The Labor caucus tolerates having the odd "rat" among the photos of ALP leaders on the party room wall, but Mark Latham may have now pushed it too far.
Author
- Michelle Grattan
Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
After the latest bizarre scandal surrounding the one-time federal Labor leader, who is an independent in the NSW upper house, there is a push to remove his image from the federal caucus gallery.
Discussions are underway within Labor. No comment could be obtained from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who was on his way back from China. But if the caucus women want to see the Latham photo go, that's likely to be what happens.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Friday, "I'm sure that there are plenty of people scratching their heads about his portrait being up in the caucus room and giving consideration to whether it's appropriate or not".
Latham has a long record of scandal and offensive behaviour. In the most recent episode, his former partner, Nathalie Matthews, has accused him of a "sustained pattern" of domestic abuse, in a civil court application for an apprehended violence order. Among other things, she alleged he pressured her to take part in "degrading" sex acts.
Text messages between the two have also been published this week in which Latham sent Matthews photos of and disparaging comments about female members of the state parliament.
Latham has denied the Matthews' allegations of domestic abuse and basically shrugged off a barrage of criticism of his photographing female politicians in the chamber without their consent (although he has apologised to at least one of them).
Plibersek said Latham's behaviour would see him sacked from any other workplace.
Latham was federal Labor leader from December 2003 to January 2005. As the new leader he was considered to have a prospect of winning the 2004 election, although in the event the Coalition increased its majority. At the end of that campaign he attracted negative publicity for an aggressive handshake with then prime minister John Howard, when they crossed paths.
Latham was initially elected to the NSW parliament under the banner of One Nation but fell out with Pauline Hanson.
In 2024 he lost a defamation case brought by NSW crossbencher Alex Greenwich after Latham targeted him in a homophobic post on social media. Recently Latham revealed details, under parliamentary privilege, of a confidential psychologist report regarding Greenwich.
Plibersek said it was "extraordinary that he was elected to the New South Wales parliament in the first place with his sort of track record.
"The voters who put him there I'm sure would be really experiencing a bit of buyer's remorse when they look at his behaviour; the way that he is spending his time in parliament certainly is not delivering value for taxpayers' dollars."
Plibersek said when Latham became opposition leader she had "a little cry after work". Latham beat Kim Beazley for the post after the leadership of Simon Crean collapsed.
"I didn't see evidence of this sort of behaviour back in the day, but I always had my doubts about him as a political figure, and I think those doubts have only increased in recent decades as his behaviour has become worse and more extreme."
Latham was a protege of Gough Whitlam, for whom he worked as a researcher. He held Whitlam's former seat of Werriwa.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
