Latest news with #NSW
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: The porn star past of Mark Latham's ex-girlfriend - as she finds herself at the centre of a political storm over his sexts and shocking abuse allegations
Mark Latham's ex-girlfriend was working as an OnlyFans porn star for years before she started dating the former federal Labor Party leader. Nathalie Matthews, 38, has found herself at the centre of a political storm after she accused Latham - her partner of two years - of abusing her and performing degrading sex acts on her. She has now applied for a restraining order against the independent NSW state upper house MP, while intimate texts between the couple have also been leaked. Latham has denied the abuse accusations, claiming that he had 'scores of documents' which would vindicate him, and defended himself as having a 'fantastic' sex life. Now Daily Mail Australia can reveal Ms Matthews' past as an OnlyFans content creator, where she posted graphic images and videos of herself under the suggestive name Bondi C** Sl** from 2019 to 2023. OnlyFans followers typically pay creators for exclusive, usually adult and often explicit, content. Ms Matthews' posts - where she enhanced her appearance with AI face-tuning technology - included raw video footage of herself engaged in sexual intercourse with another person, as well as hundreds of explicit images. Ms Matthews' account has since been taken down from OnlyFans, but the material she posted had spread to online fan sites and forums. Ms Matthews now runs an e-commerce global logistics firm based in Dubai, Perth and Sydney. The dates of the postings also coincided with her unsuccessful bid to be elected a Liberal councillor in south Sydney's Sutherland Shire in 2021. Although she is thought to have been living in the Cronulla area at the time, it's understood she believed the OnlyFans venture would bring in more revenue by using 'Bondi' rather than 'Sutherland' in her online name. Ms Matthews declined to comment on her OnlyFans past but her lawyer told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday that her client 'has been subjected to character assassination, reputational damage and trial by media'. 'Domestic violence is a serious issue in our society. 'Any individual in genuine fear should have the right to seek protection without vilification.' It was revealed this week that Ms Matthews had privately applied for an apprehended violence order against the one-time federal opposition leader, alleging Latham, 64, engaged in vile acts towards her. He has denied the claims. She also claimed Latham inflicted 'a sustained pattern' of psychological, financial and emotional abuse against her for almost three years, demanded degrading sexual acts, asked she call him 'master' and that he threw a dinner plate at her. The allegations are yet to be tested in court. Ms Matthews was previously married to British expat Ross Matthews. Both of them were members of the Liberal Party at the time. Their marriage reportedly ended in 2022, before she began dating Latham. This week, Mr Matthews distanced himself from his ex-wife, breaking his silence on social media to address the furore. 'Please stop messaging me,' he posted on X after the scandal erupted. 'I don't speak to Nathalie and do not care. Thank you.' Latham 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 Latham and Ms Matthews - some of which were sent while Latham was on the floor of Parliament. Latham told Daily Mail Australia the outlet's reproduction of the messages was 'not accurate'. The leaked WhatsApp messages included 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. Latham told the outlet the communications did not impact his work. The tranche of leaked messages included further explicit exchanges - too graphic to publish - dating back as far as October last year. On several occasions, Latham is referred to as 'master'. 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. In a post to X after details of the court drama first emerged, Latham described Ms Matthews' allegations contained in her AVO application as 'comically false and ridiculous'. He did not deny sending lurid texts to Ms Matthews from the floor of state parliament when he spoke to 2SM's Chris Smith on Wednesday. '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 not to 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 has claimed Latham proposed to her during their affair, but he dismissed their time together as just a 'situationship'. She has also accused him of forcing her to cover the cost of holidays abroad 'under duress', making her purchase expensive goods, and coercing her over her father's will for his benefit. 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. 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 May 27, 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.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Child sexual offender caught working at Queensland daycare
