Mark Latham attacks Rosie Batty in first podcast for Triple M on new segment called ‘Lathamland’

AUSTRALIANS are calling for Mark Latham to be sacked after he used a Triple M podcast to take aim at Rosie Batty, and feminists for “demonising men”.

AUSTRALIANS are calling for Mark Latham to be sacked after he used a Triple M podcast to take aim at Rosie Batty, and feminists for “demonising men”.

Mr Latham criticised current Australian of the Year Rosie Batty in his first podcast for a new segment on Triple M, which has sparked an online backlash.

His scathing comments have triggered the start of a petition on Change.org, with hundreds of supporters calling for him to be sacked from Triple M and Channel Nine.

The petition also calls for anti-domestic violence organisation White Ribbon to “distance” itself from Triple M and the “disgraceful podcast”.

“Latham is free to speak, and we are equally free to be disgusted with what he says,” the petition said.

“There is no place in Australia in 2016 for this appalling misogyny.”

Today, White Ribbon Australia fought back in a series of tweets on Twitter, critcising Mr Latham’s views.

Triple M is an official partner of the domestic violence awareness charity for its official White Ribbon Day.

Mark Latham’s views on #DV show a lack of understanding and knowledge of the issue @TripleMSydney @TripleMMelb

— White Ribbon (@WhiteRibbonAust) January 22, 2016

The charity slammed Mr Latham’s claims that domestic violence was used by men as a “coping mechanism”.

#DV is much more than physical violence; it’s never a coping mechanism @TripleMSydney @TripleMMelb #power #control #abuse

— White Ribbon (@WhiteRibbonAust) January 22, 2016

It also stated that while Mr Latham’s views on poverty being the real problem were a “contributing factor”, domestic violence happens everywhere in every class.

#Poverty is a contributing factor, but #DV knows no class distinction @TripleMSydney @TripleMMelb

— White Ribbon (@WhiteRibbonAust) January 22, 2016

#DV is a 100% a man’s issue too! @TripleMSydney @TripleMMelb #whiteribbon #malerolemodels #itstartswithyou #standup #speakout #act

— White Ribbon (@WhiteRibbonAust) January 22, 2016

Triple M’s head of network Mike Fitzpatrick said the station would still work with the charity.

“Triple M stands side by side with White Ribbon and will continue to push conversations about domestic violence no matter how uncomfortable. This is an issue that needs to be spoken about,” he said.

“We call for all men to stand up and hold those who commit acts of violence against women and children to account.”

The former Labor leader has joined Triple M with a new podcast called ‘Lathamland’ that aired on radio today, which listeners were given an early taste of online yesterday.

Mr Latham took on the domestic violence debate, saying he had spoken to a lot of women who were asking why there had been such a “big national push” to stop domestic violence.

In recognising it had come from the work that Rosie Batty has been doing in her role as Australian of the Year, he described her as a “spokeswoman for the left feminist movement”.

He began attacking her, and the way the domestic violence debate had been shaped in Australia.

“A lot of Australians are asking how did that tragedy where a lunatic drugged-out father sadly maliciously killed his own son - how’s that morphed into a generalised campaign against all Australian men?

“That’s the thing that worries me about the domestic violence campaign.

“It’s being run for political reasons. It’s left feminists pushing what they call a definition of patriarchy.

“According to them patriarchy is a social system where all men are genetically engineered to dominate women.

“It’s not the Australia I know”.

Heavy criticism ... Mark Latham spoke about what Rosie Batty has done with the domestic violence debate in Australia. Picture: Eugene Hyland

Mr Latham said he was concerned the debate around the issue had become a “trojan horse” for left wing feminists.

“I worry that the domestic violence debate is being used as a trojan horse to push a left wing feminist position saying that we are a patriarchy.”

He went on to say he was worried that Ms Batty was “causing more harm than good”, saying there was a “demonisation of men” that had emerged in Australia.

“There’s a demonisation of men here, where if you listen to Rosie Batty every man is potentially a wife basher, every woman is at risk,” he said.

He said we should “get away from this nonsense that every woman’s at risk and every man’s a potential wife basher”.

Mr Latham also argued he thought that domestic violence was a “concentrated problem that needs a concentrated, targeted solution”.

“Demonising men and making them feel worse about themselves isn’t going to solve the problem,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s about how men look at women, it’s how the men look at themselves. Blokes have lost their self esteem, they’re welfare dependent, they’ve got other troubles, drugs, alcohol in their life, it’s that loss of self-esteem where I think they use the domestic violence as a coping mechanism to get over all the other crap they’ve got in their lives,” he said.

He claimed “Rosie Batty has been out there generalising” about men, and said a solution could be found in attacking poverty instead of demonising men.

“Demonising men makes the problem worse and if you want a solution, then deal with men in public housing estates and the Aboriginal communities where the problem is targeted ... you would find by attacking poverty rather than attacking men you’ll get a far better solution than the nonsense we’re hearing from Rosie Batty and the other left feminists.”

Mr Latham’s comments have been slammed by the Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre who posted to Facebook, saying it was “incomprehensible”.

Living in fear ... victims of domestic violence are physically, emotionally and financially abused in many cases.

“Mark Latham’s verbal attack on Rosie Batty and the family violence sector is incomprehensible, especially given our data shows more women and children are experiencing family violence than ever before,” they said.

“Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centrereceives an average of 170 calls a day to our Family Violence Response Line - more than 60,000 calls for help last financial year.

“Fifty per cent of women contacting us have experienced threats to kill, strangulation, sexual assault, threats with a weapon, and stalking – the five highest risk factors and predictors of likely serious harm.

“We provide over 16,000 bed nights each year for women and children to escape the immediate risk of serious injury or death.

“The driver of family violence is gender inequality, and gender inequality is everywhere.

“Now, more than ever, we have an opportunity to prevent, respond and hold perpetrators accountable for violence. The solution is in our reach – but we cannot make progress unless women and children are supported and believed.

“Mark Latham’s comments are not only offensive, they are dangerous.”

Many listeners shared their views of his podcast on Twitter since it went online:

Mark Latham to get his own Triple M show? I didn't realise that all of the M's stood for 'meninism' 🙄

— Pearson In The Wind (@LukeLPearson) January 21, 2016

Mark Latham. domestic violence is a "coping mechanism" for men Apologist for #dv, revolting individual #auspol https://t.co/r0bnGkTC0E

— julie (@juliecorb) January 21, 2016

Mark Latham and MMM are gutless wonders: open the phone lines and let listeners unleash on him instead of a monologue ivory tower. #auspol

— Michael Byrnes (@MichaelByrnes) January 21, 2016

5 mins into Triple M podcast brainstorm meeting, and Mark Latham gives you this look pic.twitter.com/GsHlamAcX8

— T (@boourns715) January 21, 2016