It was until ABC must have bought him out and moved the show to Melbourne and replaced him with Mark Mitchell and Tiffany Lamb 
ABC celebrates NAIDOC week with First Nations content showcase
The ABC is celebrating NAIDOC week with a collection of special content across all platforms headlined by the primetime premiere of That Blackfella Show airing on Saturday 5 July at 7.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
NAIDOC Week 2025 will be held across the country from July 6-13, with the theme this year of The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy.
Led by ABC Indigenous, the ABC will showcase Indigenous storytelling across its screen, audio and digital platforms, including variety special That Blackfella Show hosted in front of a studio audience by Ernie Dingo, ABC News Breakfast’s Bridget Brennan, and Isaac Compton. Guests include Steph Tisdell, Dane Simpson, Kevin Kropinyeri, Jimmy Barnes, Abbie Chatfield, Outback Tom and Barkaa with musical performances by award-winning duo Electric Fields, Maningrida’s all-female rock group The Ripple Effect Band, and ARIA-nominated singer-songwriter Miss Kaninna.
Head ABC Indigenous, Kelrick Martin said: “National NAIDOC Week invites all Australians to come together, listen deeply, and celebrate the strength, resilience, and rich heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The ABC is proud to showcase powerful stories across all our platforms and create space for First Nations communities to be seen, heard, and respected.”
triple j will present Blakout Day on Sunday 6 July, featuring First Nations music throughout the day and interviews with artists including Jessica Mauboy and Barkaa. On Double J, Take 5 with Zan Rowe will feature a NAIDOC-themed episode with Outback Tom on Friday 11 July, while Weekend Mornings with Yumi Stynes will showcase all First Nations music from 8am on Sunday 6 July. Classic Albums revisits Coloured Stone’s iconic debut Koonibba Rock on Monday 7 July, and Live at the Wireless will broadcast Emily Wurramara’s 2025 WOMADelaide set on Tuesday 8 July. A new collaborative audio special from Double J and ABC Radio will also celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander songwriters.
ABC Country will present a special feature on Roger Knox, the Koori King of Country. In a unique partnership between Saturday Night Country and Radio National’s Awaye! with Rudi Bremer, Knox reflects on his incredible life and the release of his new album Buluunarbi and The Old North Star. Saturday Night Country will also dedicate its 12 July episode to NAIDOC Week, hosted by Beccy Cole and featuring music from Kankawa Nagarra, Loren Ryan, Emma Donovan, Troy Cassar-Daley, Archie Roach, Kev Carmody and more. This is Indigenous Country will return with a refreshed playlist of outstanding First Nations country artists, available on ABC Country and via the ABC Listen app.
On Radio National, Big Ideas will present two powerful NAIDOC Week specials. On Monday 7 July, Post-Referendum Voices: Where Do We Go From Here? (recorded at the Melbourne Writers Festival) will feature a conversation with Daniel Browning, Ben Abbatangelo, Thomas Mayo and Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts on the path forward following the Voice referendum. On Wednesday 9 July, Yuin woman and researcher Dr Jodi Edwards presents Unbroken Whispers: Finding Our Way Back to Sea Kin and Country, which follows whale migrations along the East Coast to revive cultural knowledge and songlines.
All week, ABC TV and ABC iview will feature NAIDOC-themed programming including the screening of the Namatjira Project documentary on Sunday 6 July, the film Spear, starring Aaron Pedersen on Sunday 13 July and a dedicated Gardening Australia episode. ABC News will cover the NAIDOC Awards, and the ABC News Indigenous Affairs team will feature a story on Mitch Tambo, aligning with the release of his new track Blackfella and a performance at UNSW during NAIDOC Week.
For younger audiences, Play School will share educational short-form content across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. Highlights include Charles Passi teaching the song Taba Naba (6 July), a Dreamtime story of the frilled-neck lizard told by Ranger Nabako (7 July), and a performance of the Noongar-language song Woordawoort about dragonflies, sung by Miah and Matt (10 July). ABC Kids Early Education has also curated a selection of viewing and listening resources for early years classrooms, community events and homes, helping educators introduce the significance of NAIDOC Week to young children. These include multimodal learning materials available via the ABC Kids Early Education website.
ABC Kids Listen will release a special NAIDOC edition of its popular News Time podcast on Friday 4 July, with all daily news bulletins from 7–11 July dedicated to First Nations stories and voices.
ABC Education has a curated resource hub featuring NAIDOC Week materials for schools including a special release of official 2025 education resources, developed in partnership with the National NAIDOC Committee and Culture is Life.
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I do remember Mark hosting it. Not so much Tiffany. Also recalled James Valentine hosting it and being annoying back then.
