That's it for today, thanks for reading
Here are the main points from the final hearing in the case:
The ABC had defended the case in such an “objectionable” way that Antoinette Lattouf would seek additional compensation if her claim succeeds, her lawyer said.
The ABC, however, said it was clear Lattouf was only taken off the air after she breached a direction not to post on social media about the conflict in Gaza.
The ABC said the key to understanding this decision was a Microsoft Teams meeting and subsequent text messages sent by the chief content officer, Chris Oliver-Taylor, to the managing director, David Anderson.
But Lattouf’s lawyers said “the ABC has been quite incapable of articulating, even at the point of submission … what direction was given, and in what terms”.
The ABC rejected that Lattouf was dismissed because she has Lebanese heritage.
Lattouf’s lawyers argued that if her claim was successful the judge should find the ABC also leaked a story to The Australian that “was particularly deleterious” to her, justifying the award of further compensation.
The ABC rejected the proposition that Anderson and the former chair Ita Buttrose were concerned by the political opinion of Lattouf.
Enjoy the rest of the evening.
Updated
Lattouf speaks outside court
In an emotional press conference outside Sydney’s federal court at the conclusion of the case, Antoinette Lattouf said of her dismissal from the ABC and the fallout: “This saga has undoubtedly been the most difficult of my entire life.
“This case was never just about me, it was never about five days of work, it was about protecting the principles that should matter to all of us,” she said.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the start of the case earlier this month, Lattouf said she had held the ABC “in the highest regard” since she was a child, dreaming of hosting her own show on the broadcaster.
I have always cared so deeply about the ABC. When it functions as it should, when it flourishes, it makes our democracy stronger, it makes our democracy better. But when it fails to be independent, all Australians suffer … It is now glaringly clear to me and to millions of Australians that our ABC is in serious trouble … Now, watching its integrity unravel, is nothing short of devastating.
Lattouf said the “pain and humiliation” did not end with her sacking but was exacerbated by reporting of her termination by The Australian, within hours of the news being delivered to her, something her team argued in court came about from a leak from someone senior at the ABC.
Lattouf, hands shaking and holding back tears, thanked her legal team, members of the public who supported her, and family and friends.
“I have done what I have set out to do and now it’s in the court’s hands.”
Updated
