How the NSW Liberals have become snared in the Mark Latham scandal
The NSW Liberal Party is under fire for its willingness to work with embattled upper house MP Mark Latham, who has been accused of domestic violence, engaging in “sordid” sexual trysts in his parliamentary office and exchanging offensive messages about female colleagues.
Acting Opposition Leader Damien Tudehope on Thursday would not rule out working with the rogue MP on legislation, and declined multiple opportunities to say whether he would again have dinner with Latham given the gravity of the accusations.
The pair are known dining companions and Tudehope and Latham have jointly written amendments to the NSW government’s controversial workers’ compensation legislation, which includes changing the meaning of sexual harassment.
Premier Chris Minns called on the Liberals to “cut that string”, arguing “their party is being damaged” by the association with the controversial former federal Labor leader. Tudehope accused Minns of using the scandal for political advantage.
Senior Labor figures have condemned Latham for alleged behaviour towards women that has emerged this week, including his former partner and parliamentary colleagues. Housing Minister Rose Jackson labelled him a “pig”, while Minns said in a typical workplace, “he’d be gone tomorrow”.
Latham’s former partner Nathalie Matthews is pursuing an apprehended violence order against him, citing allegations of emotional, physical and financial abuse, including pressuring her into “degrading sexual acts”. Latham strongly denies these allegations.
Acting Liberal leader Damien Tudehope would not rule out working with Mark Latham.Credit: Janie Barrett
The MP is also the centre of allegations that he took photos of female colleagues and made disparaging remarks about them in text messages published in The Daily Telegraph, and of claims revealed by this masthead that his parliamentary office was used to film “sordid” sexual trysts.
When asked if Tudehope would commit to never meeting Latham for dinner again, Tudehope refused to definitively cut ties with the rogue MP.
“If he asked me to have dinner with him tonight, I have to say, I’d be very, very reticent about having dinner with Mark Latham tonight,” he said.
“Having said that, I hope, and this is my sincere hope, that the message goes to Mark Latham that what has occurred and what his behaviour has elicited in terms of the public perception of him, changes his behaviour. Now that’s what we should all be hoping for.”
Housing Minister Rose Jackson on Thursday morning.Credit: Steven Siewert
After saying Latham should apologise for his actions towards female MPs, Tudehope said he would continue to champion the workers’ compensation amendments he wrote with Latham, which include changing the meaning of sexual harassment to include a test that a perpetrator “knows, or should reasonably know” that their actions are sexual harassment.
“I am happy to work with him to get his support for what we think is a decent outcome for seriously injured people,” he said.
Among the women Latham took photos of was Liberal MP Susan Carter. On Thursday afternoon, Latham called Carter to apologise for the image he took of her. She said she appreciated the call and wanted to move on from the incident.
Jackson, who along with Carter and Labor’s leader in the upper house, Penny Sharpe, works in the Legislative Council with Latham, said: “He’s a pig.”
Mark Latham with his former partner Nathalie Matthews in 2024.Credit: Instagram
“Obviously, it’s extremely confronting for me to think that in a workplace, there’s someone who thinks it’s acceptable to take photos of you to share them with derogatory comments. In any other workplace, you’d be shown the door immediately, and rightfully so.
“I make no comments about the specific allegations. I hope they’re dealt with in the proper processes, but I don’t like working in a workplace with someone like that who thinks that kind of behaviour is acceptable. It’s clearly not acceptable.”
In his first interview since the scandal emerged, Latham told radio station 2SM on Wednesday: “I had a sex life that I’ve got to say was fantastic.”
Sharpe will move to refer Latham to the privileges committee for censure over his action last month, when he used parliamentary privilege to reveal the contents of a psychologist’s report concerning his political nemesis Alex Greenwich, which was the subject of a confidentiality order.
“He uses personal ridicule, he is very happy to use parliamentary privilege to attack people individually, for example, people like Alex Greenwich. And he’s also attacked people outside parliament, [including] public servants,” Sharpe told ABC’s Hamish McDonald.
Matthews, a Liberal Party member, businesswoman and former OnlyFans creator, will have her AVO application heard in a local court hearing on July 30. In court documents, Matthews alleged Latham pressured her into “degrading sexual acts”.
This masthead does not suggest the claims against Latham are true, only that they have been made and will be contested in court.
Latham described the leaked messages to media outlets, including sexually explicit messages allegedly sent by Latham while at parliament, as part of “some personal or political campaign to try and damage me”.
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