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Kyle Hugall appointed Head of ABC MADE
The ABC is delighted to announce that Kyle Hugall will be joining the broadcaster as the new Head of Made.
Kyle Hugall is a creative leader with two decades of international experience spanning agency and client-side roles.
He began his career as a journalist, writing for publications including The Guardian and i-D Magazine in London, before moving into advertising.
His international experience includes Creative Strategy Director at Redscout, New York where he led multidisciplinary teams across brand strategy, design, and innovation work for global clients from fashion to FMCG.
In 2018, he took on a leadership role as Head of Creative and Brand Strategy at Lion in Sydney, where he led the creative direction of marketing and innovation across the organisation’s portfolio of brands.
Most recently, as a Director at Accenture Song / Droga5, Kyle has worked at the intersection of brand, customer experience, and digital technology to help clients unlock new forms of growth and cultural relevance.
Kyle Hugall: "The ABC is an extraordinary and vital institution that has served the Australian public for over 90 years, playing a key role in shaping the nation’s identity.
“The opportunity to lead the creative expression of such a special brand, particularly at a time of rapid change in media and entertainment is an honour, and one I’m excited to embrace. I look forward to helping the ABC show up in bold, relevant, and culturally resonant ways that connect with audiences across the country."
ABC Acting Director, Audiences Karen Madden: “I am thrilled to have Kyle joining the ABC as our Head of Made. Kyle’s global experience as a creative leader will bring a wealth of strategic insight that will be invaluable as we continue to evolve the way we connect with our audiences.”
Kyle will commence in the role on 21July 2025.
Gotta love the management/marketing bs.
Will there soon be an ABC Better? A la W1A.
ABC announces the TOP 5 recipients for 2025
The ABC has revealed this year’s inspiring researchers to take part in the ABC TOP 5 media residencies.
The five successful applicants from each of the three fields – Science, Humanities & the Arts, will be in residence at the ABC offices for two-weeks of media training and practical experience. They will be working alongside some of Australia’s best journalists and broadcasters, to get a better understanding of how best to communicate their vital research with the world.
“Academia and news reporting are facing extraordinary challenges around the world”, says ABC Chair Kim Williams. “So, the ABC is proud to be partnering with four leading educational and cultural institutions, ensuring that important ideas and new research is discussed and disseminated to broader audiences - ensuring that the ABC delivers information that Australians can rely upon and trust”.
Dina Rosendorff is the Manager of ABC Radio National. “The TOP 5 is a unique Radio National program that teams up early career researchers with some of the ABC’s best storytellers. It’s a chance for audiences to hear bold new ideas from rising stars in Australian research - and for those researchers to sharpen their skills in bringing their work to life for the public.”
THE 2025 ABC TOP 5 ARE:
SCIENCE
- Dr Chantelle Blachut: Postdoctoral Fellow – UNSW, ADFA ACT. Uses mathematics to investigate unexpected behaviour in natural structures like bushfires on mountain-tops or blobs of cold air over Antarctica.
- Dr Amal Osman: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, FHMRI Sleep Health - Flinders University. Specialised physiology techniques to develop new, tailored treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea.
- Dr Howe Zhu: Lecturer in Interaction Design – USYD. Explores the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction and Cognitive Neuroscience, leveraging insights from cognitive computing and extended reality to design human-centred technologies that support perception, attention, and immersive interaction.
- Dr Chantelle Doyle: Research Associate – UNSW. Pairing new methods, like genomics, with classic techniques to assess plant sterility, survival and reproduction.
- Dr Patrick Finnerty: Postdoctoral Research Fellow – USYD. Conservation ecologist helping to bring wildlife back to improve ecosystems through rewilding and species reintroductions.
HUMANITIES
- Dr Shauna Bostock: Indigenous Research Editor, Australian Dictionary of Biography – ANU. Multi-generational narrative history of the lived experience of Aboriginal people from colonisation to the present.
- Dr Intifar Chowdhury: Lecturer in Government – Flinders University. A researcher passionate about better the political representation of all young Australians in our democracy.
- Dr Declan Humphreys: Lecturer, Cyber Security & Ethics – University of the Sunshine Coast. A philosopher exploring the ethics of emerging technologies such as AI.
- Dr Tatiana Bur: Lecturer & Cultural Historian – ANU. Focus is Ancient Greece with particular interests in Greek and Roman technology, especially mechanics.
- Dr Jac den Houling: Senior Research Fellow Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre - La Trobe University. Creating real-world change that benefits autistic people, in the areas that matter most to the autistic community.
