Unmasking Hidden Influence: A Call for Institutional Integrity
You’ve probably heard the “lizard people” theory—the idea that shadowy shape-shifting reptilian elites are secretly controlling the world.
It’s nonsense, of course.. 😜 But the reason so many people latch onto it is because they see real patterns of influence playing out in front of them—powerful groups pulling strings, shaping narratives, and forcing institutions to cave under pressure.
And that’s exactly what’s happening right now in Australia.
In the past few months alone, we’ve seen multiple institutions—the ABC, State Library Victoria, and Creative Australia—abandon their core values the moment they faced backlash from the wrong people.
Three Recent Cases That Prove the Pattern
1. ABC’s Dismissal of Antoinette Lattouf
In December 2023, ABC abruptly sacked journalist Antoinette Lattouf just three days into a five-day radio stint. Her crime? Sharing a Human Rights Watch report about the Israel-Gaza war.
🔴 Internal advice warned against firing her.
🔴 ABC caved to external pressure anyway.
🔴 She’s now suing for unfair dismissal.
ABC had one job: protect journalistic independence. Instead, they let outside influence dictate who gets to speak.
2. State Library Victoria Cancels a Writing Event Over Authors’ Views
In March 2024, State Library Victoria cancelled its Teen Writing Bootcamp, citing “child and cultural safety” concerns. But according to insiders, the real reason was that some featured authors had expressed support for Palestine.
🔴 A public library—the very place meant to foster free expression—censored authors based on their political views.
🔴 The backlash was so bad, other authors boycotted the library in protest.
If libraries—where ideas are meant to be explored, debated, and challenged—are shutting down events to avoid controversy, we have a serious problem.
3. Creative Australia’s Backflip on Khaled Sabsabi
In February 2024, Creative Australia proudly announced Khaled Sabsabi as Australia’s representative for the prestigious Venice Biennale. Nine days later, in a late-night emergency meeting, they revoked his commission after political pressure over an old artwork.
🔴 Creative Australia knew about Sabsabi’s past work when they picked him.
🔴 They celebrated his selection—until certain political groups and media figures turned up the heat.
🔴 Then, they threw him under the bus.
What’s the point of a national arts organisation if it abandons artists the second their work becomes controversial?
The Real Issue: Institutional Integrity
None of these cases are about a single bad decision or one political party—they reveal a larger pattern:
🔴 Institutions are abandoning their values out of fear.
🔴 They are prioritising avoiding controversy over standing by their principles.
🔴 They are allowing loud, organised pressure campaigns to dictate their decisions.
And this isn’t about taking sides. It’s about ensuring that governments, media, libraries, and arts institutions don’t become puppets of whoever shouts the loudest.
What Should Have Happened?
✔️ ABC should have stood by its hiring decision. If journalists can’t even share mainstream human rights reports without fear of losing their jobs, what does that say about press freedom?
✔️ State Library Victoria should have defended free expression. Public libraries exist to promote discussion, not stifle it.
✔️ Creative Australia should have held firm. If they believed in Sabsabi’s work on February 7, they should have believed in it on February 16.
The Takeaway: Demand Accountability
This isn’t a conspiracy—it’s a structural problem. When institutions prioritise avoiding controversy over standing by their principles, everyone loses.
So what can we do?
✅ Call out the pattern. The more we expose how these cases fit together, the harder they are to ignore.
✅ Hold institutions accountable. Demand transparency when decisions are reversed under pressure.
✅ Support real integrity. Back the journalists, artists, and thinkers who stand firm when institutions won’t.
Because if we don’t, this cycle of fear-driven decision-making will only get worse.