Mark Latham, the former federal Labor leader turned independent MP, has been accused of denigrating his former partner online after she filed an application for a restraining order against him. The allegations were outlined in court documents submitted by Nathalie May Matthews, who claims a 'sustained pattern' of abuse and manipulation.
Mr Latham, 64, has denied the allegations, describing them as 'comically false and ridiculous' and insisting he has not broken any laws. Police have not laid any charges against him, and the local court has refused to release the documents as they contain untested allegations.
Ms Matthews' lawyer urged the Downing Centre Local Court to expedite a non-publication order over the 'extremely sensitive' contents of the apprehended violence order (AVO) application. He noted that Mr Latham had addressed the accusations on X, formerly Twitter, and said there was a 'risk of harm to my client'. Mr Latham's lawyer, Zali Burrows, rejected any suggestion of threats to Ms Matthews' safety. Magistrate Susan Horan scheduled a hearing for the non-publication order in October, with a three-day contested hearing over the AVO application to begin on 20 May.
As part of his defence, Mr Latham had sought to subpoena Richard White, the billionaire founder of WiseTech Global, but Ms Burrows confirmed the subpoena would no longer be pressed. A second subpoena directed at Ms Matthews will be narrowed to avoid objections. Mr Latham did not appear in court as he was attending parliamentary question time in the upper house.
Mr Latham has served as a right-wing independent MP since 2023, after leaving One Nation. He has been involved in several recent scandals, including taking photographs of female MPs without their knowledge, for which he has apologised. His official portrait was removed from Labor's federal party room and replaced with a sign explaining he has been barred from the party for life.
