Journalist and presenter Antoinette Lattouf was sacked by the ABC during a five-day radio presenting stint, the Fair Work Commission has found.
Ms Lattouf was taken off-air partway through her contract with ABC Radio Sydney in December, leading her to lodge a claim for unlawful dismissal.
The 40-year-old was sent home on the third day of her assignment after she re-posted a Human Rights Watch video about the war in Gaza on her personal Instagram account.
The ABC claimed she breached its social media policy, although they insisted her employment was not terminated since she was paid for the full five days.
However, the Fair Work Commission rejected the ABC’s argument, ruling that her employment was indeed terminated during a meeting on December 20.
This decision allows Ms Lattouf to pursue an unlawful termination case in the Federal Court.
According to Ms Lattouf’s claim, her ABC manager informed her on December 18 that “Jewish lobbyists were unhappy that she was on the air”.
Despite being told that sharing information from a reputable NGO was acceptable, she was later summoned to a meeting and told she had breached the social media policy.
The Commission’s deputy president, Gerard Boyce, noticed that the ABC did not inform Ms Lattouf during the meeting that she would be paid for the full five days.
Ms Lattouf is now also suing the ABC for unlawful termination in the Federal Court.
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