Antoinette Lattouf, the former ABC presenter, has spoken about drawing strength from other women's achievements while writing her new book during a bruising legal battle with the broadcaster. Facing a gruelling federal court trial and hostile press, Lattouf took on physical challenges and began writing Women Who Win: Celebrating Courage, Conviction and Change.
Lattouf became the centre of attention after sharing a Human Rights Watch post about the war in Gaza while hosting on ABC Radio Sydney. Between winning her case at the Fair Work Commission and taking the ABC to federal court, she wrote a book exploring the role of Australian women since colonisation who have faced legal and cultural challenges.
“Would the relentless toll of this public battle – the daily erosion, the pressure to be flawless – eventually wear me down?” she wrote. She fought fear and anxiety by researching and writing about dozens of women, including Paralympian Ellie Cole and First Nations environmentalist Murrawah Johnson. “I’ve always found knowledge and storytelling very comforting,” Lattouf said.
She also set herself physical challenges, taking up running, swimming and hot yoga to build stamina. “I needed to prove to myself that I could get through things that are really uncomfortable,” she said. The book does not provide a forensic account of her legal battle but offers glimpses of her personal experience while honouring other women.
Lattouf revealed the emotional toll of the court case, including sitting through her adversary's evidence. “I just had to sit there and stay composed, even though, on the inside I felt a rage,” she wrote. She had advance warning of correspondence between ABC executives and then-chair Ita Buttrose, including the line: “Why can’t she come down with flu or Covid or a stomach upset? We owe her nothing.”
The ABC’s defence argued Lattouf must prove the existence of a Lebanese, Arab or Middle Eastern race, a tactic that angered staff and community groups. Lattouf’s sister texted her during the live-streamed proceedings: “Close your mouth! Everyone can see your reaction.”
