Women in Media Australia is facing intense criticism after announcing that former ABC chair Ita Buttrose will headline an upcoming fundraising event—just weeks after her controversial witness testimony in Antoinette Lattouf’s unlawful dismissal case against the ABC.
The March 18 event, which describes Buttrose as “Our National Patron” and promotes her as a keynote guest “In Conversation,” is intended to raise funds for gender equity, leadership opportunities, and workplace safety for women in media. However, the announcement has sparked outrage online, with many calling it “tone-deaf” and “a slap in the face” to women who experience workplace discrimination.
One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote: “A sincere f*** you to [Women in Media Australia]. You’ve always been a shockingly racist organisation that only platforms female journalists of colour when it suits – but highlighting Ita Buttrose after her appalling treatment of [Antoinette Lattouf] takes the cake. Absolute peak white feminism.”
Another wrote: “They are just disgusting.”
This invite says: "Build safer, more respectful workplace cultures." After what we heard Buttrose did to another (younger) woman who worked for the corporation that she chaired. The jokes truly write themselves.
— Simone Amelia Jordan (@SimoneAJordan) February 23, 2025
The backlash comes after Buttrose’s court testimony revealed she had forwarded congratulatory emails about Lattouf’s removal to ABC managing director David Anderson, telling him: “It’s nice to get congratulatory emails.”
She also acknowledged writing to him about Lattouf, asking: “Why can’t she come down with flu? Or Covid. Or a stomach upset?” Buttrose defended the remark in court as merely a “face-saving idea” for Lattouf, but critics argue it suggests she wanted her removed from the air.
Women in Media has been contacted for comment.
Ongoing Fallout from the Lattouf Case
Lattouf, a respected journalist and media advocate, has sued the ABC for unlawful dismissal, claiming she was pulled from her role as a fill-in host on ABC Sydney Mornings after sharing a Human Rights Watch Instagram post about the Israel-Gaza war. The ABC maintains that former head of content Chris Oliver-Taylor made the decision alone after Lattouf allegedly failed to comply with a request to avoid posting about the conflict.
Lattouf’s legal team, however, argues that her removal involved Anderson and Buttrose, with internal emails showing Buttrose forwarded complaints about Lattouf to ABC management. Buttrose has denied playing a role in Lattouf’s sacking, telling the court: “I didn’t wish her to be removed, I didn’t put pressure on anybody. It’s a fantasy of your own imagination. I had nothing to do with her dismissal.”
The case has ignited broader discussions about media impartiality, workplace discrimination, and the treatment of women of colour in the industry. Hundreds of ABC staff recently signed a petition condemning the broadcaster’s handling of the case, particularly its now-withdrawn legal argument questioning the existence of Lebanese, Arab, and Middle Eastern racial identities.
Women in Media Silent as Backlash Grows
With Buttrose now set to headline an event aimed at supporting women in media, critics say Women in Media Australia is undermining its own mission. The event invitation states that funds raised will support “safer, more respectful Australian workplace cultures.”
But many are questioning how the organisation can claim to champion workplace safety while honouring someone whose actions in the Lattouf case have been widely condemned.
