New details in Amber Sherlock’s case against Nine allege she was told her job was not at risk.
New details have emerged in former Nine presenter Amber Sherlock’s legal case against the network.
According to (Nine owned) Australian Financial Review, Sherlock claims that around August to September last year, she had a meeting at the BarLume cafe on the ground floor of Nine’s headquarters in North Sydney with head of news Fiona Dear.
Sherlock claims Dear told her that her job was not at risk as the company sought to cut costs.
“You’ll be here forever, we’ll wheel you and Pete [Overton] out of here,” Sherlock alleges Dear told her.
However, by November 10 she alleges Nine Sydney news director Michael Best told her that her role was being made redundant as jobs were slashed in its broadcasting and streaming division last November.
Sherlock, in her Federal Court legal documents, alleges a letter from Nine stated the company would explore redeployment opportunities. She expressed interest in three NSW-based journalist roles that were vacant, however two days later, Besst said there were no redeployment prospects available in the Sydney newsroom.
“Nine’s decision to redeploy the individuals identified … was taken because each of those individuals is at least 10 years younger than the applicant,” Sherlock’s court documents state.
“Nine does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of age or any other factor. We strongly reject any suggestion that this influences any decision to remove a role that is no longer required in our business,” a Nine spokesman said.