Former Labor leader Mark Latham joins Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party in NSW
FORMER Labor leader Mark Latham has confirmed his return to politics, joining Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party in NSW. Latham and Senator Hanson will make a joint announcement on Wednesday morning about the leadership of one of Australia’s most controversial right-wing political parties.
NSW
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FORMER Labor leader Mark Latham has joined Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party.
Latham and Senator Hanson will make a joint announcement on Wednesday morning about the leadership of one of Australia’s most controversial right-wing political parties.
Senator Hanson’s spokesman confirmed Latham will not be on One Nation’s Senate ticket, but refused to clarify his precise role.
Latham is now a political and media commentator after quitting federal parliament early in 2005 following a defeat as Opposition leader to then Prime Minister John Howard in 2004.
He confirmed on Tuesday he would return to politics, saying he would be making an announcement about joining One Nation “soon”.
“Watch this space,” Latham told host Ben Fordham. “You’re getting amazingly close. You’re a political sleuth.”
Speaking on 2GB this morning alongside party leader Pauline Hanson, Latham confirmed he has joined One Nation as the NSW state leader.
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“I am running for the NSW Legislative Council. I am very happy to accept Pauline’s invitation to be the NSW state One Nation leader and head up the Legislative Council ticket. I am doing that for the reason One Nation has the policies and NSW certainly needs a third choice — Labor and Liberal are on the nose,” he said.
Latham said in his new role, he will address “big issues” that “haven’t been addressed by the major parties” such as electricity prices and immigration.
“When you talk about issues like immigration, congestion and over development in Sydney, failings in the education system … political correctness, divisive identity politics, electricity prices have gone through the roof … these are all big issues that are banking up in NSW, they haven’t been addressed by the major parties,” he said.
“I want to provide people with a choice, a third choice, to say you can vote One Nation and have practical common sense solutions to these big issues in our state.”
Latham said the “issues building up” in Australia inspired him to play an active role in politics, rather than sitting on the sidelines and watching on.
“I’m in a position … where I want to get stuck in and play a role as a legislator, as a parliamentarian,” he said.
Hanson said she was “so proud to have Mark on board” to head the ticket in NSW and hopes his presence will force the states’ leaders to make a change.
“It’s going to be so beneficial to the people of NSW to have him as state leader … That means that these major political parties here won’t have their own way. We want full action, make them work for the people of this state. We need policies that are driven with ideas that are driven by good policies to get the state moving and that’s what people are wanting,” she said.
In-between political pursuits, Latham turned to political commentary, signing a contract with Sky News to co-host the Outsiders show. But he was sacked last year after on-air remarks about the sexuality of teenage school students.
Within months, he had announced his return to political life by joining David Leyonhjelm’s Liberal Democratic Party. However, he was understood to be dissatisfied with the party’s advocacy for gun rights.
That stint lasted until September when Latham revealed he was being blocked from running as a Liberal Democrat by the party’s executive branch.
“The Liberal Democrats have got a national executive that’s debating a potential role for me for quite some time and a couple of members there said, ‘Look this thing is such a mess internally, we’re supportive of you but we think you’re a better chance of running in a different party or under a different guise’,” he said shortly before quitting the party.
Latham sparked speculation he was joining One Nation when he recorded a robo-call for Ms Hanson during the Longman by-election campaign this year in which he labelled Opposition Leader Bill Shorten a liar.
“He just lies and lies and lies,” Latham said in the recording.
Ms Hanson is also expected to make an announcement about her future, according to her adviser, James Ashby.
He would not respond to questions about whether she would leave politics and handover to Latham.
Latham declined to further elaborate on his plans when contacted by The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.