Mark Latham’s vulgar slurs against Julie Bishop and reference to ‘spastic bus’
Mark Latham faces new allegations over obscene messages, this time against Julie Bishop and while on a Taiwanese government-funded trip.
Embattled NSW MP Mark Latham sent messages to his former partner mocking the hairstyle of former foreign minister Julie Bishop, and making a vulgar remark about her genitals.
The exchange between Mr Latham and Nathalie Matthews follows leaked messages revealing the former federal Labor leader made several disparaging remarks about his NSW parliamentary colleagues, including taking secret photos of them and criticising their appearance.
The Australian has obtained new messages in which Mr Latham sent Ms Matthews a screenshot of a media article criticising Ms Bishop’s “daring new do”.
“Gawd. What was she thinking?” Mr Latham wrote in the February 2024 messages.
Ms Matthews replied: “Too much wild sex.”
Mr Latham then sent Ms Matthews a vulgar remark, too graphic to publish, about Ms Bishop’s genitals, adding: “And get a new hairdresser.”
In a post on X on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Latham questioned why Ms Matthews was still a member of the Liberal Party.
He posted a screenshot of a message of a selfie sent to him by Ms Mathews with another woman, which was captioned “2 sluts talking business”.
“There are many similar comments made by Matthews against female Liberal MPs,” Mr Latham wrote in the accompanying caption. “If the Libs have a gender problem, maybe this is part of it.”
In separate messages to Ms Matthews in December 2023, also seen by this masthead, Mr Latham said he was “heading off on our spastic bus” while on a Taiwanese government-funded trip.
The Australian last week revealed Ms Matthews, who owns a global logistics firm, had lodged the DVO application accusing Mr Latham of domestic abuse, including defecating on her during sex and driving at her in a car.
Mr Latham has admitted to sending sexually explicit messages to Ms Matthews while on the floor of parliament, but emphatically denies allegations included in the DVO application, and claims they are “absolute rubbish”.
The Australian has also seen messages in which Mr Latham photographed Greens MP Abigail Boyd and Liberal MP Susan Carter without their knowledge and forwarded the images to Ms Matthews. “Meanwhile this is the view I have. Serving the loyal people of NSW,” he wrote alongside the photo of Ms Boyd. “I am a loyal servant.”
Alongside the photo of Ms Carter, Mr Latham wrote: “Then it gets worse … Grandma.”
In another message, Mr Latham said Miranda MP Eleni Petinos “looks pregnant” and suggested he “pinched her bum lightly and she smiled!!”.
“Change of heart,” he wrote of Ms Petinos. Ms Matthews replied: “Haha at least the bitch has someone to get her pregnant.”
Mr Latham on Saturday held a press conference at Camden Park, south of Sydney, in which he said he had “apologised to both Susan Carter and Abigail Boyd and they’ve accepted my apology, for which I thank them both sincerely”.
Ms Matthews told The Australian last week one of the reasons she lodged the DVO application against Mr Latham was fear he would leak intimate videos of her, including one allegedly filmed in NSW parliament.
On Saturday, Mr Latham appeared to accuse Ms Matthews of leaking information about the existence of a sex tape filmed in NSW Parliament House that was the centre of other media reports.
He would not deny claims he had sex in parliament, instead asking journalists whether they had had sex in their workplaces.
“I am unaware of any intimate videos Natalie Matthews filmed involving me,” Mr Latham said on Saturday.
“I have checked my devices and I can’t find any material that she has filmed involving me and sent me and that includes NSW Parliament House.
“Members of parliament run their own office,” he said. “These are not matters of public interest.”
Ms Bishop, Mr Latham and Ms Matthews were contacted for comment.
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