Former ABC boss Ita Buttrose arrives in wheelchair for Lattouf grilling

Former ABC boss Ita Buttrose has arrived at court in a wheelchair as she prepares to give evidence at the hearing into the unlawful dismissal case brought by freelance journalist Antoinette Lattouf.

Ms Buttrose, 83, who ended her reign as chair at the public broadcaster last year, is expected in the witness box after the lunch break and after former ABC head of capital city networks Steve Ahern takes the stand.

Lattouf is seeking compensation and penalties, alleging she was fired for her political opinion and race after the ABC bowed to pressure from pro-Israeli lobbyists who coordinated a campaign of complaints against her.

Earlier the ABC formally apologised after confidential information relating to those who complained about a casual radio host’s views on the war in Gaza were accidentally disclosed to the public.

The details, which were suppressed by the Federal Court, were revealed on Monday in an affidavit tendered during an unlawful dismissal hearing in a case brought by freelance journalist Antoinette Lattouf.

The 41-year-old was hired to fill in on the Mornings show on ABC Radio Sydney for five days in December 2023, but she was dismissed after three days on air for sharing a post by Human Rights Watch saying Israel used starvation as a “weapon of war” in Gaza.

The public broadcaster claims she was taken off air for breaching a direction that she refrain from posting anything on the subject while employed at the ABC.

The affidavit of content chief Chris Oliver-Taylor attached a number of complaints about Lattouf’s views based on previous social media posts and public comments.

They labelled her as anti-Semitic and said hiring her would turn the broadcaster into a Hamas mouthpiece.

Lattouf said in her court filings that she opposed the Israeli military campaign in Gaza and supported the human rights of Palestinians.

On Tuesday, Justice Darryl Rangiah expressed his displeasure that the names and contact details of some of the complainants were publicly viewable in the affidavit despite court orders suppressing those details.

“I am deeply unhappy about the error made by the ABC’s legal representatives,” the judge said.

ABC barrister Ian Neil SC apologised personally and for the organisation, saying the mistake was a result of human error.

Lawyers swiftly contacted the court once they realised the confidential information had been made publicly available on the Federal Court’s website, he said.

“As leading counsel responsible for the presentation of the respondent’s case, I stand before you this morning to tender my personal apology for what has happened,” Mr Neil told the judge.

“I deeply regret it.”

Mr Oliver-Taylor’s affidavit was quickly removed from the court’s public file and a redacted version will be uploaded on Tuesday.

The hearing continues.