BREAKING NEWS Mark Latham addresses 'sex on the Parliament House desk' PORN video claim in blunt text to reporter
The independent NSW upper house member has been using social media for the past two days to respond to accusations made by ex-girlfriend Nathalie Matthews.
Ms Matthews has claimed Mr Latham inflicted 'a sustained pattern' of psychological, financial and emotional abuse against her for almost three years.
The businesswoman is seeking an apprehended violence order against the politician, alleging Mr Latham engaged in vile acts 'including defecating on me before sex and refusing to let me wash'.
She further alleges his behaviour involved 'pressuring me to engage in sexual acts with others, demanding I call him "master", telling me I was his property, and repeatedly telling me that my only value to him was for sex to demean and control me'.
Mr Latham has now shared on X a text message from Sydney Morning Herald crime reporter Perry Duffin in which the journalist politely asked if he wished to comment about another rumour about his sex life.
'Apologies in advance for the sensitive message,' Duffin wrote.
'We are being told that there's a video of you/your partner involved in sexual activity in your parli office on your desk. Wondering if you dispute that?'
Ms Matthews (right) alleges in a restraining order application that Mr Latham (left) engaged in vile acts 'including defecating on me before sex and refusing to let me wash'
Mr Latham responded: 'You're asking me to dispute something I haven't seen put to you (and maybe you haven't seen it) by "we are being told".
'Is this really today's journalism? Grow up. You're obviously a clown.'
In the same post, Mr Latham wrote: 'This is becoming a regular media request to me: From the rag Sydney Sexy Herald.'
'Nothing to do with the court case. No suggestion of any law or rule broken. Sick puppies. Today's media.'
The former federal Labor leader has categorically denied he 'abuses women' and insisted all his dealings with Ms Matthews were entirely consensual.
Leaked WhatsApp messages reported by The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday allegedly show sexually explicit exchanges between Mr Latham and Ms Matthews.
Mr Latham told Daily Mail Australia the outlet's reproduction of the messages was 'not accurate'.
It is also not suggested the claims of abusive behaviour are substantiated, only that the allegations have been made.
The leaked WhatsApp messages include a series of sexually charged interactions during parliamentary sitting hours on February 20.
'Very hard thinking about you,' he wrote to Ms Matthews shortly after 11am, before following up with a series of suggestive emojis.
'Need badly to taste you,' he wrote that afternoon, alongside an emoji of a tongue.
'Made it back for first vote after dinner,' he said at 8.38pm.
Mr Latham told the outlet the communications did not impact his work.
The tranche of leaked messages includes more explicit exchanges - too graphic to publish - spanning back as far as October last year.
On several occasions, Mr Latham is referred to as 'master'.
Mr Latham said Ms Matthews sent him images during parliamentary sittings, 'seeking a response', and that he could not describe them due to 'an abundance of caution about the revenge porn laws'.
'I don't think responding to a consensual partner on a private, intimate matter in any way has reduced my workload, which I would match up against any other member in the place,' he told The Daily Telegraph.
Mr Latham described Ms Matthews's allegations as 'comically false and ridiculous' in a post to X on Monday night.
In an interview with Chris Smith on 2SM on Wednesday morning, Mr Latham did not deny sending lurid texts to Ms Matthews from the floor of state parliament.
'The big news is I had a private life,' he said. 'I had a sex life and I've got to say it was fantastic.'
'If I'm the only person in Australia who in a work environment engaged in a bit of playful sex talk with their partner, then I'll buy everyone a lottery ticket tomorrow.'
Mr Latham noted the AVO case against him was being brought privately after NSW Police chose to not pursue the allegations.
'There is a court case pending because she's lodged a private AVO application,' he said.
'She tried to get an AVO with the police... I think that tells you a lot about the substance of the matter.
'But I can say in relation to that, just about all the things she's complaining about, she initiated in consensual arrangements.'
Ms Matthews's ex-husband Ross Matthews has also commented upon his former wife's claims on social media.
The pair married seven years ago but that union reportedly ended in 2022, before Ms Matthews began dating Mr Latham.
Ms Matthews claims Mr Latham proposed to her during their affair - but he dismissed their time together as just a 'situationship'.
Mr Matthews moved to distance himself from the row and begged not to get involved.
'Please stop messaging me,' he posted on X after the scandal erupted. 'I don't speak to Nathalie and do not care. Thank you.'
It is understood Mr and Ms Matthews, who lived at Cronulla in Sydney's south, were both Liberal Party members.
On Wednesday, Latham alleged the couple were still actually married while he was seeing Ms Matthews.
'Now The Australian is "reporting" that I proposed to Nathalie Matthews in May last year,' he posted to X.
'They missed the joke: she was still married to Ross Matthews, and maybe still is to this day.'
Mr Latham has said he had 'scores of documents' to support his claims and that he would rely on those documents to defend himself.
'As the old saying goes, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,' he wrote.
Ms Matthews, who runs an e-commerce global logistics firm based in Dubai, Perth and Sydney, has applied for an interim order barring Latham from coming within 100 metres of her.
She cited 'ongoing, reasonable fear of harassment, intimidation, and potential harm' in documents filed in the local court, as reported by The Australian newspaper.
She also alleged 'physical violence' incidents, including pushing her against walls, forcing her out a door, throwing a plate at her during a row. She also claimed he drove at her with his car, hit her with the side mirror and caused a bruise.
Mr Latham is further accused of 'systematically undermining' Ms Matthews to 'control and isolate' her by comparing her 'unfavourably to other women and acting as if he would 'harm himself' to manipulate her.
Ms Matthews accuses Latham of forcing her to cover the cost of holidays abroad 'under duress', making her purchase expensive goods, and coercing her regarding her father's will for his benefit.
She claims she experienced 'constant fear and hyper-vigilance' since her arrival home from a June trip abroad, alleging all past break-ups with Latham featured a repeated 'pattern of harassment and intimidation'.
She alleges: 'The defendant has held intimate photos and videos of me, and I have been afraid he would expose them to shame and control me if I attempted to leave or resist his demands.'
Latham denied all accusations to The Australian.
'Nothing has been served on me nor has anyone contacted me,' he told the newspaper.
'I haven't had anything to do with her (Ms Matthews) since 27 May, so nearly seven weeks ago. I ended the 'situationship' that night for very good reason.'
The matter will be mentioned in Downing Centre Local Court on July 30.
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