Australian media legend Ita Buttrose has released a revealing memoir that offers glimpses into her groundbreaking career while raising questions about what remains untold. Unapologetically Ita, published by Simon and Schuster at $36.95, presents a collection of essays covering everything from corporate leadership to menopause, though it spends surprisingly little time on her journalistic legacy.
A Trailblazer in Australian Media
Buttrose's memoir sketches the portrait of a determined woman who shattered glass ceilings throughout her career. At just 21, she realised she could climb much higher on the corporate ladder than her education had prepared her for. This insight liberated her from a system that limited women's ambitions and self-confidence, steering them only toward jobs considered suitable for females.
Her time working for media moguls Kerry Packer and Rupert Murdoch receives surprisingly brief treatment. She describes Packer as 'a terrific team leader' and Murdoch as emphasising the need to 'understand our marketplace'. More revealing are her accounts of the deeply conservative and sexist culture at Australian Consolidated Press, where the introduction of Cleo magazine shocked the male establishment.
Buttrose faced significant resentment from male colleagues as she rose through the ranks. She recalls being told years later that her time as editor-in-chief at News Limited would have been easier if she'd been a lesbian and worn trousers rather than skirts and dresses.
Feminine Leadership and Corporate Success
Throughout the memoir, Buttrose urges women to understand that perseverance is essential for corporate success, but emphasises they need not emulate men. 'My skills are feminine ones. I cherish them,' she writes, though the book leaves readers wondering exactly what these essentially feminine skills entail.
Her editorial innovations show a keen understanding of her audiences. As editor-in-chief of Sydney's Daily and Sunday Telegraphs, she insisted on dedicating a page to women's sport. She successfully adapted the blokey Sunday Telegraph into a more family-oriented newspaper, incorporating features like children's competitions and a 'Dog of the Week' column for homeless canines.
Buttrose demonstrates particular adroitness in navigating conservative proprietors. When publishing a story about female masturbation, she framed it as a health issue for Sir Frank Packer's benefit. The advancement of women remained her driving force: 'All the things I've done have been driven by that goal.'
The ABC Years: Triumphs and Controversies
The second chapter deals exclusively with Buttrose's controversial tenure as ABC chair, announced as a 'captain's pick' by then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison in February 2019. She inherited an organisation in turmoil following the departures of chair Justin Milne and managing director Michelle Guthrie in 2018.
Buttrose robustly defended the national broadcaster from ideological attacks by the Morrison government. She strongly challenged the Australian Federal Police raid on the ABC's Sydney headquarters in June 2019, calling it 'clearly designed to intimidate'. When she sought assurances from Communications Minister Paul Fletcher that there would be no repeats, she was rebuffed.
Her defence of the Four Corners program 'Inside the Canberra Bubble' represents the high point of her ABC leadership. The program exposed toxic workplace culture in Parliament House and led to the sacking, resignation or demotion of three Morrison government ministers. Buttrose delivered a point-by-point rebuttal to Fletcher's attack on the program, effectively silencing criticism.
However, the memoir conspicuously omits any reference to the Antoinette Lattouf dismissal controversy in December 2023. Lattouf successfully sued the ABC for unlawful dismissal after being taken off air during a five-day relief stint, with the Federal Court awarding her $220,000 in damages.
Emails revealed during proceedings showed Buttrose putting pressure on ABC management to remove Lattouf, suggesting she could 'just come down with a stomach upset or Covid or the flu'. While the court found Buttrose wasn't materially involved in the sacking, her pressure on others remains incontrovertible - a chapter airbrushed from her history.
Beyond Media: Health Advocacy and Personal Challenges
The memoir takes an abrupt turn into Buttrose's substantial contributions to Australian public health. She emerges as neither ideologue nor idealist, but as an opinionated pragmatist willing to harness her profile for good causes.
Her work as chair of the National Advisory Committee on AIDS displayed compassion, tolerance and practical humanitarian help. After caring for her father through vascular dementia, she became an ambassador for NSW Alzheimer's Australia and now serves as patron of Dementia Australia.
Buttrose also writes unflinchingly about her recent extensive back surgery and transition to using a wheelchair, describing the pain, loss of confidence and initial embarrassment with raw honesty that will resonate with many facing similar challenges.
Overall, Unapologetically Ita provides a sketch of the public life and worldview of a woman who gets things done. Yet as University of Melbourne senior research fellow Denis Muller notes, an analytical account of her journalistic career remains a job for another day and another author.
