A target of Latham’s disparaging messages, Abigail Boyd is directing her anger elsewhere

A Greens MP who has previously held private meetings with Chris Minns to urge Labor to take a tougher stance on Mark Latham’s conduct in parliament has attacked the premier’s “stunning hypocrisy” for linking revelations about his conduct in parliament to the government’s controversial workers’ compensation reforms.

Abigail Boyd, who was one of the female parliamentarians to feature in disparaging messages sent by Latham to his ex-partner Nathalie Matthews, has a long and difficult history with the rogue MP.

Greens MP Abigail Boyd has blasted Premier Chris Minns for using the allegations against Mark Latham as a “political opportunity”.Credit: Jessica Hromas

Last year, concerned about “ongoing sexism” in NSW parliament, she sought a private meeting with Minns in a bid to force Labor to take Latham’s and other male upper house MPs’ conduct more seriously.

But after revelations about Latham’s conduct – including the taking of photographs of Boyd and other female MPs in parliament, and referring to her wearing “f--- me boots” among other disparaging comments – her anger is reserved for Minns over what she says is the “terrifying speed” at which the premier “used this as a political opportunity”.

“This attempt to try and shame us into not working with someone because it’s politically inconvenient for him is stunning,” she said.

“He’s so very clearly, without so much as taking a breath, used these serious allegations against Latham to talk about the Greens and Coalition not voting with him on workers’ compensation. The speed at which he has seen it as a political opportunity is terrifying.”

Boyd, who until now has not commented on Latham’s messages about her, said it was “probably telling that I wasn’t surprised”.

“It is an unfortunate fact for most women, particularly those who make it into leadership or high-profile roles, that this kind of objectification, and I guess, boiling us down to what we look like rather than the work we do, is so common place,” she said.

“This was a private message that he [Latham] didn’t actually intend for me to see, so I have accepted his apology.”

Instead, her anger is reserved for the premier. After passing the lower house with support from progressive crossbench MPs including Alex Greenwich after he moved amendments, Labor’s bill has been blocked in the upper house thanks to a voting bloc comprising Coalition, progressive crossbenchers including the Greens and Animal Justice Party, and Latham.

Greens MP Abigail Boyd has long had an antagonistic relationship with Latham over her push for changes to the culture inside NSW parliament.Credit: Jessica Hromas

While this masthead previously reported the government had worked hard to lobby Latham to support its workers’ compensation bill, Labor has sought to capitalise on the accusations against him by focusing on the Coalition for working with the former One Nation MP on amendments to the legislation.

The amendments include changes to the definition of sexual harassment to include whether a perpetrator knew “or should reasonably know” their actions were sexual harassment.

Minns has urged the Coalition to “cut that string”, while Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has said the change to the definition of sexual harassment would mean a victim would have to “prove their perpetrator deliberately wanted to hurt them”.

That, said Boyd, is an example of “stunning hypocrisy” because it is Labor’s bill that creates definitions of sexual harassment, bullying and racial discrimination that injured workers would have to meet.

The bill has also been criticised by unions, in part because of what they say will be the disproportionate impact on female-dominated industries such as nursing from changes that would make it harder for people with psychological injury to receive workers’ compensation.

In a statement, a spokesman for Minns said the government “totally rejects” the assertion its criticisms of the Coalition and Greens were hypocritical, and it was a “belated political response from the Greens and Abigail Boyd after months of the government calling out Greens-Latham co-operation”.

Minns’ repeated attacks on the Coalition have raised eyebrows among MPs because of Labor’s willingness to lobby Latham on bills and, in some cases, work with him on specific amendments to legislation. His description of Latham last month as a “shameful bigot” following remarks made against anti-domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty, independent MP Alex Greenwich and the Jewish community also came after the MP opposed the workers’ compensation reform.

“I sat there and watched them trying to win over Mark Latham to supporting their bill,” she said. “This idea that they won’t work with him is laughable. If they had his vote, or if they needed it, we would not be hearing any of the criticism we are at the moment.”

Boyd, who has long had an antagonistic relationship with Latham over her push for changes to the culture inside NSW parliament, met Minns in February last year to raise the issue of Labor’s “track record on dealing with sexism in the parliament” after becoming fed up with the “permissiveness” of some MPs, including Latham.

That included, she said, voting against a motion she moved to have parliamentary standing orders updated ”to require respectful behaviour in both Houses”. Labor subsequently supported the referral.