A man convicted of sexually abusing a child has faced court in Queensland, after he was caught working at a daycare centre run by his wife. The 44-year-old NSW man appeared in court on Thursday. He was employed at Beenleigh Montessori Early learning Centre, carrying out odd jobs, 7NEWS reported. His wife, 46, was the director at the centre. The man was convicted of sexually abusing a child in NSW in 2007. He spent eight months in prison, and is banned from working with children. On Wednesday night the man was arrested at his Logan home. Police said there have been no reported incidents at the Beenleigh centre. The 44-year-old faced court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to two child protection breaches. He was fined $2000. The owner of the centre said they did not know about the man's criminal history. In a different case, a man has been charged with indecently treating a child at a Brisbane childcare centre run by embattled provider Affinity Education Group. The 21-year-old Cleveland man was charged earlier in July, the Queensland Police Service confirmed on Thursday. 'It is alleged the offence involving a four-year-old child occurred at a Tingalpa child care facility on July 10,' police said in a statement. The man has been charged with one count of indecent treatment of a child. The centre is owned by Affinity, which also employed alleged pedophile Joshua Dale Brown at several centres across Melbourne before his arrest this year. In a statement, the company said it had stood down the Cleveland man after reporting the matter to the police. Sussan Ley says the Coalition 'stands ready' to work 'constructively' with Labor to enact stronger childcare policies and called on the states to 'step up'. This comes after Victorian childcare worker Joshua Brown, 26, was hit with 70 child abuse charges. In a separate incident on Wednesday, a 21-year-old Queensland man was also charged with indecent treatment of a child at a Brisbane childcare centre. Speaking from Moreton Bay, Queensland, the Opposition Leader said parents 'don't have the confidence' or the 'faith and trust' in centres to look after their children and keep them safe. 'Our children are precious and it is disgusting and unacceptable that these incidences have taken place, and it makes me feel physically sick every time I hear of something,' she said. 'It's our young children and babies who are at risk in childcare centres with these hideous individuals on the loose.' Education Minister Jason Clare is set to introduce new legislation that will allow the Commonwealth to pull funding from centres that are not complying with standards and allow anti-fraud officers to undertake snap investigations without a warrant or police presence.
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Mark Latham's alleged behaviour in parliament is a sign of a toxic political culture for women – and that's a much bigger problem to fix
Over the past few years, political leaders around Australia have been called out for tolerating poor behaviour – mostly by male politicians and staff directed at their female colleagues. This time, the focus is on New South Wales MP Mark Latham. Over the years, Latham's behaviour in public life has been characterised by controversy. He allegedly broke a taxi driver's arm in a dispute about a fare; he allegedly denigrated female journalists, and; he's been embroiled in controversy and conflict in his jobs at Sky TV and in his former role as One Nation state leader. But to fixate on an individual is to overlook a bigger problem that still persists in Australian politics. Premier Chris Minns this week described Latham's alleged behaviour in parliament as 'troubling', and said he would be 'sacked in any other workplace'. 'In a typical workplace, he'd be out the door tomorrow but I'm not Mark Latham's boss, I'm not responsible for him being in parliament,' Minns said. Technically, Minns is right. Politicians are elected by voters and cannot easily be removed – for good reason. Each MP runs their office as a kind of fiefdom and is responsible for hiring and firing their staff, which obviously creates vulnerabilities. However, as leader of the NSW government, Minns – and his opposition counterpart – are the only ones who can drive change, complex as it is. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email There is something deeply toxic in our political class and our parliamentary workplaces: aggressiveness is lauded, poor behaviour tolerated, and women face ingrained discrimination that starts within our major political parties. Parliament's formal institutions are weak and designed to deal with other problems – not workplace culture. The worst behaviour has involved allegations of rape in the case of Brittany Higgins, whose assailant, a fellow staffer, Bruce Lehrmann, was cleared in a criminal case of assaulting the then 24-year-old in 2019 in the office of the federal defence minister where they both worked. In a civil defamation case, he was found, on the balance of probabilities, to have assaulted her. Lehrmann is appealing. As the 2021 Jenkins report on federal parliament showed, our parliaments tolerate widespread sexual predation on young female staff, sexist behaviour, and treat the workplace as somehow immune to the standards now common in most workplaces. Latham began his political life as an anointed son of the Labor party. He was feted by the former prime minister Gough Whitlam as his successor in the seat of Werriwa. Federal Labor would go on to choose Latham as its leader in opposition because the party valued his pugnacious