Latest news with #ex-Labor
West Australian
22-07-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Latham hears of tweet fallout via video link
Mark Latham had to beam into a courtroom via videolink because of a knee injury as a tribunal was told fellow MP Alex Greenwich's office received a 'barrage' of hateful and threatening messages in the wake of a graphic tweet by the ex-Labor leader. The former Labor leader has faced days of controversy following allegations he abused his former partner, Nathalie Matthews, and sent her sexual messages from the parliament chamber. The member of the NSW upper house has strenuously denied Ms Matthews' allegations, which are untested and contained in an application for an apprehended violence order (AVO) filed in the local court. He not been charged with any criminal offence. Mr Latham's injury was revealed in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Tuesday. Greenwich, an independent Sydney MP, has brought NCAT proceedings against the maverick MP, alleging he was subjected to homosexual vilification and workplace sexual harassment over a graphic tweet by Mr Latham. Mr Latham, through his solicitor Zali Burrows, is contesting the case. Mr Latham did not appear before the tribunal in Sydney on Tuesday, with Ms Burrows telling the court that he had a fractured knee and could not travel. Instead he beamed into the courtroom via video link. The NCAT case is centred on a tweet by Latham, as well as comments made by the former One Nation MP in newspaper and radio interviews. The same tweet was the subject of Federal Court defamation proceedings in which Latham was ordered to pay $140,000 to Greenwich. Federal Court Justice David O'Callaghan ruled in favour of Greenwich during the defamation proceedings, finding that the tweet conveyed the meaning that Greenwich 'engaged in disgusting sexual activities' and that it was defamatory. He also rejected Latham's defence of honest opinion and qualified common law privilege. Greenwich has now launched NCAT proceedings against Latham and his counsel has argued that each of the statements amounted to unlawful homosexual vilification and sexual harassment and that Latham breached the Anti-Discrimination Act. Alexander Graham, who works in Mr Greenwich's office as an electorate officer, told the tribunal the office was inundated with messages in the wake of the Latham tweet. Under cross examination from Ms Burrows, he was asked if Greenwich's office received negative communications at other times, including during the anti-abortion bill debate. Mr Graham said while Greenwich's office did receive letters and emails from people disagreeing with the amendments there wasn't anything 'directly disparaging of Alex'. He told the court the only time he could recall police being called was as a result of the fallout from the Latham tweet. The tribunal heard that some of the abusive calls came from private numbers. 'The abusive phone calls from private numbers, you cannot ascertain they were from genuine haters,' Ms Burrows asked. Greenwich's barrister Prue Bindon objected to the question. Mr Graham later told the tribunal the office received a 'barrage' of hateful letters, emails and phone calls. He said some were written with letters which had been cut from magazines and newspapers. 'There were ones that directly threatened Alex … talking about throwing homosexuals off the bluff,' Mr Graham said. He described some of the communications as 'bizarre' and 'threatening' and that Greenwich's staff began using gloves to open mail. Ms Bindon previously told the tribunal the elements of homophobic vilification alleged in the case hinge on the public act, claiming Latham's comments had incited hatred, contempt or severe ridicule. She said the sexual harassment allegations were in relation to unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in circumstances where a reasonable person would've anticipated it to cause humiliation or intimidation. Ms Bindon also previously said she anticipated the defence would claim Greenwich's reputation was to some extent not damaged. The matter will return to court next month. The hearing followed Labor deciding to keep his portrait in the Labor's Parliament House party room with a note saying he was 'banned for life' from the party in 2017.
