SBS made me the ‘poster child for autism’. Now they’re trying to get rid of me

EXCLUSIVE

A leading disability and LGBTQIA+ activist claims she was chosen as the “autism poster girl” at SBS but was then targeted in a vicious campaign of “ableist” abuse and that there was a plan to fire her after she complained.

Laura Fazzolari has launched a legal case against the taxpayer-funded broadcaster, alleging continued discrimination on the grounds of age and disability, which she says she has faced since joining SBS in March.

The station’s newly appointed “community engagement manager” claims she was constantly questioned by “disrespectful” colleagues about her age, education and suitability for the job.

The young executive, who was awarded a scholarship to attend this year’s prestigious Women In Media conference in Sydney, claims she even faced a series of unwarranted concerns about her conduct after she claimed compensation for an industrial accident.

She has filed a complaint with Anti-Discrimination NSW about her treatment and on Monday sought to extend an interim order by the NSW Civil and Administration Tribunal, which prohibits SBS from firing her until her allegations are fully investigated.

Ms Fazzolari, who was still on probation when she filed the claim, told the court she believed the announcer “wanted to get rid of me… because I had become a burden”.

And she insisted that ‘SBS would terminate my employment as soon as I got the chance’.

She said the situation was completely different from when she joined the television service amid much fanfare seven months ago.

She shared that her direct manager was proud to hire someone with autism and actively encouraged her to share her diagnosis with hundreds of colleagues.

“I was hired as someone with autism and my manager made me the figurehead of someone with autism at SBS,” she told the court.

She said her boss was thrilled when she disclosed her autism to her coworkers, but she began to distance herself when other coworkers started making “abeistic” comments about her diagnosis.

“My manager said to me, ‘Thank you so much for making so many of my career dreams come true,’” Ms Fazzolari told the court.

‘But after I became the poster child for autism, I had to deal with the consequences (of my disclosure) without any support.

‘I was just looked down on and my abilities were constantly doubted.’

Ms Fazzolari, who was vice-president of the University of Canberra Rotaract Club between 2016 and 2018, said it had become “a pattern” of disrespect.

“This was part of the pattern I had with my peers…I kept getting questions about my age, my experience, my education,” she said.

‘That was because they thought I would not possibly be suitable for my position because of my age or disability.’

She said a workplace conversation about her qualifications escalated to the point where a colleague “started yelling at me on the floor,” but her boss “repeatedly ignored my concerns that I was being treated disrespectfully.”

“She wouldn’t even sit with me anymore… and my boss kept ignoring me, except for one text message,” she said.

Although her manager attempted to allay her concerns by suggesting that she may have misinterpreted comments made by some of her colleagues, Ms Fazzolari told the court that she refused to accept this explanation.

“If something happens over and over again, how can it be a misunderstanding?” she said.

‘I had to constantly reassure others that I was autistic.’

Ms Fazzolari claimed the “disrespectful” treatment worsened after she asked her bosses at SBS to give her a personal key to a “quiet room” at work.

She said they eventually agreed to her request, but the allocated space was next to the office of SBS director James Taylor.

“It’s not helpful for him to see you coming into (the quiet room) when you’re not feeling well mentally,” she said.

Ms Fazzolari said the alleged discrimination reached a fever pitch after her manager allegedly laughed at her when she injured her wrist in a nasty fall at work on July 18.

“I fell at work and told her. She laughed at me, didn’t check on me or seek medical attention,” she said.

Ms Fazzolari alleged that after the fall her bosses at SBS continued to harass her into working “against medical advice” until they sent her a letter six weeks later, on August 30, expressing their concerns about her behaviour.

She denied any intentional professional misconduct during her time at the outlet, but admitted she may have inadvertently violated the company’s social media policy on one occasion.

Although Ms Fazzolari indicated that she had been given the medical green light to return to work last week, SBS management had informed her that there were no suitable shifts for her.

Ms Fazzolari told the court she believed the television station’s letter and refusal to allow her to return to work were retaliation for her complaining about the discriminatory treatment she had suffered on the grounds of age and disability and for her filing a claim for workers’ compensation.

She asked the court to extend an interim order made on September 5, which restrained the broadcaster from terminating her employment pending a full investigation into her allegations by Anti-Discrimination NSW.

“SBS is not a small company… I doubt that the fact that they cannot fire me immediately means that they cannot continue their business as usual,” she said.

SBS’s chief lawyer, Nicole Choolum, opposed an extension of the measure, saying the investigation into Ms Fazzolari’s allegations could take “between 12 and 18 months”.

“(If it were extended) SBS would no longer be able to terminate her employment, regardless of any future performance issues in that time frame,” she said.

Ms Choolum rejected suggestions that Ms Fazzolari had been treated unfairly by SBS, but added that the broadcaster would ‘make itself available for prompt mediation and would fully cooperate with the investigation’.

Larissa Andelman, a senior member of the court, took a 20-minute recess on Monday to discuss the applications, before deciding to deny Ms Fazzolari’s request.

“That means the interim injunction issued on September 5 expires today,” she said.

SBS declined to comment on whether it planned to fire Ms Fazzolari following the decision, as it feared.

“SBS takes all allegations of discrimination very seriously and is committed to creating a safe and inclusive work environment for all employees,” a spokeswoman said.

‘Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on this specific case as it is currently the subject of official proceedings.’

According to Ms Fazzolari’s LinkedIn profile, her role at SBS involves ‘overseeing the annual events calendar for the Audio, Languages ​​and Content department’.

She is also responsible for “designing merchandise that can be given away at each activation event that is eco-friendly, reusable, culturally appropriate, and budget-friendly.”

Anti-Discrimination NSW’s investigation into her claims is ongoing.