
The collective will gather at the court entry on Phillip Street, Sydney, from 9.30am on Wednesday “to cheer on Antoinette as she makes her way in before the judgement is laid down”.
Antoinette Lattouf during her truncated ABC Radio Sydney stint
Lattouf filed a suit against the national broadcaster after she was removed from air before completing a five-day stint on ABC Radio Sydney in December, 2023.
She was hired to fill in for popular Mornings presenter Sarah McDonald, but claimed she was fired after sharing a social media post accusing Israel of using starvation as a “weapon of war”.
The ABC retorted that Lattouf was not fired, but simply taken off air, as she “failed or refused to comply with directions that she not post on social media about matters of controversy during the short period she was presenting”.
Last June, the Fair Work Commission sided with Lattouf, finding ABC’s then-chief content officer, Chris Oliver-Taylor, “made the ultimate decision to take [Lattouf] off air”.
It emerged during the trial that Oliver-Taylor was acting on directives from higher-ups at the ABC, who should not have been involved in editorial decisions.
The MEAA has been vocal of the ABC’s management during this entire process.
After Lattouf’s initial dismissal, the union issued a statement calling it “disturbing” that “the ABC chairperson or other board members are dictating staffing decisions in breach of editorial independence”.
When Lattouf elevated the case to the Federal Court last June, MEAA acting director of media, Michelle Rae, released a statement decrying the broadcaster’s “mishandling” of Lattouf’s employment.
Chris Oliver-Taylor
Rae claimed the case continued a “pattern of ABC journalists, particularly those from culturally diverse backgrounds, lacking support from management when they face criticism from lobby groups, business organisations and politicians”. She also called for Oliver-Taylor’s resignation — which he gave in January after the ABC restructured its content division.
In February, hundreds of unionised ABC staffers called for an independent inquiry into their workplace, after being “dismayed by the revelations” emerging from the Lattouf trial and “disgusted by the ABC’s handling of the case”.
Cassie Derrick, director of MEAA told Mumbrella the union “regularly call[s] on our members to join our campaigns and have each other’s backs when they need it.”
When asked if such a call to members is usual, Derrick notes: “It is unusual for a member to have to take an unfair dismissal case to the Federal Court, and unfortunate that the ABC has not agreed to remedy the situation with Antoinette outside of court.
“Hopefully it’s not something we have to do too much in future, and employers respect and protect their employees better.”
Justice Rangiah’s judgement on Lattouf’s unfair dismissal case will be delivered on Wednesday morning.
This week, Lattouf unveiled her next venture — a new media company called Ette Media with fellow journalist, media personality, and social commentator Jan Fran. It launched on Monday afternoon, with a website landing page and a social media post.
Ette Media will offer “media literacy and critique that helps you get to the real story”. Its tag line is “Read the news right”.
In 2024, Lattouf launched a podcast, The Antoinettes, alongside American poet Azure Antoinette, and she currently co-hosts the daily Listnr podcast The Briefing.
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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