style over the more gentlemanly and considered personality of Simon Crean, whom he replaced. After losing the 2004 election, Latham left politics, wrote books and became a media commentator. Controversy trailed him, and he was sacked as co-host of Outsiders on Sky News – a show that thrives on controversy – for derogatory comments he made about a teenage girl. Latham returned to politics in 2017 and joined the right leaning Liberal Democratic party. In November 2018, he left the Liberal Democrats to join One Nation as its NSW state leader. But that too soured when he fell out with the party's federal leader, Pauline Hanson. He now sits as an independent in NSW parliament and has six more years to run of his eight-year upper house term. And the drama continues. Latham's homophobic slur published on X in 2023 against the independent MP Alex Greenwich resulted in him having to make a defamation payout of $140,000. There are now more proceedings before the NSW Administrative Tribunal as Greenwich seeks further remedies. Earlier this month, Latham used parliamentary privilege to publicise Greenwich's confidential medical records from the tribunal. Greenwich has used the lower house on several occasions to hit back. It's not what we elected them to do. Allegations of misuse of parliamentary privilege can be referred to the privileges committee but it cannot deal with the deeper issue of what is acceptable behaviour in a modern 21st-century workplace. The latest Latham controversies are a result of a relationship breakdown with a former Liberal councillor and businesswoman, Nathalie Matthews. She is pursuing a private apprehended violence order against him in the NSW local court and has alleged a 'sustained pattern' of emotional, physical and financial abuse and pressuring her into 'degrading sexual acts'. Police declined to pursue an apprehended violence order and have not laid any charges against Latham, who has strongly denied the claims. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Sordid details have spilled into the public domain about his private life, before any court processes have unfolded. The latest leaks included pictures that Latham is alleged to have taken secretly of female MPs in the upper house and sent to his former partner as text messages with disparaging commentary on the women's appearance. The alleged use of a camera in the chamber will almost certainly lead to another reference to the privileges committee. But how to deal with the bigger question about attitudes to women? 'Mark's attitude towards his colleagues is disgraceful – instead of showing respect he chooses to objectify and degrade,' Liberal MP Eleni Petinos, one of the women referenced in the texts, told the Daily Telegraph. 'It's just grossly inappropriate. We don't walk around to be objectified everyday.' Latham said: 'I've broken no law, no Standing Order of the Legislative Council.' 'Obviously those photos were only ever private but three Liberal women took it upon themselves to work for their publication,' he said. There have also been allegations, alluded to in other leaked text posts, that Latham and his former partner in happier times had sex on a table in Latham's office and filmed the encounter. While this likely happens in other workplaces, it is undoubtedly not acceptable workplace conduct. NSW established an independent complaints officer in 2022 'to receive and investigate complaints about minor alleged breaches of the Members' Code of Conduct and to receive and investigate allegations of bullying, harassment, inappropriate behaviour by members'. But it is unclear what can be done if the offender is an MP. The federal parliament has wrestled with this problem – it set up the Jenkins review and is now in the throes of implementing its final recommendations. This includes the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission that will oversee an independent workplace investigation and sanctions framework to enforce behaviour codes for parliamentarians, staff and other people who work in commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. Federal MPs can be fined up to 5% of their salary, kicked off powerful parliamentary committees, and even suspended from parliament under the law. It also has a remit to improve the culture of the parliament. Ironically, it may be the $140,000 defamation finding and legal costs that spell the end of Latham's career. A bankrupt person cannot sit in parliament, a rule which harks back to an era when only landed gentry could vote and participate in our democracy. It's time for our leaders to make fixing the culture inside political parties and inside parliaments a priority. That means thinking deeply about how to balance the rights of people to elect whom they choose with respectful and modern workplaces. Anne Davies is Guardian Australia's NSW state correspondent
ABC News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Mark Latham's alleged behaviour condemned
Pressure is mounting on the NSW Parliament to take action against former federal Labor leader, now Independent state MP Mark Latham. It comes after media reports of inappropriate behaviour towards female MPs and an allegation he recorded a sex tape in his parliamentary office. Mr Latham has denied any wrongdoing.
