‘I had a private life’: Latham responds to domestic violence allegations

10 hours ago 4

Embattled NSW MP Mark Latham has taken a swipe at his former girlfriend, media outlets and a parliamentary colleague in his first spoken comments since domestic violence claims were made against him in documents filed to court.

In submissions to the NSW Local Court, Nathalie Matthews, the independent MP’s former girlfriend and a Liberal Party member, alleged the former One Nation MP engaged in a “sustained pattern” of abuse, including emotional, psychological and financial manipulation.

Mark Latham with his former partner Nathalie Matthews in 2024.

Her AVO application claims Latham pressured Matthews to have sex with other people and participate in depraved acts, and drove his car at her, with his side mirror hitting her and “causing a bruise”.

This masthead does not suggest that the claims against Latham are true, only that they have been made and will be contested in court. Latham has denied the accusations.

Speaking on Sydney’s 2SM on Wednesday, Latham said the allegations were “absolutely” untrue and he would defend himself in court.

He also addressed explicit messages between the couple published in the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, which were sent while the former One Nation MP was sitting in the parliamentary chamber. Latham claimed they were “edited” and lacked context.

In the messages, sent via WhatsApp, Latham sent sexually suggestive emojis and referred to himself as “master” at times when parliament was sitting.

Asked by 2SM mornings presenter Chris Smith if he sent the messages while at work, Latham defended his actions and his record as an MP “holding the Minns government to account”.

“My output as an MP matches up against anyone in the upper house,” he said. “Sitting there listening to Penny Sharpe droning on, and then a woman who looks like Nathalie Matthews sends you a message. Which one would you pay attention to?”

Smith responded: “I am guilty of that on a regular occasion.”

Latham described the leaked messages as part of “some personal or political campaign to try and damage me”.

“The big news is I had a private life,” he said. “I had a sex life, that I’ve got to say was fantastic.”

Smith has faced his own separate allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women, which in 2022 led to his sacking from roles with Sky News and Nine, owner of this masthead.

Smith was alleged to have made lewd comments towards female colleagues and have touched one woman inappropriately at a Sydney bar following a News Corp Christmas party.

Premier Chris Minns said on Wednesday he “hopes the truth comes out” in court about Latham.

When asked if it was appropriate for members of parliament to be sending lewd texts during a session at parliament, Minns said it was a “pretty basic expectation” that members be focused on their constituents when at work.

When parliament resumes in August, Sharpe, who is Labor’s leader in the upper house, will move to refer Latham to the privileges committee after he used parliamentary privilege to share private information from a psychologist’s report about rival MP Alex Greenwich.

“People were warned about this guy for a long time, and we are going to go ahead with those motions, and I’m hopeful it gets wide cross-party support to send a clear message that the kind of behaviour that he’s been up to is completely unacceptable in our democracy,” Minns said.

“These are serious allegations, if they are to be tested in court or some other judiciary that should take place ... I think it’s important that the public knows I’m focused on them, and I hope this is investigated and that the truth comes out.”

Matthews’ AVO application claims Latham pressured Matthews to have sex with other people and participate in depraved acts, and drove his car at her, with his side mirror hitting her and “causing a bruise”.

The application alleges Latham engaged in vile acts, “including defecating on me before sex and refusing to let me wash, forcing degrading sexual acts, pressuring me to engage in sexual acts with others, demanding I call him ‘master’, telling me I was his property, and repeatedly telling me that my only value to him was for sex to demean and control me”.

The relationship ended on May 27, the day Latham was involved in a vote to decide the future of Rosehill Gardens racecourse. Matthews travelled overseas for two weeks in June, providing “temporary relief due to physical distance”, the documents said.

“Since returning, I have been in a constant state of fear and hypervigilance due to the defendant’s patterns of harassment and intimidation following previous separations,” the documents say.

The documents also allege that Latham carried out “physical violence” during the relationship, including pushing Matthews against a wall and throwing a plate at her.

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