ARTS
- Lolita Emmanuel: Pianist/Doctor of Musical Arts candidate, Conservatorium of Music, USYD. Practice-based research with musicians in global Assyrian community, exploring how we use creative strategies to continue culture amid displacement.
- Dr Sarah Rhodes: Sessional lecturer, School of Creative Arts - University of Tasmania. Uses photography and video to explore how the natural environment can guide an understanding of one’s inner world.
- Shirin Barghnavard: Documentary Filmmaker & PhD Candidate - Edith Cowan University. Investigates the politics of representation in the documentary films of Iranian women, both within Iran and across the diaspora.
- Sabrina Mackenzie: PhD candidate in Music Psychology - University of Melbourne. How music can be tool for cultivating self-compassion and improving emotional well-being.
- Jordan Alice Fyfe: PhD Candidate, School of Media, Creative Arts & Social Inquiry - Curtin University Working alongside disabled artists in WA to understand current barriers and co-create recommendations for transforming the disability arts sector.
The ABC TOP 5 is presented with the crucial support our project partners: Creative Australia, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and Australian National University.
Leisa Bacon is the Executive Director Development & Strategic Partnerships at Creative Australia, which supports Australian Arts and Culture, and the ABC TOP 5 Arts. “We’re thrilled to partner with the ABC to empower research and creative practitioners to increase their impact through media training and skills development. This residency program enables the participants to better communicate their ideas to broad and diverse audiences, setting them up for the future.”
Also essential for the ABC TOP 5 Arts is the support of the University of Melbourne. Professor Marie Sierra is the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. “It’s great to see this year’s TOP 5 cohort – congratulations to all who have been selected from amongst the most diverse and talented artist-researchers in Australia. Time and again, the Residency has proven to be a focussing lens on the communication skills needed to advance the value and impact of creative arts research. We all look forward to seeing what new audiences, discoveries and innovations your time in the program will bring.”
Professor Julie Cairney is the Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research at the University of Sydney, which proudly supports the ABC TOP 5 Humanities. “In an era of rapid change and increasing complexity, it’s essential that research and public dialogue go hand in hand. The ABC TOP 5 program empowers early career researchers to step into the media space with confidence, clarity, and purpose. By equipping them to share their insights with broad audiences, we’re not only strengthening public understanding, but also ensuring that evidence-based perspectives remain central to national conversations.”
The ANU supports the ABC TOP 5 Science, and Professor Kiaran Kirk, is the Dean of the ANU College of Science. “This program is a fantastic way to celebrate some of our country’s best early-career scientists, giving them a unique opportunity to hone their skills in explaining the importance of scientific research in addressing some of our biggest global challenges. Congratulations to this year’s cohort.”
For more information about the ABC TOP 5 head to: abc.net.au/top5
Judge delivers verdict in Lattouf versus the ABC case - Mumbrella
Federal Court Justice Darryl Rangiah is now delivering his verdict in the case of Antoinette Lattouf versus the ABC.
Lattouf sued the national broadcaster for breach of contract and racial discrimination after her five-day radio presenting gig at ABC Radio Sydney was cut short in December 2025.
Justice Rangiah has begun summing up his judgment and has said “{Lattouf] was not given any opportunity to defend herself.”
He has characterised the reaction of ABC management as being in “a state of panic” following receipt of a “orchestrated” pro-Israel email campaign
“Ms Lattouf was in other words contracted to provide entertainment to ABC’s audience.”
“I find that ABC repudiated the contract,” Justice Rangiah said.
Federal Court finds ABC acted improperly in firing Antoinette Lattouf
Antoinette Lattouf wins unlawful termination case against ABC
Statement by ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks
The ABC acknowledges today’s Federal Court decision in the matter involving Antoinette Lattouf. Despite the Corporation’s best efforts, the matter was not able to be resolved before Court proceedings, which is regrettable.
Regardless of the outcome today, it’s clear the matter was not handled in line with our values and expectations. We also let down our staff and audiences, and this failure has caused understandable concern among the public and inside the organisation.
The values of the ABC must be reflected in how we work. In this case the judge found the correct processes weren’t followed and, consequently, errors were made. We regret how the decision to remove Ms Lattouf from air was handled and the distress occasioned her. We extend our sincere apologies to Ms Lattouf and wish her well in her future endeavours.
This matter has caused concerns to be expressed about the ABC’s independence and integrity, which are critical to the great trust the Australian public places in us. Any undue influence or pressure on ABC management or any of its employees must always be guarded against.
Concerns were also raised about the ABC’s handling of race and political views. I wish to emphasise the ABC’s absolute commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion at all levels of the organisation, to addressing racism and discrimination of all kinds, and to accurate and impartial journalism.
