‘Outrage industry’ has me wrong over ‘tawdry tweet’ says Latham

NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham is under fire after using a racial slur to criticise debate host Sarah Abo, with acclaimed Indigenous actor Nakkiah Lui joining the condemnation.

One Nation MP Mark Latham has been slammed by social media users and his own parliamentary colleagues after he played on Nine presenter Sarah Abo’s last name to tweet a racial slur.

Mr Latham took to Twitter on Sunday night to write “Never trust an Abo with something as important as that” after the 60 Minutes host moderated the chaotic debate but the use of “an” before her last name has left people “flabbergasted”.

Australians and Aboriginal Australian and Liberal Party politician Warren Mundine said: “He was being too smart and too clever.”

“He can’t ignore what he’s done. Even if he said people are reading into something he didn’t say, he needs to explain why did he say that (“an Abo”). He just can’t get away with that type of stuff. Everyone knows I’m a conservative Aboriginal but it’s just the worst thing you can be called.”

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said the comments were “shameful and horrific”.

Mark Latham's tweet during the leaders' debate last night.

“If that’s the link he was trying to make, it’s shameful and horrific and not part of our public dialogue. And hopefully, he clarifies what he’s talking about or apologises for it today,” he said.

“Unless you did an outstanding job in difficult circumstances, there wouldn’t be much more of a high pressure job than moderating a leaders debate two weeks before the federal election on Sunday night, and she did an extraordinary job. No one deserves that kind of ridicule and abuse.”

Sarah Abo hosted Nine’s leaders’ debate on Sunday night.

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean also rebuked Mr Latham for his conduct.

“Mark Latham’s appalling trolling on social media again proves Australia got it right when they rejected him. His thinly veiled racist comment here is clearly deliberate. Race is not a political punchline – words like that are hateful and divisive. Just like Mr Latham,” he wrote on social media.

Actor and comedian Nakkiah Lui said Mr Latham’s comments were “vile” and appeals to “a hateful part of Australia”.

A leader in the Australian Aboriginal community, comedian Nakkiah Lui condemned Mr Latham’s tweet. Picture: Justin Lloyd

“I remember the first time I got called an ‘abo’ and that was when I was in kindergarten playing tag and another kid called me an ‘abo’ and I had to go home and ask my parents what that meant. I have seen my father called an ‘abo’, I have seen people call the word ‘abo’ out to family members in incredibly hateful ways and it makes me emotional,” she said.

“I think it is sad to get on Twitter and throw that word around to get a few clicks to be relevant when he at one point could have changed the world.”

Nine’s Director of News and Current Affairs Darren Wick described the tweet referencing their employee Ms Abo as “a disgrace, racist and totally unacceptable” and revealed the media company will be reporting the comments to authorities.

“The tweet from Mark Latham last night is a disgrace, racist and totally unacceptable. Sarah Abo is an outstanding journalist and handled the robust nature of a debate of this scale with intelligence, calmness and professionalism. That can’t be said for Mr Latham’s tweet, we will be reporting his comments to authorities,” Mr Wick said.

NSW Upper House MP Mark Latham. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

When pressed on what he meant by the tweet, Mr Latham told The Daily Telegraph that he was referencing Ms Abo and that the meaning of words is up to the writer and not the listener.

“The outrage industry fails to understand how words can have multiple meanings, and the true meaning lies with the speaker not necessarily the listener,” he said.

When asked why he added “an” before the word “Abo” if he was only referring to Ms Abo as the individual, Mr Latham responded: “That’s like Bill Clinton and it depending on what the meaning of ‘is’ is.”

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson did not comment on Mr Latham’s tweet.