ABC’s outgoing managing director David Anderson was concerned about what he called a barrage of complaints about fill-in presenter Antoinette Lattouf’s stance on the Gaza war, while Ita Buttrose, the then-chair of the public broadcaster, pushed for her to be taken off-air.

Mr Anderson personally conducted an investigation of Ms Lattouf’s social media posts, the Federal Court heard on Monday during the first morning of the high-profile action brought against the ABC over her sacking.