Due to confusion expressed about the Personal Use of Social Media Guidelines, which was canvassed during the case, these have been reviewed and will be replaced with new Public Comment Guidelines. We will talk more this about in coming weeks.
I wish to stress the particular and fundamental obligations the ABC and its employees have to be independent and impartial in our work to ensure we continue to earn the trust of all Australians. Those obligations don’t change as a result of this decision.
There’s much to consider in the decision and we’ll now carefully review it.
What an absolute crock.
Agree to a point, but didn’t she just have about a one week contract, really could have just stayed the course and not used her again.
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exactly. Sometimes the ABC is its own worst enemy.
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Correct. The whole thing was totally mismanaged.
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Tonight’s Media Watch had an extensive report on the Antoinette Lattouf judgment. Linton Besser finished the segment with these comments:
You could set your clock to crises in this place as the ABC strives to achieve an almost impossible nirvana of objectivity and impartiality while still wading into some of society’s most divisive issues.
Last week, the ABC was resisting an overhaul of policy and procedure and I think it’s right to do so because the Lattouf affair was not evidence of a lack of policy but evidence of a lack of backbone.
For the better part of a decade the public broadcaster has been repeatedly buffeted off-course by members of its board going weak-kneed before the gripes of the persistent and the powerful even when those complaints have very little, if any merit.
Surely … surely, that must end now.
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ABC showcases premium screen content for NAIDOC Week
Celebrate National NAIDOC Week from July 6-13 with the ABC’s extensive catalogue of premium First Nations screen content.
ABC iview features a world-class slate of First Nations storytelling, showcasing screen excellence across scripted, documentaries, children’s programs, and entertainment. The collection includes the award-winning drama series Total Control (four AACTAs, one Logie), Mystery Road (two Logies, six AACTAs), Mystery Road: Origin (seven AACTA Awards), Redfern Now (three Logies, four AACTAs), plus outstanding documentaries such as Freeman (Australian Directors Guild Award), The Dark Emu Story (Walkley, AACTA), The Australian Dream (AACTA, Melbourne International Film Festival Award), and Harley & Katya (International Emmy).
Stunning three-part documentary The Kimberley, presented by Mark Coles-Smith which premiered in May is also now on ABC iview. Exploring the region’s deep cultural heritage, environmental challenges, and future potential, the series offers incredible visuals and a powerful perspective on one of Australia’s most remote landscapes.
That Blackfella Show will premiere on Saturday night at 7.30pm. The variety special in front of a studio audience will be hosted by Ernie Dingo, ABC News Breakfast’s Bridget Brennan, and Isaac Compton. Guests include Steph Tisdell, Dane Simpson, Kevin Kropinyeri, Jimmy Barnes, Abbie Chatfield, Outback Tom and Barkaa with musical performances by award-winning duo Electric Fields, Maningrida’s all-female rock group The Ripple Effect Band, and ARIA-nominated singer-songwriter Miss Kaninna.
The Namatjira Project also airs this weekend, and the film Spear on July 13.
On Friday July 11, Gardening Australia will present a special NAIDOC Week episode, celebrating Indigenous knowledge and connection to Country.
In a deeply personal episode of Compass, Stan Grant welcomes the program to his property on Wiradjuri land in the Snowy Mountains to reflect on his faith, his family and the importance of Truth Telling in today’s Australia. Compass: On Country with Indira Naidoo is available now on ABC iview.
Other key titles on ABC iview include: Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra, My Name is Gulpilil, In My Blood It Runs, First Weapons, Ablaze, The Tracker, Charlie’s Country, Ten Canoes, Black Comedy, Ningaloo Nyinggulu, The Last Daughter, and Goldstone. Plus Eumeralla, a War Requiem for Peace.
ABC Family + Kids continues to offer engaging First Nations programming including Little J and Big Cuz (with Indigenous Languages), Yarrabil: First Nations Songs, Piki Lullaby, Ninganah Lullaby, and Play School: Yarning and Dreaming.
ABC Director Screen, Jennifer Collins said: “The ABC is so proud to celebrate this wonderful collection of quality productions and showcase powerful and compelling storytelling that connects audiences to First Nations culture.”
That Latouff story went on and on and on, covering ground that had already been analyzed elsewhere.
It was very self indulgent to give it so much time.
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Erm…don’t know about Abbie, but I’m damn sure Jimmy is not indigenous.
Abbie voted yes in the 2023 Voice Referendum.
So did I. Why aren’t I on the show? Why aren’t the millions of others who voted yes?
Change the guest list. Maybe if they were doing a show on Scottish-Australians from the Aberdeen Highland Games as a co-production with STV, or a show for loud mouths who actually contribute little to society as a whole except for looking good, then have them on.