Perth Now
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Fresh pain for Latham after sexting scandal
Mark Latham had to beam into a courtroom via videolink because of a knee injury as a tribunal was told fellow MP Alex Greenwich's office received a 'barrage' of hateful and threatening messages in the wake of a graphic tweet by the ex-Labor leader. The former Labor leader has faced days of controversy following allegations he abused his former partner, Nathalie Matthews, and sent her sexual messages from the parliament chamber. The member of the NSW upper house has strenuously denied Ms Matthews' allegations, which are untested and contained in an application for an apprehended violence order (AVO) filed in the local court. He not been charged with any criminal offence. Mr Latham's injury was revealed in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Tuesday. Greenwich, an independent Sydney MP, has brought NCAT proceedings against the maverick MP, alleging he was subjected to homosexual vilification and workplace sexual harassment over a graphic tweet by Mr Latham. Mr Latham, through his solicitor Zali Burrows, is contesting the case. Mr Latham did not appear before the tribunal in Sydney on Tuesday, with Ms Burrows telling the court that he had a fractured knee and could not travel. Instead he beamed into the courtroom via video link. Mark Latham. NewsWire/Monique Harmer. Credit: News Corp Australia Alex Greenwich. NewsWire/Christian Gilles. Credit: News Corp Australia The NCAT case is centred on a tweet by Latham, as well as comments made by the former One Nation MP in newspaper and radio interviews. The same tweet was the subject of Federal Court defamation proceedings in which Latham was ordered to pay $140,000 to Greenwich. Federal Court Justice David O'Callaghan ruled in favour of Greenwich during the defamation proceedings, finding that the tweet conveyed the meaning that Greenwich 'engaged in disgusting sexual activities' and that it was defamatory. He also rejected Latham's defence of honest opinion and qualified common law privilege. Greenwich has now launched NCAT proceedings against Latham and his counsel has argued that each of the statements amounted to unlawful homosexual vilification and sexual harassment and that Latham breached the Anti-Discrimination Act. Alexander Graham, who works in Mr Greenwich's office as an electorate officer, told the tribunal the office was inundated with messages in the wake of the Latham tweet. Under cross examination from Ms Burrows, he was asked if Greenwich's office received negative communications at other times, including during the anti-abortion bill debate. Mr Graham said while Greenwich's office did receive letters and emails from people disagreeing with the amendments there wasn't anything 'directly disparaging of Alex'. Mark Latham. NewsWire/ Jeremy Piper. Credit: News Corp Australia He told the court the only time he could recall police being called was as a result of the fallout from the Latham tweet. The tribunal heard that some of the abusive calls came from private numbers. 'The abusive phone calls from private numbers, you cannot ascertain they were from genuine haters,' Ms Burrows asked. Greenwich's barrister Prue Bindon objected to the question. Mr Graham later told the tribunal the office received a 'barrage' of hateful letters, emails and phone calls. He said some were written with letters which had been cut from magazines and newspapers. 'There were ones that directly threatened Alex … talking about throwing homosexuals off the bluff,' Mr Graham said. He described some of the communications as 'bizarre' and 'threatening' and that Greenwich's staff began using gloves to open mail. Ms Bindon previously told the tribunal the elements of homophobic vilification alleged in the case hinge on the public act, claiming Latham's comments had incited hatred, contempt or severe ridicule. She said the sexual harassment allegations were in relation to unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in circumstances where a reasonable person would've anticipated it to cause humiliation or intimidation. Ms Bindon also previously said she anticipated the defence would claim Greenwich's reputation was to some extent not damaged. The matter will return to court next month. The hearing followed Labor deciding to keep his portrait in the Labor's Parliament House party room with a note saying he was 'banned for life' from the party in 2017.
9 News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- 9 News
Labor to keep Latham portrait with note condemning his behaviour
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
Korea Herald
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Han Duck-soo joins People Power Party, Kim's candidacy revoked
Former Prime Minister and acting President Han Duck-soo joined the People Power Party around 3 a.m. on Saturday, following the party leadership's decision to revoke ex-Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo's status as presidential candidate. Han announced in a press briefing that he has joined the People Power Party as of Saturday and highlighted his goal of helping South Korea 'move forward.' 'I only have one goal – it's to prevent the miracle that's happening from ending and to help South Korea continuously move forward. I believe that is the will of pthe people and the will of my fellow party members,' he added. Ahead of Han's announcement, the party's leadership decided to 'cancel the nomination' Kim following a meeting of the election management committee and emergency committee. The party then opened a new candidate registration process from 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. Kim reportedly reapplied for the process. The party's new presidential candidate will be announced during a national committee meeting scheduled for Sunday. Kim warned to take legal actions against the party's moves as the meeting of the election management committee and emergency committee convened. The ruling party's unprecedented move came amid a growing rift within the conservative bloc over the candidacy merger scenario between Kim and Han. The party leadership had pressured Kim to swiftly unify his candidacy with Han by Sunday, which is the deadline for candidate registration with the National Election Commission. Kim, who officially won the People Power Party's primary race last week refused to heed to the party's request, denouncing it as an 'illegal' plan to replace him with Han as candidate. Han, who was more popular in various opinion polls, compared to Kim, had insisted the merger to be finalized by Sunday. He pointed to the need to better counter Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung, who has led several opinion polls, without dividing the conservative votes. The party's decision to cancel Kim's nomination came hours after Kim and Han held their third meeting over the issue of candidacy merger. The meeting collapsed in less than 30 minutes after it kicked off at 8:30 p.m. at the National Assembly. The previous two meetings also ended without agreements.
