On Monday Hugh Marks will arrive at Ultimo for his first day as managing director of the ABC, marking a fresh start for the broadcaster after a period of turmoil. While he faces a long list of challenges, at least the former Nine Entertainment chief is untouched by the damaging Antoinette Lattouf v the ABC court case. Similarly, the ABC chair, Kim Williams, whose appointment predated the incendiary incident, is a cleanskin when it comes to that issue.
The same can’t be said for Ita Buttrose, who may well regret taking on the role of ABC chair in the twilight of her career. She left the position a year ago but her role in the lead-up to Lattouf’s removal has been laid bare in the federal court, including that she forwarded six complaint emails in rapid succession to the broadcaster’s content chief, Chris Oliver-Taylor, and said of Lattouf: “Can’t she come down with flu or Covid or a stomach upset? We owe her nothing”.
