Mark Latham’s ex-partner says she sought domestic violence order to stop intimate films being leaked
In an emotional interview, Nathalie Matthews speaks for the first time since accusing Mark Latham of domestic abuse.
The ex-partner of former Labor leader Mark Latham says part of the reason she applied for a domestic violence order against him was for fear intimate videos she filmed would be made public, including one recorded in NSW Parliament House.
Nathalie Matthews, speaking exclusively to The Australian for the first time since accusing the NSW upper house member of domestic abuse, said she believed he issued a subpoena for her communications with WiseTech founder Richard White in an attempt to “intimidate” her into withdrawing the DVO application against him.
“He is trying to silence me and assassinate my character,” she said in the emotional interview on Friday.
The Australian this week revealed Ms Matthews, who owns an e-commerce 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”.
In the application, Ms Matthews included her concerns that Mr Latham would leak intimate videos her.
So when media reports this week revealed Ms Matthews had featured in a sexually explicit video filmed in Mr Latham’s office in NSW parliament, it was one of her worst fears come true.
“The fact that it emerged in the news that there were intimate videos in Parliament House of me proves my fears. I said in the DVO that I was scared of these videos coming out, and everyone knows about them,” she said.
“This is the exact reason I went to police for protection, that a private video like this would emerge. They failed to act to protect me.”
However, Ms Matthews said she didn’t want to be drawn “to the lows” that Mr Latham had ventured to this week, and refused to speak about sordid sex claims that had appeared in the media.
Ms Matthews says Mr Latham proposed to her at Sydney restaurant Otto in May last year after more than two years together. Mr Latham, however, has claimed the pair were in a “situationship”.
Asked when the relationship turned sour, Ms Matthews claimed: “His anger is cyclic.”
“There wasn’t a specific time where things went sour, he would get angry and then come back and be really sweet to me,” she alleged. “He’s a master manipulator.”
The Australian has seen a copy of a subpoena issued by Mr Latham’s lawyer, Zali Burrows, to Ms Matthews on Friday as part of Mr Latham’s defence against her DVO application.
Ms Matthews’ emails, texts and OnlyFans direct messages with Mr White – who she connected with on LinkedIn in 2023 after he offered her business advice – have been subpoenaed, as well as travel and hotel reservations, booking confirmations and boarding passes in relation to the software mogul after January 1 last year.
She has been subpoenaed for correspondence with Mr White – who was last year accused by multiple women of exchanging business advice for sex – in regards to trading shares and a copy of bank statements showing payments Ms Matthews received from him or his company.
Ms Matthews told The Australian she believed Mr Latham had used the subpoena as an opportunity to force her to drop the application. “He’s trying to intimidate me to withdraw the DVO,” Ms Matthews said.
The Australian on Friday revealed Mr Latham sent messages to Ms Matthews suggesting Mr White owed her “big money”.
The messages also showed the MP had suggested Mr White would want Ms Matthews to perform oral sex on him to “celebrate” after WiseTech board members quit, leaving him with greater control over the company.
The subpoena also orders Ms Matthews to produce documents relating to her candidate nomination for the Liberal Party in 2021, to produce a copy of her divorce certificate and communications relating to her ex-husband, Ross Matthews.
She is also required to produce correspondence concerning “free accommodation and arrangements for sex” with Bruno and Jean Francois – who, according to the subpoena, own and manage apartments in Phuket, Thailand – and other of her male friends.
Mr Latham on Friday told radio station 2SM he did not know about the DVO application until The Australian put questions to him this week. “The police didn’t proceed with her attempt to get a police AVO,” he said. “Some people say the police throw these things around like confetti. If you can’t get a police AVO then, in the judgment of the police, I’d suggest that there’s not much to it.”
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