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Labor to keep Latham portrait with note condemning his behaviour

Labor to keep Latham portrait with note condemning his behaviour

9 News7 days ago
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here The official photo of former federal opposition leader Mark Latham, recognising him as an ex-Labor leader, will have a small note added to it condemning his behaviour following calls to have it removed from Parliament House in Canberra. Latham has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. Mark Latham is facing allegations of domestic abuse and innapropriate behaviour in parliament. He has denied any wrongdoing. (Sitthixay Ditthavong) Following calls to have his portrait removed from the Labor party room in Canberra, where it sits among all the party's leaders, caucus chair Sharon Claydon confirmed it will not be taken down. Instead, a plaque will be added with a note which reads: "In 2017 Mark Latham was expelled from the Australian Labor Party and banned for life. "His actions do not accord with Labor values and failed to meet the standards we expect and demand." Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek has previously questioned why Latham's portrait would remain in the caucus room following the allegations levelled against him last week. "I'm sure that there are plenty of people scratching their heads about his portrait being up in the caucus room and giving consideration to whether it's appropriate or not," Plibersek said last week. "I've been on the record about that for a long time...This man has attacked Rosie Batty, told her to grieve in private," Jackson said last week. "This man is well known, on the record, multiple times, as a bigot. "He's one of the biggest bigots in the state." "I've broken no law," he said. "This has gone right down the rabbit hole." Photosd of all the former - and current - federal Labor leaders in Parliament House. (Getty) Latham also addressed his relationship with his former partner Nathalie Matthews, who has accused him of domestic abuse.  Matthews is seeking a private apprehended violence order against her ex, alleging she faced emotional and physical abuse. Latham has denied the allegations. "It's nonsense, complete nonsense," he said. "The police did not involve themselves in the AVO matter, and now Matthews is attacking them for, in effect, not protecting her from herself." Matthews' AVO application will be heard in two weeks. Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) . CONTACT US
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Labor is calling on the government to release the business case for the Marinus Link undersea power cable project, saying that withholding it is a breach of caretaker conventions. Marinus would be a second electricity interconnector between Tasmania and Victoria. A decision by the Tasmanian, Victorian and federal governments on whether to proceed with the project is due by the end of July. A whole-of-state business case was provided to the government by Treasury in May. The government promised to release the case 30 days before its final investment decision, however said the release has been delayed due to the early election. Labor MLC Sarah Lovell said the premier needed to release the business case "as soon as possible". "These are major financial decisions that will be made by the government. "These are long-term decisions and under caretaker conventions one of the prerequisites is that decisions that are being made that will impact on future governments need [to have] all that information released to both the opposition and the government, and we're not seeing that from the premier," Ms Lovell said. On Saturday, Liberal MP Felix Ellis said Labor had not been briefed yet "because no final decision has been made" on Marinus Link. "We'll continue to work through the process. This is an important investment for our state, and we'll be updating the public as well as the opposition in due course," Mr Ellis said. State Energy Minister Nick Duigan also said on Saturday that "all relevant information will be publicly released" only once a decision on the project is finalised. Professor Twomey said the government did not have to be "undecided" before it consulted. "It's fair enough for a government to take a view as to what it wants to do before engaging in consultation," she said. "But if you're saying a decision means that's our final decision and we're not going to pay one iota of attention to anything you say, that would be rather pre-empting the consultation and making it pointless." At the weekend, the government agreed to support a temporary $410 million increase to Bass Strait ferry operator TT-Line's borrowing capacity. Treasurer Guy Barnett said the government received advice from Treasury on July 25 "recommending TT-Line's guaranteed borrowing limit be increased". "[Opposition treasury spokesperson] Josh Willie was briefed on July 26, and the decision was announced the same day," Mr Barnett said. Mr Willie said he received a call just over an hour before the decision was announced. "Jeremy Rockliff's idea of 'consultation' is a last-minute phone call. That's not consultation — that's a courtesy call after the decision had already been made. "When a major policy decision is being made during the caretaker period — especially one that would bind a future government — Labor must be consulted before the decision is made," Mr Willie said. Professor Twomey said caretaker conventions did not outline specific requirements for adequate consultation, rather that was "a matter for the relevant parties to decide". "Telling someone something an hour before you publicise it does seem to be perfunctory in terms of genuine consultation," she said. "As a general principle, that would be something that you would think would not be adequate consultation. "But, again, these are not binding rules. They're just conventions and it's a matter for the political parties to decide how they want to interpret them."

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