Mark Latham has been sacked as the leader of the New South Wales branch of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, after being stonewalled by mainstream media following homophobic comments he made about fellow MP Alex Greenwich. A party source told Guardian Australia the decision was political, as Latham could no longer effectively communicate the party's message.
Pauline Hanson intervened to install a new state executive, making herself temporary leader of the party and its three upper house MPs. Publicly, she cited the party's vote at the March state election and a need for a comprehensive review. However, a source revealed that the mainstream media's refusal to deal with Latham after his outburst was the key factor.
Latham was widely criticised for a tweet in March about Greenwich, which Hanson called 'disgusting'. Greenwich has launched defamation action and lodged complaints of homosexual vilification and sexual harassment. Since the incident, Latham has made only a handful of media appearances, primarily on online radio.
Latham criticised the intervention, claiming it lacked due process and that good party members were removed. He alleged misuse of taxpayer funds was behind the decision, which a Hanson spokesperson denied. The leadership vacancy will be filled by Hanson until a ballot is opened, potentially contested by Latham, Rod Roberts, or Tania Mihailuk.
