Like a cockroach that can't be killed, Mark Latham has crawled around public life for too long. He must go
Regrettably, Australia is stuck with one of Whitlam's less desirable achievements: Mark Latham. Few did more to build Latham up as a potential prime minister than Whitlam, and it is still remarkable that he and other Labor types saw fit to think this toxic political figure could lead our country.
In fairness to the then caucus, Latham's behaviour has deteriorated with time. But there were plenty of early warning signs when, in December 2003, Labor MPs voted 47-45 to replace Simon Crean with the fiercely bright but deeply flawed then member for Werriwa. As the Herald 's Deborah Snow and Damien Murphy reported at the time, many around Latham knew he was an erratic loner fundamentally unsuited to the role his party had entrusted him with.
Voters saw through the charade and thoroughly rejected him at that year's poll. But like a cockroach that can't be killed, Latham has crawled around public life ever since, surviving or succumbing to various scandals during stints at Sky News and The Australian Financial Review, and political flirtations with the Liberal Democrats and then One Nation. Each scandal had common threads, chief among them Latham's extreme nastiness, disrespect for women and sense of superiority over all others.
It was on the platform of One Nation that Latham was elected to the NSW Legislative Council in 2019. Ever the opportunist, Latham quit ahead of the 2023 election so he could run again and secure a fresh term on Macquarie Street. Latham and Pauline Hanson's awkward match detonated later that year, and Latham is now an independent on the crossbench. That said, Latham has not always been alone in parliament: he's been repeatedly wined, dined and courted by Liberals who should have known better than to mix with this stain on public life.
Because upper house MPs are given eight-year terms, Latham is entitled to stay in NSW Parliament until 2031. This would be a bad outcome even if Latham had been on his best behaviour. But given his deplorable conduct in parliament over recent years, NSW MPs may need to contemplate a difficult, complex change in the rules.
Should Latham remain an elected representative? The Herald strongly believes he should not. In our view, Latham disqualified himself from office long before allegations this week by his former partner, Nathalie Matthews, of a 'sustained pattern' of abuse, including emotional, psychological and financial manipulation.
An apprehended violence order application lodged by Matthews in the NSW Local Court claims Latham pressured her to have sex with other people and participate in depraved acts, and drove his car at her. The Daily Telegraph also revealed sordid WhatsApp messages Latham and Matthews exchanged while the MP was sitting in the parliamentary chamber. The Herald then reported that Latham's Parliament House office was allegedly used as the scene of 'sordid' sexual trysts captured on video.
In the latest instalment, the Telegraph on Thursday reported that Latham allegedly took photos of female colleagues in the chamber without their knowledge and made disparaging comments about their appearances in text messages.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
13 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Truth about how Australia protects your kids
In an early show of bipartisan goodwill, a Labor childcare Bill is expected to pass through parliament with relative ease, but big issues within the new law are yet to be ironed out by the federal opposition, which is concerned about the children who could be left behind. The new legislation, which was tabled in parliament by federal Education Minister Jason Clare on Wednesday, was proposed in the wake of shocking news out of Victoria where a man is accused of 70 separate instances of child abuse. Joshua Brown, 26, worked at 20 childcare centres between 2017 and May 2025. The Milestones Early Learning and Kindergarten in Greensborough is one of several daycare centres that Joshua Brown worked at. NewsWire / Aaron Francis Credit: News Corp Australia Addressing parliament, Mr Clare said 'mums and dads of thousands of children' were undergoing immense levels of stress and trauma surrounding the wellbeing of their kids. 'Governments of different colours, state and federal, have taken action but not enough and not fast enough. That's the truth,' he said. 'We have to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our children when they walk – or are carried – through the doors of an early childhood education and care service at centres across the country.' Opposition education spokesman Jonno Duniam said he was 'ultimately satisfied' with the proposed Bill, which he said the opposition 'will not delay the passage of … in any way'. 'We'll get these things through parliament this fortnight, but we now need to focus on state and territory governments and what they do to protect children in health care,' he told the ABC's Sally Sara on Radio National on Thursday morning. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the proposed legislation was 'not an idle threat' to childcare providers who didn't toe the line. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'We've got our party room and other arrangements to consider these laws that have only just been introduced, but soon after that I expect they'll be passed and enforced.' Despite the optimism, Mr Duniam said the opposition still had questions for the government about particular elements of the proposed laws. One issue revolves around 'childcare deserts', parts of the country – usually in regional and remote Australia – that have significantly less childcare options than our nation's urban hubs. One feature of the Bill allows the government to withdraw subsidies for centres that perform their child protection duties poorly, but families with no other options may end up bearing the brunt of the punishment. 'A question I've put to the government was 'well, what happens if the funding is withdrawn?' Either a centre is shut and no services are available or, in some cases, when under these arrangements funding would be withdrawn, (the centre) might then send a bill for 100 per cent of the cost to the parents, and that would be unacceptable,' Mr Duniam said. Opposition education spokesman Jonno Duniam said the proposed laws 'only go so far'. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'This is something that remains for interrogation.' When asked if mandatory CCTV would be discussed, Mr Duniam said he was 'kind of baffled' that it wasn't already enforced. 'It is in centres but obviously not mandatory in all jurisdictions. I think the government needs to get it right in terms of its deployment,' he said. 'There are privacy concerns. We know CCTV has been used by perpetrators of these horrendous acts, so while it is a safety measure, we need to make sure appropriate safeguards are in place.'
