Mark Latham, the independent NSW upper house MP, has been accused of inappropriate workplace behaviour, sparking renewed debate about the toxic culture in Australian politics. The allegations, brought by former Liberal councillor Nathalie Matthews, include a “sustained pattern” of emotional, physical and financial abuse. Matthews is pursuing a private apprehended violence order against Latham in the NSW local court.
Latham’s history of controversy is well-documented. He allegedly broke a taxi driver’s arm in a fare dispute, denigrated female journalists, and was sacked from Sky News for derogatory comments about a teenage girl. In 2023, he was ordered to pay $140,000 in defamation damages to independent MP Alex Greenwich for a homophobic slur. More recently, he used parliamentary privilege to publicise Greenwich’s confidential medical records.
NSW Premier Chris Minns described Latham’s alleged behaviour as “troubling” and said he would be “sacked in any other workplace”. However, Minns noted that as an elected MP, Latham cannot be easily removed. “I’m not Mark Latham’s boss, I’m not responsible for him being in parliament,” Minns said.
Observers argue that focusing on Latham alone overlooks a systemic problem. The 2021 Jenkins report on federal parliament found widespread sexual predation and sexist behaviour tolerated in parliamentary workplaces. Political leaders, including Minns and his opposition counterpart, are seen as key to driving cultural change, but formal institutions remain weak.
Latham began his career as a Labor MP, rising to opposition leader in 2004. After losing that year’s election, he left politics, worked as a commentator, and later joined One Nation before becoming an independent. He has six years remaining in his eight-year upper house term.
