Mark Latham’s vile, homophobic comments about a gay MP make it “impossible” for him to work with the new NSW Labor government, Premier Chris Minns says.
Having grown One Nation’s power in the upper house in the recent election, Mr Latham blew up any chance of a working relationship with his former party when attacking Sydney MP Alex Greenwich on Twitter last week and then doubling down on his comment.
The contents of the graphic tweet drew widespread condemnation, including from conservative commentators and One Nation matriarch Pauline Hanson.
“The position from NSW Labor is unambiguous: we won’t be dealing with Mark Latham, we won’t be supporting him for committee chairs or assignments inside the chamber of the Legislative Council,” Mr Minns told reporters on Sunday.
“His position and comments in relation to Alex Greenwich make that impossible.”
He urged the next leader of the Liberal party to support Labor’s position.
One Nation slightly grew its vote in lower house contests but went backwards from its 2019 result in the Legislative Council, its main avenue to influence.
It will hold three seats on the upper house’s extended cross bench, which will likely grow to 12.
“That kind of rhetoric assault on an independent member of parliament is indicative of Mr Latham’s approach to politics,” the premier told reporters on Sunday.
“Even though he seems to be trying to import US-style, Trump-style politics into New South Wales, he’s nowhere near as electorally successful as the Republicans or Donald Trump are.”
Mr Latham’s homophobic attack came after Mr Greenwich called him “disgusting”.
“Sometimes in public life when you throw out insults they come back at you harder and truer … So boo-hoo Alex Greenwich,” Mr Latham said in a defiant statement on Saturday.
Refusing to provide One Nation with any platform in the next parliament will make Labor’s ability to pass its legislative agenda more difficult.
Based on current forecasts, it will require the support of seven upper house crossbenchers to pass legislation, unless a coalition MP can be convinced to take on the chamber’s presidency.
Labor will need one or two crossbenchers’ support in the Legislative Assembly after vote counting in two close seats handed wins to the Liberal Party on Saturday. The government also trails in the northwest Sydney seat of Ryde, after Liberal Jordan Lane eked out a 0.25 per cent margin.
Should Mr Lane hold on, the coalition will claim 36 seats and Labor 45 – a reversal of what each side held going into the March election.
Mr Minns on Sunday dismissed a suggestion that he would be forced to adopt mandatory cashless pokies, pointing to independent MPs Roy Butler and Philip Donato who were re-elected without pledging to support the policy.
Meanwhile, the premier said he was “surprised” voters in Kiama re-elected ex-Liberal minister Gareth Ward while he fights five sexual assault charges.
He pledged to refer Mr Ward to a parliamentary privileges committee, which considers matters of ethical standards.
The committee would need to consider whether the parliament was brought into disrepute and the impact of voters choosing to again elect him. Any decision and penalty, such as suspension, would be appealable to the Supreme Court, the premier said.
Mr Ward was suspended from the last parliament following a successful motion days after he was charged in March 2022.
He has since formally pleaded not guilty to all charges and is due to stand trial in the NSW District Court.
Mr Ward has consistently maintained his innocence and said in a statement last week he looks forward to getting back to work.