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Plane that vanished over the Snowy Mountains is located - as pilot's wife breaks her silence
The wife of a pilot who disappeared while flying over the Snowy Mountains has spoken out as police claim to have located the crashed plane. Brogo resident David Stephens, 74, has been identified as the plane's pilot which failed to land at Moruya Airport on NSW 's Far South Coast about 4.30pm on Tuesday. It was flying from Wangaratta in north-east Victoria. After two days of perilous ground and air searches, police claim to have found what is believed to be the crashed plane. 'About 4.00pm today (Thursday 17 July 2025), a rescue helicopter located what is believed to be the crashed plane near the planes last known GPS location,' a NSW Police spokesperson said. NSW Police have now taken charge of the search, which was previously led by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) with investigations to continue on Friday. Police did not provide any information on Mr Stephens, who is understood to have been the planes sole occupant. A tax accountant by trade, Mr Stephens reportedly planned to retire within months has been described as a respected member of the Sapphire Coast community. The plane was declared missing after it failed to make its landing at Moruya on Tuesday His wife Lynda Stephens said he is an experienced pilot who was proud of the 1966 Beechcraft Debonair plane he housed at Moruya Airport. 'Unfortunately, David disappeared on his flight home on Tuesday, July 15, after having his aircraft inspected,' Ms Stephens told the Bay Post. 'David has quite a bit of experience flying the plane, but we can't know what situation he was facing, and we'll only have answers once they locate the plane and, with that, David.' A NSW Police spokesperson previously said the plane may have crashed within 500 metres of the Dargals Trail, a remote hiking track in Kosciuszko National Park. The circumstances leading to the suspected crash are not clear, but Ms Stephens said her may have made the decision to forge ahead through challenging weather. She told the newspaper he 'must have seen a way over the mountain to decide not to turn back to Wangaratta'. Mr Stephens serves as the secretary for Bega Valley aviation club, Frog's Hollow Flyers. Owner of the club's airstrip, Eric Johnston, told Daily Mail Australia Mr Stephens had served the club for about a year and was 'highly respected' by its members. Search efforts were ongoing since Tuesday, suspended overnight due to 'hazardous' conditions and limited visibility. AMSA first sounded the alarm when it was notified by Air Services Australia that an aircraft had missed its arrival time at Moruya Airport on Tuesday afternoon. Its last known location was near Khancoban in the western foothills of the Snowy Mountains, where the terrain has been described as 'rugged and inaccessible'. Search efforts have been led by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) with assistance from NSW Police, NSW State Emergency Service, NSW National Parks and Wildlife service and Snowy Hydro. A spokesperson for NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday evening crews were navigating 'steep terrain impacted by snow and foggy conditions'. Meanwhile, an AMSA Challenger rescue jet and two helicopters from Victoria and the ACT are continuing to conduct overhead searches. AMSA response centre duty manager Dan Gillis said search efforts were forging on through 'hazardous' ground conditions on Thursday afternoon. 'The ground crew are having significant challenges with access to the region, the trails are heavily snowed in, it's very rugged terrain and very steep alpine terrain that they're trying to navigate through,' he said. Temperatures at Khancoban ranged between five and ten degrees Celsius on Tuesday with snow showers forecast at higher altitudes. Further showers are expected to take place on Friday with temperatures falling as low as minus one degree Celsius.
