Senior ABC managers failed to consult in-house IR and legal experts and "blithely ignored" risks when the organisation "capitulated" to critics and sacked presenter Antoinette Lattouf over her political views on the Gaza war, which warranted a substantial penalty to deter a recurrence, Federal Court judge Darryl Rangiah found today.
The Federal Court has today ordered the ABC to pay former presenter Antoinette Lattouf a fine of $150,000 for unlawfully sacking her for reasons including her political opinion opposing the Gaza war and breaching its enterprise agreement.
Former ABC presenter Antoinette Lattouf says the Federal Court should order the broadcaster to pay her a fine of between $300,000 and $350,000 for unlawfully sacking her for reasons including her political opinion about the Gaza war and breaching its enterprise agreement, but the ABC says it should have to cough up no more than $56,300.
The ABC must pay $70,000 compensation for non-economic loss to presenter Antoinette Lattouf for terminating her employment for reasons including that she held a political opinion opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, after a Federal Court ruling this morning.
In a judgment raising the possibility that State workplace protections could extend to independent contractors under the Fair Work Act, Federal Court Chief Justice Debra Mortimer has today dismissed Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's bid to strike out a freelance pianist's adverse action claim that it discriminated against him by cancelling a performance after he accused Israel of committing war crimes.
Media host and writer Antoinette Lattouf has failed to have the ABC's jurisdictional objections to her unlawful dismissal case referred directly to a FWC full bench, despite arguing that she will appeal an unfavourable finding and that she "anticipates" that the broadcaster will do the same.
Lawyers for media host and writer Antoinette Lattouf have taken her high-profile departure from the ABC to the Federal Court, alleging she was unlawfully sacked in breach of the ABC's enterprise agreement.
The FWC will in March hear ABC arguments that radio presenter Antoinette Lattouf's claim that the broadcaster unlawfully sacked her over an Instagram post critical of Israel's war in Gaza cannot proceed because of her casual engagement and reliance on the wrong provision of the Fair Work Act.
A casual Census collector sacked by the ABS for calling on her 7000 LinkedIn connections to revolt against COVID-19 lockdowns has failed to persuade a court that it "violently" discriminated against her.
As Telstra becomes the latest to face a class action on behalf of employees refusing to comply with COVID-19 vaccination policies, more than a 100 mainly healthcare, education and construction workers are discontinuing their challenge to Victoria's vaccine mandate.