West Australian
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
ANDREW MILLER: Federal election result is a woke-up call for stale Libs
Our six-year-old vibes with Ed Sheeran. 'I'm in love with the shape of you,' she belts out in an Aussie schoolyard accent, while working intently on her cat drawing. I hum along until she starts yelling 'I'm in love with your BOD-DEEE.' They grow up so fast, with a new soundtrack for every generation. In 1975, Sweden's ABBA took off in Australia because their raw appeal resonated deeply with our fuss-free culture. 'The winner takes it all, the loser's standing small, beside the victory, that's her destiny.' Gough Whitlam was the biggest loser of 1975, but perhaps he's smiling somewhere today. Following their recent drubbing in the WA election, I suggested a welfare check for the Liberal Party. After Saturday's overwhelming rejection of Peter Dutton, and anything else with even a vague whiff of Trump Down Under, it's time to call the Coalition an ambulance and contact the family. The Liberals as we knew them are toast, jam-side down on the floor. Once a fearsomely professional political machine with a stranglehold on the top end of town, you're now just as likely to find a shiver of besuited ex-Labor ministers scoffing tapas in the boardroom, getting business done. The Coalition took a jump to the Right, and centrist Labor immediately leapt into their leather and velvet seats. The Libs peaked under grumbly John Howard, when he announced his visionary gun buy-back scheme after the Port Arthur massacre, veering away from the failure of the US to govern itself properly. A society built with economically rational bricks requires humane cement to hold it together. Reward for effort, safety for all. Voters respond to leaders that care about them, and we sniff out phony personality makeovers on politicians quicker than Gout Gout goes downhill. No-one was buying Dutton 2.0 with the glasses. The Libs now find themselves leaderless, rudderless and bleeding. The anti-woke panic of red-faced boomer-men has left them looking dated and misinformed. You won't get much sympathy in Australia if you sympathise with neo-Nazi clowns booing during the ANZAC service, or pretend to be protecting women's bathrooms from some imaginary trans menace while failing to acknowledge the true toll of male domestic violence. Australia has sensibly rejected nuclear reactors in favour of solar, batteries and other developing technologies; climate change denial in favour of sophisticated long-term mitigation; rolling back the public service in favour of stronger social safety nets, and banning work-from-home in favour of flexible work arrangements - it's only fair. None of that should surprise anyone, because our working and middle classes are happy to work hard, but not for nothing. We aspire to our creature comforts, but we also want accessible universal healthcare, and our kids to be able to afford housing. We respect science and education, so we voted for improvements to Medicare and HECS relief. We want our Government to thread the needle internationally: trade with China while promoting human rights; respond to alarming US authoritarianism; support the besieged Ukrainians, and condemn the death of innocents everywhere in the middle east. The UN credibly claim that over a thousand healthcare workers - my people - have been killed in Gaza. We expect to have our cake and eat it too, because it is the reasonable promise of our very wealthy, ethical modern democracy. Whether Prime Minister Albanese can get over this surprisingly generous gift from voters and deliver results will determine his legacy. Burn out like Whitlam, lose even his own seat like Dutton, Howard and Tony Abbott, or build a foundation for a century of success - independent of the flailing, failing US. Fernando sat at number one for 14 weeks in Australia - a record that ABBA held for 40 years until Ed Sheeran came along to claim it. It takes time for the world to change, but once it shifts, there's no going back. As the Nobel Laureate sang - the times they are a-changing. 'Can you hear the drums, Fernando?'