News.com.au
13 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Jonno Duniam: Childcare bill still needs ‘interrogation' despite fast-track
In an early show of bipartisan goodwill, a Labor childcare Bill is expected to pass through parliament with relative ease, but big issues within the new law are yet to be ironed out by the federal opposition, which is concerned about the children who could be left behind. The new legislation, which was tabled in parliament by federal Education Minister Jason Clare on Wednesday, was proposed in the wake of shocking news out of Victoria where a man is accused of 70 separate instances of child abuse. Joshua Brown, 26, worked at 20 childcare centres between 2017 and May 2025. Addressing parliament, Mr Clare said 'mums and dads of thousands of children' were undergoing immense levels of stress and trauma surrounding the wellbeing of their kids. 'Governments of different colours, state and federal, have taken action but not enough and not fast enough. That's the truth,' he said. 'We have to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our children when they walk – or are carried – through the doors of an early childhood education and care service at centres across the country.' Opposition education spokesman Jonno Duniam said he was 'ultimately satisfied' with the proposed Bill, which he said the opposition 'will not delay the passage of … in any way'. 'We'll get these things through parliament this fortnight, but we now need to focus on state and territory governments and what they do to protect children in health care,' he told the ABC's Sally Sara on Radio National on Thursday morning. 'We've got our party room and other arrangements to consider these laws that have only just been introduced, but soon after that I expect they'll be passed and enforced.' Despite the optimism, Mr Duniam said the opposition still had questions for the government about particular elements of the proposed laws. One issue revolves around 'childcare deserts', parts of the country – usually in regional and remote Australia – that have significantly less childcare options than our nation's urban hubs. One feature of the Bill allows the government to withdraw subsidies for centres that perform their child protection duties poorly, but families with no other options may end up bearing the brunt of the punishment. 'A question I've put to the government was 'well, what happens if the funding is withdrawn?' Either a centre is shut and no services are available or, in some cases, when under these arrangements funding would be withdrawn, (the centre) might then send a bill for 100 per cent of the cost to the parents, and that would be unacceptable,' Mr Duniam said. 'This is something that remains for interrogation.' When asked if mandatory CCTV would be discussed, Mr Duniam said he was 'kind of baffled' that it wasn't already enforced. 'It is in centres but obviously not mandatory in all jurisdictions. I think the government needs to get it right in terms of its deployment,' he said. 'There are privacy concerns. We know CCTV has been used by perpetrators of these horrendous acts, so while it is a safety measure, we need to make sure appropriate safeguards are in place.'
West Australian
23 minutes ago
- West Australian
Australia lifts biosecurity ban on US beef after decade-long review, aim to ease Trump tariffs
Australia has opened the door to more US beef imports by lifting biosecurity restrictions, as the government seeks ways to dampen the blow from Donald Trump's tariff regime. The federal government revealed the changes on Thursday while stressing that the decision follows a decade-long science-based review. 'The Albanese Labor government will never compromise on biosecurity,' Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said. 'Australia stands for open and fair trade - our cattle industry has significantly benefited from this. '(The department) is satisfied the strengthened control measures put in place by the US effectively manage biosecurity risks.' Although the US has been able to send beef to Australia since 2019, any beef raised in Canada or Mexico before being slaughtered and processed in the US was previously barred due to biosecurity concerns. One concern was that Mexico's livestock tracking system could inadvertently lead producers to import beef from parts of the continent where there were disease outbreaks. But the latest announcement will lift the ban on beef sourced from Canada or Mexico after the US introduced more robust movement controls in late 2024 and early 2025 allowing for improved identification and tracing throughout the supply chain. The change could be used as a bargaining chip as Australia continues to push for tariff exemptions from the US after the US president earlier this year demanded Canberra lift the beef import restrictions. Australia is the biggest exporter of beef to the US. According to Bendigo Bank's recent mid-year agriculture outlook, Aussie beef will continue to be on the menu in the US, where herd numbers are in decline due to drought and increased costs of agricultural inputs. Most Australian goods sent to the US currently face a 10 per cent tariff, while steel and aluminium products have been slapped with a 50 per cent tariff. Mr Trump has also threatened a tariff on pharmaceutical imports to the US, which is one of Australia's biggest exports to its ally. Although Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is yet to secure a face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump - after their first scheduled talks were scuppered by the conflict in the Middle East - Australia has largely avoided the brunt of the tariffs as most of its exports are only exposed to the baseline levy. But other aspects of the US-Australia relationship remain uncertain. The nuclear submarine deal between Australia, the US and the UK - under the AUKUS security alliance - could be in peril after the Pentagon launched a review to examine whether the agreement aligns with Mr Trump's 'US first' agenda. However, Mr Albanese has confirmed Australia made another scheduled payment as part of the deal to acquire US nuclear submarines, taking the total paid to $1.6 billion so far. 'It's about increasing ... their industrial capacity' to build the submarines, he told ABC television on Wednesday. Under the $368 billion program, Australia will buy at least three Virginia-class submarines from the US sometime in the early 2030s. A new class of nuclear submarines will be built in Adelaide to be delivered in the 2040s.
