MP Mark Latham slams new ‘inclusive’ language guide for ODPP staff as ‘monstrosity’

A new PC guide to language used by NSW’s top prosecutors puts clarity in courtrooms at risk, one MP fears. Read what the new guide recommends.

The NSW top prosecutor’s office has put out a new guide telling its employees to ask for people’s pronouns, claiming it’s “more correct and inclusive” to say someone is assigned male or female at birth and that there are such people as “pansexuals”.

The woke Inclusive Language Guide, dated June 2022, was created by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to support “people of diverse genders and sexualities, community and celebrate diversity”.

It also tells its legal eagle staff that “partner and spouse are examples of inclusive language rather than husband and wife”.

And forget about “ladies and gentlemen” — NSW top lawyers are instructed that “saying ‘hello everyone’ is more inclusive”, especially when sending emails.

The advice around pronouns states: “If you’re unsure of someone’s pronoun, you should respectively (sic) and privately ask ‘Can I ask what pronoun you use?’.”

One Nation MP Mark Latham describes the latest “inclusive” language guide instruction the Director of Public Prosecutions as “woke nonsense”.

“In written communication, if unsure of a person’s title, simply don’t include one — use their first and last names — gender neutral titles such as Dr can always be used.”

One Nation MP Mark Latham has raised the issue with Attorney-General Mark Speakman and cites the current Chris Dawson murder trial, saying it was “thankful” that the prosecutor in that case was not following the guide because it would have confused matters to be speaking about partners instead of wives.

Mr Latham fears use of the Inclusive Language Guide by lawyers at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will cloud language used in court trials. Picture: Damian Shaw

“It would have been absurd to be talking about first partner and second partner in that case,” Mr Latham said.

“Nobody in the court would describe one of the daughters as a person assigned a girl at birth. If they did, it would be laughable.”

Mr Latham questioned the appointment of current director Sally Dowling, accusing her of being distracted by “woke word games” instead of making sure paedophiles don’t get out on bail, following a string of revelations in The Daily Telegraph about bail loopholes.

“The fact this language control PC monstrosity is a priority for her is a distraction from her real job,” he said.

Director of Public Prosecutions Sally Dowling.

NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman. Picture: NCA NewsWire.

“The public doesn’t expect the prosecutors to have definitions about pansexuality and all this sort of woke nonsense.

“The three definitions the public wants are criminal, conviction and incarceration.”

Direct of the free market think-tank Institute of Public Affair’s Foundations of Western Civilisation Dr Bella d’Abrera also questioned the guide.

“This is a ridiculous attempt to curtail free speech by dictating which words we can and cannot use,” she said.

“It is worrying that the ODPP appears to be more interested in woke virtue signalling and ‘social engineering’ than it is prosecuting serious offences in NSW.”

“The ODPP should focus on its core business and leave radical gender theory to university Gender Studies departments.”

Mr Latham argued the guide had caused unrest among the highly qualified professional lawyers within the DPP, did not like being told to adopt “bland, irrelevant PC language” which would weaken arguments in court.
Attorney General Mark Speakman said individuals should be respected and supported in workplaces regardless of sexuality and gender identity.

“This does not require some kind of general ban on gendered words like “husband”, “wife”, “ladies’ and “gentleman”,” he said. “I am advised that this is not what the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions guidelines intend to do.”