‘I had a private life': Latham responds to domestic violence allegations
In submissions to the NSW Local Court, Nathalie Matthews, the independent MP's former girlfriend and a Liberal Party member, alleged the former One Nation MP engaged in a 'sustained pattern' of abuse, including emotional, psychological and financial manipulation.
Her AVO application claims Latham pressured Matthews to have sex with other people and participate in depraved acts, and drove his car at her, with his side mirror hitting her and 'causing a bruise'.
This masthead does not suggest that the claims against Latham are true, only that they have been made and will be contested in court. Latham has denied the accusations.
Speaking on Sydney's 2SM on Wednesday, Latham said the allegations were 'absolutely' untrue and he would defend himself in court.
He also addressed explicit messages between the couple published in the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, which were sent while the former One Nation MP was sitting in the parliamentary chamber. Latham claimed they were 'edited' and lacked context.
In the messages, sent via WhatsApp, Latham sent sexually suggestive emojis and referred to himself as 'master' at times when parliament was sitting.
Asked by 2SM mornings presenter Chris Smith if he sent the messages while at work, Latham defended his actions and his record as an MP 'holding the Minns government to account'.
'My output as an MP matches up against anyone in the upper house,' he said. 'Sitting there listening to Penny Sharpe droning on, and then a woman who looks like Nathalie Matthews sends you a message. Which one would you pay attention to?'
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Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
NSW Labor vowed to never work with Mark Latham. The reality is more complicated
'They wanted our support,' Roberts said. 'It wasn't a one-off, they were constantly chasing us. This idea they won't work with Latham is bullshit. You only have to sit there and watch the footage in the chamber when parliament is sitting and watch certain ministers go and sit beside him and chat with him. Loading 'I know and can say that he's had texts of support from some Labor MPs in the last couple of days.' Nor can Labor claim to have a zero-tolerance policy towards MPs with questionable track records. In 2022, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak was captured on camera saying a female MP should have been 'clocked' following a fiery debate in parliament. Despite Labor MPs calling on Borsak to apologise at the time, in government they have continued to work with him. Last month, this masthead revealed Minns had opened the door to a Shooters plan to establish a new 'hunting authority' and pay bounty hunters to kill feral animals. Minns has pointed out the government doesn't 'accept' votes on legislation, and, unlike a normal workplace, he has no power to restrict Latham's conduct in parliament. At the same time, he has also criticised the Liberals and crossbench parties such as the Greens for having 'backed each other's motions'. But ministers regularly negotiate with him. In March, during debate over a bill to establish a new governance model over SafeWork NSW, the government MP leading the debate thanked Latham for his 'carefully considered amendment' to the bill which had been drafted 'in consultation with the minister's office'. The allegations against Latham are yet another chapter in the long and unsavoury history of politics in this state. Rape allegations against a Nationals MP aired in the parliament, the alleged harassment of a female journalist by Labor leader Luke Foley, and the former NSW Labor general secretary, Jamie Clements, who quit in 2016 facing sexual harassment allegations. The Broderick Report, released in 2022, was a shocking indictment on the parliament's culture. The report found five people had experienced attempted or actual sexual assault. There was a culture of 'systemic and multidirectional bullying' in parliament, it found. More than a third of respondents said they had been bullied or sexually harassed over the past five years, and some offices were 'well-known hotspots'. It also found that almost half of sexual harassment incidents in the past five years were perpetrated by MPs. Loading Despite that, by June last year, only 6 per cent of MPs had taken part in a workplace culture program set up following the report's release. That figure has since risen to 48 per cent of MPs who have done the first stage of the training. Only 39 MPs, or about 29 per cent, have done both stages. The Department of Parliamentary Services did not directly respond to a question about how many of the Broderick report's 31 recommendations had been implemented, but pointed to a $15 million funding announcement made by the government in 2023 to help put the changes in place. They included 10 new human resources staff members. 'Key areas of change have transitioned to ongoing arrangements, including a commitment to ensuring that the parliament has the resources needed to support staff and promote a safe and respectful workplace,' a spokesperson for the department said. However, progress on other reforms has been slow. A parliamentary committee set up after Labor came to power in 2023 to review the implementation of Broderick's recommendations has yet to hold any hearings, and submissions only closed last month. A separate inquiry into the Independent Complaints Officer, which is supposed to deal with internal bullying and harassment claims, found most complaints were not investigated because they were outside its remit.
West Australian
a day ago
- West Australian
Embattled politician Mark Latham claims relationship with Nathalie Matthews was ‘sexed-up' but consensual
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ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Mark Latham denies breaching parliamentary rules, abuse allegations in lengthy statement
Independent NSW MP Mark Latham has again denied breaking any laws or breaching legislative standing orders in a lengthy public statement addressing allegations of inappropriate behaviour in state parliament. The former federal Labor leader has faced mounting political pressure over media reports alleging emotional and physical abuse of his ex-partner Nathalie Matthews, and that he allegedly participated in a consensual sex video in his office. Ms Matthews is pursuing a civil court apprehended violence order against Mr Latham, with media reports she is accusing him of a "sustained pattern" of abuse and pressuring her into "degrading" sex acts. Mr Latham has emphatically rejected those claims as "nonsense". In a lengthy address to the media in south-west Sydney on Saturday, Mr Latham refused to confirm or deny whether he had sex in his office. But Mr Latham insisted he had no knowledge of any video, following reports by the Sydney Morning Herald. "I have checked my devices and I can't find any material [Ms Matthews] has filmed involving me, and that includes New South Wales Parliament House," Mr Latham said. But Mr Latham admitted he had made a "mistake" following media reports he allegedly took photos of female colleagues speaking in parliament and made disparaging comments about them in private messages. "I have apologised to both Susan Carter and Abigail Boyd and they've accepted my apology for which I thank them both sincerely," he said. NSW Premier Chris Minns has this week suggested Mr Latham be investigated by the privileges committee following the allegations about his behaviour in parliament. But Mr Latham has again insisted he broke no standing orders in parliament and he has not been notified of any complaint about his conduct. He also directed his attacks at the media, accusing it of "reckless and irresponsible journalism". Ms Matthews has been contacted for a response.
