Latest / The Front / Headlines: How ABC Antoinette Lattouf case cost taxpayers $2.6m

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Headlines: How ABC Antoinette Lattouf case cost taxpayers $2.6m · The Front

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  Speaker 1: Today's biggest News from the Australian. I'm Claire Harvey with
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  Speaker 1: the Front's afternoon headlines. It was embarrassing, unnecessary and expensive.
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  Speaker 1: The ABC's bungled handling of two casual radio presenting shifts
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  Speaker 1: by Antoinette Lettouf cost the broadcaster and therefore taxpayers, more
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  Speaker 1: than two point six two million dollars. That's a revelation
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  Speaker 1: at Senate estimates. In answer to a question on notice
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  Speaker 1: directed to the ABC's boss, Hugh Marx in December twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty three, Latouf, whom the ABC says had been identified
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  Speaker 1: as part of their bid to increase the diversity of
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  Speaker 1: on air talent, began a five day casual shift on
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  Speaker 1: ABC Radio Sydney. She was hosting the morning's program while
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  Speaker 1: the regular host was away. Latouf said she understood the
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  Speaker 1: brief of the show to be bright and breezy, cats
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  Speaker 1: and Christmas puddings. Three days into her gig, Latouf, who
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  Speaker 1: had since the Hummas terror attacks on October seven, twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty three, used her social media channels to criticize Israel's
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  Speaker 1: war against Tamas, posted this on Instagram. We've used a
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  Speaker 1: voice actor. Human Rights Watch reporting starvation as a tool
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  Speaker 1: of war. After that post, Latouf was told she wouldn't
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  Speaker 1: need to show up for the final two days of
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  Speaker 1: the stint. Although she was paid, she was asked to leave.
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  Speaker 1: The ABC's ultimo premises Latouf lodged unfair dismissal proceedings, and
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  Speaker 1: an almighty dispute arose about whether Latouf had been properly
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  Speaker 1: instructed not to post about the Gaza conflict. Federal Court
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  Speaker 1: Justice Darryl Rangia later found in Latouf's favor, saying she
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  Speaker 1: was punished for her political opinion. In October, Hugh Mark's
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  Speaker 1: told the Senate there were sizeable internal costs from ABC
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  Speaker 1: staff handling the matter, as well as the considerable legal bill.
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  Speaker 1: Now the ABC has provided exact figures revealing the x
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  Speaker 1: external costs to taxpayers have included nearly five hundred and
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  Speaker 1: fifty six thousand dollars on a Fair Work Commission proceeding
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  Speaker 1: and then one point eighty five million on the Federal
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  Speaker 1: Court hearing. The ABC will also have to pay Lato
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  Speaker 1: two hundred and twenty thousand dollars in damages. In other news, today,
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  Speaker 1: the Australians reporting one of the country's most influential unions,
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  Speaker 1: the Australian Services Union says workers should get shorter working
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  Speaker 1: hours as a productivity dividend for using artificial intelligence technology.
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  Speaker 1: The Federal Governments released its AI plan, which the Australians
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  Speaker 1: already revealed will take a light touch on regulating the technology.
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  Speaker 1: The ASU says all workers should have training, access to
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  Speaker 1: AI tools and new pay scales to reflect human skills
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  Speaker 1: like judgment and teamwork. You can check out those stories
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  Speaker 1: live right now at the Australian dot com dot au.
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  Speaker 1: If you're looking for a great listen, check out The
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: Front's episode from earlier today on the family tragedy engulfing
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  Speaker 1: the mother of rugby league star pain Hears. It's a
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  Speaker 1: story that could have serious implications for the way criminal
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  Speaker 1: matters are handled if there's a claim that the alleged
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  Speaker 1: perpetrator was suffering mental health problems. That episode's live now
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  Speaker 1: wherever you're listening.